Tools help us accomplish things that wouldn’t be possible otherwise, or accelerate the time in which they can be achieved. As marketplaces evolve, so too do the tools business owners can use to create value for their customers. Those small day-in/day-out things that help grease the wheels of moving an idea from concept, to reality. Three tools that have made a big difference in my entrepreneurial journey are:
Evernote — With their elephant logo, and their “Remember Everything” tagline, Evernote is absolutely indispensable to me to capture ideas when they pop in my head, plan out and track progress on projects, store important references and bits of information, and keep it all in sync across all my devices. Heck, even this blog post was drafted in Evernote before I posted it. I have a notebook in Evernote for each part of my business, and related notes, brainstorms, and projects all get stored there for easy reference from my computer, iPad, iPhone, or web browser — it’s eliminated the “where did I see that?”, and the “oh I don’t have that on me”, moments, and enables me to make progress on whatever I’m focused on at the time.
Day One — I started using Day One about a month ago, but I’ve been using something like it on and off for years. Day One is a journaling app, which I think is critical for any entrepreneur. Following the advice of Dan Sullivan, I make sure to journal three positive things that happen every day before going to sleep — it keeps me from falling into a mental gap of failing to make progress, by reminding me to celebrate the little wins along the way. I also make a note of three things I’m grateful for every day, because gratitude breeds happiness. Not to mention, the app is a great way to log and recall special moments, save memorable travel pics, and cultivate reflections that foster personal growth.
Swipes — Big picture planning is important, but getting things done day-to-day is equally as important. Swipes is a great app that acts as a super-powered checklist: you can add in the things you want to get done, “swipe” them to the right with a satisfactory “bing”, or “swipe” them to the left and set a time for them to come back and remind you later. It’s great to make sure you get done what you need to, focus only on what you need to right now, and be flexible and re-prioritize your day as you go — absolutely essential for a small business owners imho. And for an added boost, link it to a smart watch to have those phone calls or tasks ping your wrist at their appointed time.
There’s many more out there for sure, but the key is finding the ones that are effective for you, and availing yourself of them to keep moving you towards your goal. As we like to say here at Elements CPA: “Elements are simple, but have powerful creative energy — and focusing on the Elementals builds a strength, for what truly matters.“
