109: Seven Tools to Help You Do Your Best Work

Technology is great, but only if it helps you work better. On this episode, I share 7 tools that I use and will help you get the most of our your time. I currently use them all daily in my work and I’m excited to share their benefits with you.

My three criteria for selection these tools:

1. Cross-platform
2. Not apps/tools that you already know everything about
3. Clear business model
4. Frees time to invest doing the things you are best at
5. I currently use all of them

Highrise (highrisehq.com)

• The problem this solves: Trying to piece together everything someone has every told you in multiple places.
• Far less complex than traditional CMSs
• Manage relationships
• Track conversations
• Tag people for events, projects, etc.
• Track details (birthdays, family names, etc.)
• Integrates Twitter and LinkedIn
• Basic task management
• Tracks pending customer deals
• Free plan up to 250 contacts / 30-day free trial
• What will this help you do? Get stuff out of your head and manage lots of different relationships.

Basecamp (basecamp.com)

• The problem this solves: Re-doing the same work again and again and checking in to see if people have done stuff.
• Project management tracking
• Templates for projects
• Integration with a team
• No free version, but a 60-day free trial (no credit card), $20/month

TimeTrade (timetrade.com)

• The problem this solves: Spending countless hours going back and forth with people on times to schedule with you.
• You give TimeTrade calendar access (Outlook, Calendar, Google calendar) and it looks for free spots
• You have a link and people can schedule and cancel automatically
• Great for people who are outside your organization and don’t want to have any detailed access to your calendar
• Appointments show up automatically in calendar and by email
• One downside – you need to watch what is free in your calendar
• Free version is available, but I use the $49/year version

Lift (lift.do)

• The problem this solves: Keeps you on track for the daily habits that are important to you.
• Set habits in the system
• Track when you complete them
• Follow others and encourage others and get encouragement in return
• Example: Wake up at 5am
• It sends you little motivators by email on alerts on your phone
• This version is entirely free
• See screenshot below from my iPhone

Instapaper (instapaper.com)

• The problem this solves: Cool articles on the web distracting you from getting your work done
• Set up an account and install an extension in your browser
• See something you like? Hit the button on your browser and it saves it into your account.
• Read it later on the device you want to use. I use the Instapaper app on my iPad.
• I can then send it other places.
• Instapaper account is free, but the apps are a few dollars, depending on the device you use. Or, you can read on the web.
• Pocket is a another alternative, but I’m not clear on their business model.

Buffer (bufferapp.com)

• The problem this solves: Staying engaged on social media without having to be on social media all the time
• One of my goals this year – show up more online. But how, with limited time?
• Fill your queue with relevant things for the people who follow you
• Buffer will post them on your behalf at regular intervals
• Great way to feature the work of others – I do this especially with Twitter
• Free version available, but I use $10/month version

1Password (1password.com)

• The problem this solves: Not having to track all those passwords in your life and also limiting the ability of hackers to get access to your life
• Create unique passwords for every site you visit online
• Keep them all in one place, protected by a master password
• Login automatically from your browser
• Syncs across devices using Dropbox or iCloud
• Massive time saver and fantastic peace of mind
• Just this week, Adobe announced they had a breach of accounts
• $40-$80 depending on the version you buy

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