Get $h!t Done (Like a Pro!) - Part 1
If you’re anything like us, you have about a million things running through your mind at any given moment. Be it personal or professional, there’s no shortage of things to do. So, how can you get sh*t done (GSD*, as we call it around the office/Slack Channel) like a pro AND keep your sanity - we’ve got some ideas for you. There is a TON of ground to cover, so we’re breaking this up into a three part series.
It goes without saying, but there are about a million software platforms that can help with areas of your business that need support. Here, we will dig into our favorite one or two in each category. Up first: Operations.
Time Tracking
Almost every business needs it, many don’t have a great way of tracking hours, so here are our favorites for time tracking. Which hours tracker software do you use?
BigTime: Our team uses Big Time to track hours spent on our client work. They allow for time tracking and invoicing, project management/tracking, and workflow creation. We implemented BigTime and are already realizing a ton of efficiency and accuracy, as it allows us to view capacity and billable work in real time. We have also eliminated the additional manual entry into QBO of the invoice data as it is fed directly from BigTime.
Harvest: Harvest says they turn time tracking into insights - showing you where your team is spending their time, keeping projects on time, and sending invoices directly from the tracked time. They work with huge businesses like Conde Nast, McDonalds, Volkswagen, and Lululemon, but work with tons of startups, too.
Hours Tracker: If you’re just getting started, HoursTracker is available in the Apple App Store and it’s free for up to 5 “Jobs”. You’ll pay less than $10 one time for as many jobs as you want to track. It’s easy to use and really helps you understand how you’re spending your valuable time. You can even add your “rates” to see how much you’re earning, which is kind of fun.
Storage
There isn’t a company out there that doesn’t create data and need to store it. And we’ve all heard of the big ones in Box, Dropbox and Google Drive, but there are so many awesome storage tools out there, designed for all types of businesses and people. Our team uses (and loves) Dropbox and Google Drive for some things, and we love both.
Dropbox: Sort of the OG in file management, Dropbox is great because they offer affordable storage, they have a great app and you can sync it to show up on your desktop without taking any computer space.
Google Drive: For Google lovers, there is almost nothing better. Drive allows you to add all your photos, videos, files, and more, plus integrate Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and so much more. Plus they easily allow inner-office sharing with permissions.
OneDrive: Microsoft’s solution to storage, OneDrive is great for Microsoft users (and lovers!). It connects seamlessly with their product line, including Office + Teams and is a great solution for people and teams that are most comfortable with Microsoft.
Contract Tracking
Regardless of what line of work your business is in, we know everyone has a contract to send out/sign from time to time. When those moments come, it’s great to have a tracking software on your side to make sure nothing gets lost or forgotten. And best of all, with e-signatures, we’re all getting contracts signed and sealed, without having to wait for the printer and scanner.
Dropbox Sign: Newly a Dropbox company, HelloSign offers three pricing packages to meet your business needs. They can integrate with Salesforce, include custom branding and offer templates for all your contract writing needs.
DocuSign: Similar to HelloSign, DocuSign offers encrypted contract signing, contract lifecycle management and more to customers like Salesforce, Uber, American Airlines and many more.
Zoho Sign: Part of the Zoho Suite of products, Sign offers paperless, encrypted contract signing. For Zoho users, this integrates easily with your other software products.
Password Management
We all have a list of passwords we use for everything, but security experts would encourage us to use a randomized password everywhere for added security. Enter: 1Password and Last Pass, two systems that take the headache out of remembering long strings of random passwords, keeping you safe and secure.
MYKI: Our team uses MYKI to save and store all our passwords, securely, offline. We love this app because it’s free for users or $3.99/year for team members. Super simple, super affordable.
1Password: 1Password really is what it says: one password that unlocks all of your other passwords. You only need to remember one, the Master password and that will unlock the rest of them.
LastPass: Similarly, LastPass stores all your passwords across the web, but it also can safely store your data for shopping (addresses, etc), monitor for breaches and generate strong passwords for you.
* This might be trademarked, and if it is we’re going to apologize in advance, but we swear a lot and have taken liberties with the S. Literally no infringement intended or implied. There are many authors and companies that use these words and the acronym GSD. Each of them can help you put together strategies to help you effectively manage your time and accomplish great things. Reach out to them to learn more.