Harness the Power of Technology to Boost Productivity

Powerful smart phones, computers, tablets, websites, software, blogs and social media. There are so many technology tools and gadgets these days that it is hard to keep up! On the other end of the spectrum are people that are glued to their devices, addicted to their "Crackberry." Indeed, for many people, technology has become the master. However, true technology was designed to be our servant. The following tools (some are "apps," which is short for applications for those of you that have are not as familiar with smart phone lingo) will help you harness technology to boost your productivity . You may have heard of some, while others may be new "finds." All of them are designed to assist you in being smarter, faster, and more productive, which is why technology was created in the first place.

Google Calendar- Need a calendar that can't be lost, can be accessed from any device, and can be shared with others when you want to? GoogleCalendar to the rescue! Google Calendar is an Internet based calendar system that you can access from your desktop computer, laptop, smart phone or tablet -- basically any device with Internet service. You can share events with family members and friends, making it perfect for families to use and even small businesses. And it is absolutely free! Your content is stored "in the cloud," which means you can never lose it, a real bonus for those of you that sometimes misplace your smart phone or forget to charge it.

YouSendIt- Ever want to send a friend or work colleague a file but it is too large to send via your regular email system? Try YouSendIt next time. YouSendIt is secure online sharing software that allows you to easily send large files and email at tachments. It is free for the basic level, and if you need to send even larger files, you can upgrade to a paid version. I use YouSendIt often to email video files, slides shows, and other types of files that are larger than usual. It is quick and easy. All you need is the recipient's email and, voila, away the file goes.

Dropbox- This tool is my favorite. Dropbox is a free service that let's you store information from your computer, smart phone or tablet on the Internet, and then access it from anywhere you have service. You can also share it with others. Just upload files, videos or photos into your Dropbox account, and they are stored there until you need them. The basic level gives you 2GB for free. Any more than that, and you must buy a paid version. But 2GB is a lot of free online storage if you are only storing documents. If you need video a nd photo storage, you will be at a higher level. To me, the beauty of Dropbox is it's portability. It is like having your files with you wherever you go!

Evernote- Need a place to jot down notes, ideas and lists that can be accessed from anywhere, and tagged and archived so that the information is easily retrievable? You will love Evernote. Evernote is a suite of software and services designed for note taking and archiving. It allows you to make notes and lists in a handy location (better than post-it notes scattered everywhere) using your computer, smart phone or tablet, and access them when you need them. Uses are endless -- shopping lists, business ideas, snap a photo of something to remember it, clip webpages, class notes, recipes , travel itineraries, images of business cards, etc. Evernote has a bigger learning curve than the other tools list ed, but once mastered, it's power is amazing.

Toodledo- Need a place to list all of your projects, tasks and to-do's that is portable and allows you to access it from any device? Chuck the paper and check out Toodledo. It is an Internet based software that is a powerful task manager. You can organize tasks by category, place them into folders, track due dates and access the information from anywhere. If you need a calendar system also, Toodledo does have that option. You can tag tasks to easily search them later, add notes to them, and lots of other bells and whistles. Toodledo, like Evernote, allows you to dump your brain into an electronic format so that you don't have to remember everything yourself!

Dragon- Dragon i s voice-to-text software that allows you to dictate to your smart phone, tablet or computer, and then converts the voice recording to text. Once in text format, you can email or text it to yourself, or anyone else for that matter. Uses for Dragon are endless -- shopping lists, letters, quick emails, etc. It's not only easy and fun to use, it's also safer to speak into your phone than type when driving!

Coaching Challenge: Harness the power of technology! Choose at least one of the above tools and try it. Technology works best when you take the time to learn how to effectively use it and integrate it into your life. So be patient, take your time and discover what works best for you.