In his book Free, Chris Anderson begins saying that he is using a web book (costing at least 60% cheaper than a traditional laptop), storing his writings on Google servers (which is free), sitting in a Starbucks using their free wi-fi and not to undermine the air conditioning and luxurious sofa, where his only expense is the coffee. But, the book still costs us $20. Why?
When we have so many new ways of working smart, how many do we actually use? There are million publications on the best apps and software to use and there are user ratings which are public and help you decide what to use.
This is an account of my personal exploration of using technology to work smart.
Notes
Try Evernote, a simple yet powerful tool where you can store almost everything and related to your notes, including Hand written notes, attachments and files.
Why? Because you never know when you get the best idea or a plan to work on. Keeping your thoughts synchronised plays a vital role in us becoming smarter.
Presentations
Presentations are the reflections of our creativity. We try to get creative with the available tools. What if there is something which will help us be more creative? Prezi is the answer. If you have seen a Prezi presentation earlier, you have got it. It is such an amazing and simple tool which can help us get more creative. Conveying our idea on a illustration would reach people 80% faster (my estimate and experience) than bulleted points.
Prezi is for Presentation, what Xerox is for Photo Copy.
Documents
Ever wondered what makes the 9 wonders of the world really a wonder? Because they are a treat to the eyes. When you see a Taj Mahal, your mind is thinking of what would have the architect been thinking when he designed it.
The same applies to your writing. When you hand over a document to someone, the writing should immediately take the reader into a different world (let it be a sales projection or Balance Sheet).
Your creativity in writing is 80%, but the tools you use will add the remaining 20%. Even though Keynote quite does not do as much as Word, the simplicity by which you can create your documents is what keeps me with Keynote. The font typeface’s make huge difference and help you engrave beauty into your writing.
Disclaimer: I do not get paid from anyone for this article. After exploring quite a few tools, I have stuck to the above list.