Like 2011, 2012 will be another year of budget cutbacks, deadline setbacks, and “must-do-today” desk-clearing tasks. Do not despair. This blog entry provides tips and tools to help you streamline your time and save money. It is my gift to you — Happy New Year!
Managing e-mail madness
AwayFind liberates you from the never-ending burden of checking your e-mail. When an important message arrives, you are alerted with an SMS on your mobile device or a digital voice call. You can create filters and customized auto-responders to let contacts know that you will get back to them sooner, later, or perhaps much later. Basic service is free, and paid options range from $4.99 to $49 a month. A low-tech alternative to avoid constant interruptions is to only open your e-mail program a few times a day.
Your to-do list — on steroids
Trello picks up where the banal Day-Timer®* leaves off. This collaboration tool organizes all of your projects onto editable cards that can be dragged and dropped onto project boards on your computer screen. Trello lets you see:
- What’s being worked on
- Who’s working on what
- Project status updates
It’s easy to add priorities, checklists, notes, activities, videos, and links. About setting priorities: on crazy days I ask myself, “Is this action or expense directly tied to my business mission? Will it help me achieve my goals for the year?”
On the money
Mint is a free tool that brings all of your financial accounts together in one place online or on your mobile device, including your savings, checking, investments, auto payments, and mortgage. It automatically categorizes transactions, lets you see your budgets, and offers ways to save. It even tracks your spending with color-coded pie charts that you don’t have to waste time creating in Excel®*.
Save big, save often
- You never have to clip newspaper coupons again to save on hundreds of items and services with printable coupons and savings cards at Coupons.com
- ZingSale is a free price alert service that notifies you when that item you’ve been coveting goes on sale
- You no longer have to drive around to find inexpensive gas prices in your city, thanks to GasBuddy
- BarkingDeals works just like Groupon, so go ahead and spoil Rover
While other healthcare communications marketing firms are having difficulty adjusting to doing more with less, adding value while saving clients money has always been status quo for The Core Nation companies. Contact Me anytime to hear how we can work more efficiently for you in 2012.
*Day-Timer is a registered trademark of ACCO Brands Corporation. Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
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Ken is a great deal more than just the president of a medical communications company. He is something of a hybrid. He’s part marketing manager, part creative director, and part copywriter. To the chagrin of his peers—but to the delight of his clients—Ken is a consummate perfectionist. As a former creative director for a high-end consumer agency, he challenged his creative teams to go beyond the mundane to produce work with real creative impact, something he’s just as fervent about today. From producing and directing TV commercials, to launching DTC and Rx-to-OTC switches, Ken brings his clients a world of experience in OTC pharmaceuticals as well as business, lifestyle, and high-end consumer products and services. Whether huddled with clients behind a mirror in a market research center in Houston, facilitating a strategic workshop in Madrid, or developing a global campaign either in the New Jersey or California office, Ken is always fully engaged, bringing “bestness” to all areas of his hectic but full life.
