Being entrepreneurial isn’t just about having a profitable business or creative ideas that might lead you to one. It’s about the mindset and how you can optimize and capitalize on your ideas and improve your work efficiency. And the secret to all those aspects of entrepreneurship is organization.
No #business can thrive in a chaotic whirlpool of disorganization. Click To TweetWell, maybe some quirky, high-paying artists can, but organization is key for the rest of the population. And sure, some people can organize with good old notebooks, but if you have tools and apps that streamline that process, why not utilize them.
Also, keep in mind that this article isn’t bashing on writing things down in physical notebooks; after all, kinesthetic learning is an important aspect of memorization. So having a notebook for quick notes next to you at all times is never a bad thing.
That being said, having organizational tools instantly accessible on your phone or work computer can immensely help you grow as an entrepreneur.
Forest
Procrastination is the death of entrepreneurship. There are so many hurdles in growing your business, but the first one is always beating your procrastination. After all, how will you succeed if every 5 minutes you click away from your work to check out what new craze is happening on social media, or even worse, to watch a 5-hour video essay about a TV show.
That’s why you should utilize Forest – Focus Timer for Productivity, as it basically locks away your distractors behind a set timer so you can focus on achieving your tasks.
It’s available for smartphones and as an extension for your desktop browsers, so you can blacklist your common distractor ann all your devices. It’s completely free to use, with some inexpensive quality of life purchasing options that aren’t really necessary for pure usage.
Plus it’s worthy to note that if you’re going to ignore Forest, you should know it creates a tree for every timer you set, and if you break the timer, the tree withers, and thus it motivates you to do better.
Evernote
To continue the idea mentioned in the beginning, note-taking is key in achieving success as it helps you memorize key points of your day, helps you manifest ideas that would otherwise be lost as you focus on other tasks, and helps you organize your tasks (and the knowledge you require for completing them) in a simple manner.
So using a note-taking app like Evernote ensures that your mind is clear for your tasks and that your ideas aren’t lost in your work process. And unlike physical notebooks, Evernote can sync your notes with other devices, so you gain both mobility and safety of your information. After all, one unlucky rainy day can ruin your notebook forever.
Todoist
Every entrepreneur will tell you that the secret to the growth of their business is their impeccable organization. But they’ll rarely tell you that that organization is all due to apps like Todoist. With Todoist, you can make extensive to-do lists that are simple and intuitive while at the same time allowing you to create complex multi-staged tasks.
And if you have problems with creating habits or long-term tasks, Todoist enables you to customize tasks so that they reappear at whatever time you desire. If you need it for personal use, it’s completely free, but if you want your entire business to use it, there is a pro version for only $5 a month with which multiple users can utilize the same tasks and even chat with each other.
Zoom
These last few years have taught us that being able to hold group meetings over large distances is crucial in emergency cases. And there’s no better cloud meeting app than Zoom. From elementary school classes to CEO meetings, we’ve seen Zoom dominate remote work environments.
Therefore utilizing such a powerful tool in your own business can be indispensable, even if it’s just as an emergency backup. The best work environment your can have involves direct lines of communications where you can have open and unmoderated discussions that simple e-mails just can’t sustain. And if you can’t have those meetings face-to-face, Zoom is the next best alternative.
Dropbox
If you have a growing team behind your business, it’s important that the work they do is synchronized. And the best way for you to ensure your team has all the required data for their tasks is by forming collective cloud storage. Dropbox allows you to upload any manner of files, videos, and documents on a cloud server through which everyone will have remote access.
No longer will you have to worry about losing your files or have the need to go down to the office to get updates, disasters like the one on the Toy Story 2 production will be a thing of the past. You won’t need to rely on endless backups that can only be separately accessed or that you’re going to be disconnected from your work.
LastPass
Keeping track of your passwords can be quite an undertaking, especially if you create unique passwords that don’t repeat (which you totally should). And when you’re an entrepreneur, managing passwords is key as you’ll need to access various tools and communication services to properly manage your business.
That’s why you should use LastPass as it is the best password management app that focuses on security and ease of use. With LastPass, all of your passwords will automatically fill up the necessary login forms and keep your information safe.
Fyle
Staying on top of your business expenses can seem like a daunting task if your business is growing and you still follow a traditional spreadsheet-based model for expense management. Piling receipts, inaccurate records, and broken processes could cause your business financials to be all over the place. Here is where Fyle comes in.
Fyle automates your entire pre-accounting process end-to-end and ensures your Finance teams have access to information regarding company-wide expenses within a single platform. It lets employees submit and track their expenses from applications they use every day, like Gmail, Slack, or Outlook. Additionally, you longer have to worry about the submitted reports being policy compliant as Fyle seamlessly enforces compliance by automating pre-submission checks. This ensures that only compliant reports are submitted and keeps expense fraud at bay.