As a business leader, you’ll often find that time can be your worst enemy. With the pressure of the day-to-day management of an organisation, retaining clients and winning new business, as well as trying to find time to see family and friends, it can be a very demanding job. As a result, many business leaders struggle to achieve a good work-life balance.
Trying to pack all the responsibilities that come with running a business in to one day can often prove challenging. Did you know that 80% of CEOs wake up before 6am? Here’s a full breakdown of how the average Chief Executive spends their day. Traditional time-saving techniques such as prioritising your workload, organising your daily schedule with a calendar and only checking emails at certain times of the day, can be really effective in streamlining your working day.
But with the introduction of technology has also come a range of useful time-saving apps and tools. Many of which can help enhance the effectiveness of these traditional techniques. And you know how much we love our technology at Carrwood Park…
1. IFTTT
Automation can save you so much time. How long do you spend putting together your to-do-list for the day? Imagine if you could add an action to your list with a single touch of a button.
This free tool, If This Then That (IFTTT), uses ‘Applets’ to link your apps and devices together. With over 1,000,000,000 Applets being used every month, you can automate anything and everything from the temperature of your office to muting your phone during meetings!
2. Slack
Slack can be a great tool to keep in touch with your employees, especially if you have any remote workers. It’s designed to make it as easy as possible to contact your team, and can be really useful if you want to quickly get a message to someone. You’ll find that a lot of people only check their emails or texts at certain times of the day, so you’re often left waiting for an urgent response… Encourage your employees to download Slack on their desktop, mobile, tablet, Apple Watch and so on, and you’ll rarely have to worry about this.
3. Dashlane
If you struggle with memorising your passwords, Dashlane will be a lifesaver! This tool securely stores your passwords and automatically logs you in when you visit a website. If you have more than one account, for example on Twitter, simply click the Dashlane icon and you’ll be presented with an option of different accounts to choose from.
If your employees ever need to sign in using your login details, you can securely share the passwords via Dashlane. The great thing about this is that your employees don’t even need to know the password to log in! As long as they use Dashlane too, they’ll be able to log in automatically…
4. Xero
This ‘beautiful accounting software’ allows you to monitor and manage your cashflow on the go. It links to your mobile, tablet and desktop meaning no matter where you are, you can send payments and invoices, schedule bills, create purchase orders and more! Xero also integrates with over 600 third-party apps for extra convenience.
5. Business Card Reader Pro
If you’re a regular networker, odds are you’ll have a pile of business cards stashed away somewhere. Or maybe you have an accumulation of business cards scattered around the office. Either way, this tool will come in handy. Use your iPhone to scan your business cards and immediately import their contact details into your iOS contacts. The app even integrates with CRM systems such as Salesforce, saving you and your team hours of admin work!
6. Buffer
Buffer is one of the best tools out there to ensure your social media accounts stay topped up with content. Similar to Hootsuite, you can use this tool to schedule posts ahead of time, to avoid constantly being on social media. It integrates with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and so on…
Another fantastic feature of Buffer is the Google Chrome Extension. You can use this to instantly share an interesting article to your social media channels, or of course schedule it ahead of time. You can even schedule a retweet to avoid spamming your followers!
7. Scanner Pro
Turn your iPhone into a portable scanner with this simple but effective tool. It uses advanced software to quickly scan any paper documents and convert them into a digital file. Scanner Pro also allows you to edit the file, meaning you can use it to sign contracts and scan books, receipts or other documents. You don’t even need to worry about creases or coffee stains – the app automatically detects this and converts it into a clean PDF file. As you can imagine, this can save you a lot of time.
These tools will truly streamline your working day, saving you hours every week! Why not try them out for yourself and let us know what you think on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn?
Are you looking for a workspace designed with productivity and innovation in mind, where you and your team can truly excel? Why not arrange a viewing at our luxury serviced offices in Leeds?
