Technology rules

December 18, 2013 at 11:25 PM
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If you think only about what you want to do and never about how you're going to do it, you're not really planning. It's all too easy for good ideas to go unrealized simply because you didn't have the right tools to keep you organized and remind you what you need to do.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about how to "get things done." Books have been written. Seminars have been created. And dozens of tools have been made available for you to use. Here are two things to think about:

1. Your tools should go with you everywhere, every time. That usually means a web app and mobile apps. When you're deciding on a tool, make sure it can go where you go. And try it in places where you usually work. Do the different platforms sync properly? Is it beautiful and easy to use?

You can't use a desktop application or web app exclusively — especially if you live a life that's on the go. Dig around a little bit and make sure the tool you're going to use is something you can rely on every day. You're going to need it.

2. Your tools should free you from having to remember things. Develop habits that have you flushing everything you need to remember out of your brain and into your task-tracking app. This might sound crazy, but even the small stuff you need to remember can prevent you from being creative in other things.

So set yourself a reminder to take out the trash or follow up on missed phone calls. Leave your brain free to be creative in everything else (another reason you need your tools with you where ever you go).

The right tools make it easy to stay focused, on schedule and working to your full potential. No matter what is going on around you, the right tools (along with the right process) can help you see through the fog. Which is what you really want to do any way, right?

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Dan Waldschmidt is an international business strategist, speaker and author. He is author of the soon-to-be-released Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Achieve Outrageous Success. For more information, go to danwaldschmidt.com.

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