Starting your business is an all-consuming act of love and labor. You’ll spend hundreds of hours working toward your goal without any profit; productivity is paramount to success, especially in the early days of your startup, which means you need to take advantage of any hacks you can to speed things up without sacrificing quality. These tech hacks will offer you some simple services and software that make your daily tasks as a startup CEO a bit easier.
G Suite Apps
You’re likely already closely familiar with Google’s range of online software, but how often do you update and use the cloud from your smartphone or tablet? The G Suite mobile apps include Gmail, Calendar, Cloud Search, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Sites and more. You can sync your account across multiple devices to access all of your data from anywhere, seamlessly updating information in real-time no matter what device you’re working from.
Transcription Software
You likely have a lot to talk about and even more you need to write down. A program that converts mp4 to text can transcribe your voice memos into reports that save you time, money and improve accuracy. Whether it’s a presentation you want to turn into a document or transcript for a YouTube voiceover, these services are fast, reliable and able to convert your audio into over 119 different languages to serve a global audience.
VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) secures your identity and information online. If you use your personal laptop or Wi-Fi signal as your central hub for work, it’s a good idea to secure your network. When you use the internet, websites collect information from your computer. People who use the same network as you can hack into your connection and read your emails, collect personal data and even track your activity online. VPN software is affordable and versatile; you can choose one that suits your needs and budget. You should always encrypt data on your work and home computers to prevent security breaches and unauthorized data collection. If you’re sharing a network with other computers, like your employees, then a VPN should be company protocol.
RescueTime
The hours can easily blur into one another when you’re spending all day working on your startup. For new businesses that have to do everything from hire employees to develop products in the same day, time management is crucial. RescueTime is one software you can use to start keeping track of how you’re investing your day into your job. Use it to identify your most time-consuming tasks, slowest points of the day and what you need to pay more attention to. RescueTime is a great app for startup owners because it both logs your time and creates reports for you to review later. Part of developing a productive workflow is knowing when your energy peaks, when it wanes and what you struggle with the most. Once you identify these three core areas, you can build a schedule around your best work hours to optimize your output.