24/12/2014
Work Smarter Not Harder...
Automation and efficiency: We take these things seriously at Royal Online Solutions, not only as core product and investing values, but also as a way to get our work done during the day and live happier lives.
By being more efficient, we allow more time for the good stuff: identifying new products, creative brainstorming, lunches together as a team. Below we share with you some tips for improving productivity:
Inbox Zero
“Use Inbox Pause to block, batch, and deliver your email four times daily. That way, you can focus on my highest priority tasks, rather than the most recent requests. Your task list should serve as your guide, rather than your inbox.
When you get an email, try (and sometimes succeed) to immediately do one of four things:
• Deal with it right away (respond, save in a folder, etc.)
• Create a Trello card to put it on my to-do list
• Create a note in Evernote to save info for later reference
• Create a calendar event
More Email Tips:
“Use Rapportive, a Gmail plugin, to learn more about whoever’s emailing you. Great for pre-screening applicants, introductions, investors, business development partners, and salespeople.”
“Use Boomerang for Gmail to help you manage your inbox. It allows you to send emails back to yourself when you need to remember to respond, or check to see if someone else has responded, without having to keep them in your inbox.”
Search Engine Shortcuts:
“Use Chrome search engine shortcuts. Assign ‘maps’ to searching in Google Maps, ‘conf’ for Confluence, and most importantly ‘ud’ for urban dictionary. Also have two separate Chrome accounts—one for work and one for personal. That way, work bookmarks and logins stay in one window and personal can stay in the other.”
General Productivity Hacks:
“Always do everything the night before. In the morning, you are ready and out the door in 20 minutes or less.
“Use FileThis to pull all your credit card and bank statements, insurance bills, utility bills, Betterment statements, etc. It’s an incredible add-on to your Dropbox account and really helps keep you paperless.”
“Use your iPhone to take pictures of everything you want to remember or that you need to refer to in the future—forms, addresses, business cards, insurance cards, receipts, screenshots. In a perfect world, you can have each photo tagged and filed in Evernote.
Royal Online Solutions http://www.royalonlinesolutions.com