I frequently get asked what tools I use to stay productive.
As many of you know, I write for 5 different blog entities:
- Hire and Retain Top Talent Blog
- Effective Job Search and Career Management
- FREE Job Search Resources
- Vistage Leadership Community
- Vistage Chairs
I also am active on Twitter, Facebook, read 3-4 business books on a weekly basis, 10-12 business magazines, hundreds of blogs weekly – cataloging articles for research, blogging ideas, podcasts, Powerpoint presentations, and mastery in several areas.
And I only spend roughly 10-15% of my total time on Internet related activities. I still have a very active Executive Search, Training, Hiring Consulting, and Executive Job Search Coaching business to run.
Here are my favorite tools:
Information Catalog – OneNote which is a Microsoft application for storing information and categorizing information. I copy/paste websites, clips, and videos. I use for making to do lists, idea generation, and cataloging a wide range of research materials and content. An alternative online tool that many swear by is Evernote.
Bookmarking Application – I use Delicious to store and tag my bookmarks. I have over 6000 now and it’s rapidly escalating - wouldn’t surprise me if I have 10,000 by year end. I read and store the best information I can find on a variety of topics, such as motivation, hiring, employee engagement-satisfaction, retention, leadership, blogging, social media, recruiting to name a few.
To-Do List Conversion – There is a brand new tool I’ve fallen in love with that is a turbo-charger for Delicious. The tool is called Licorize. It takes some of the best content I come across and allows me to turn it into to do tasks. For example, I stumbled across a well-known blogger talking about a podcast recording tool called Cinch.com that allows you to make short podcast tips from your phone. I turned this into a to do through Licorize.
Mind-Mapping – I like to use a mind-mapping FREE tool called FREE Mind. It helps you to think through decision trees, the flow of information, and business strategies. A mind-mapping tool helps to lay out the various paths and possibilities.
Blogging Software – My favorite tool is Live Writer – Another Microsoft tool AND IT IS FREE. Live Writer allows you to write blogs off-line and then post them as drafts or live to your existing blog. I am a very active blogger. This is a great invention if you’re like me and you travel frequently.
Outlook – 70-80%my daily communication occurs through Outlook. I use two tools to boost my productivity. The first is Xobni which is inbox spelled backwards. This is an add-in to Outlook. It helps with searching through your ocean of information and extracting information. It also shows whether your email sender is on facebook or linkedin and allows you to send invites straight from the application. The second tool I use is Gist which is also an Outlook Add-in. Gist allows me to tag and tract various people with whom I email or who are in my contact list. It also tracts their social media postings on twitter, blogs, linkedin, and facebook.
I hope some of these tools help to boost your productivity.
Barry Deutsch
