Technology to make your work life easier

With today’s technology and the rapid increase of smart phone usage, there are many new tools available to help organize your work life. However, learning more about each of these new technologies that are available to us, and choosing the right one, can be an overwhelming (adventure).

Whether you’re a prolific mobile user or if you’re just looking for the right tool to help you organize your workflow process, we’ve organized a listing of a few of the most popular applications for busy business professionals.

Photo: http://flic.kr/p/7ykQ19

Important Information Storage

One headache often encountered at work is having too many documents in too many different places. Whether you have files stored on your desktop, notes scribbled on napkins, or a briefcase overflowing with papers – quickly finding what you need can be challenging. Tools like Evernote and Dropbox store your important documents (files, photos, to-do lists, etc.), make them searchable and best of all, easily accessible wherever you are – and from any mobile device or computer.

Mobile Communications

For the traveling business professional, email isn’t always the ideal form of communication. For example, when trying to coordinate with your team in real-time, such as meeting up with a group at a conference, you might find value in a group text application. GroupMe helps you work more efficiently than sifting through otherwise lengthy threads of emails. If you’re out of the office a lot, it’s important to maintain that face-to-face contact with your team and clients around the globe. Skype offers features like group video calling, group screen sharing and file sharing, so that business can resume as usual when you’re not physically present.

Contact Lists and Relationship Management

Today, your professional contacts aren’t just on a business card in a Rolodex on your desk. They are in your email lists, your social networks and your mobile phone – all of which cross paths with your personal contacts. Losing track of an important email or a text message at work is unacceptable. Tools like Gist and Xobni help you categorize your contacts and keep your messages from all platforms in one place. Available in beta for Android mobile devices, the hot app is Meshin, an information communications application that makes you even more productive by unifying your email, texts, phone calls, and social messages into a single, intuitive interface.

What do you struggle with organizationally? What tools are you currently using the most to help keep your work life in order?