With hours-long events, notifications from lots of different apps and unwanted reminders, your business calendar can get out of hand before you know it. But managed properly it's the key tool for finding time between day-to-day tasks for your latest (and hottest) business discoveries. A well-managed business calendar will help you prioritize new opportunities, and clever online tools will help you make the most of them. So put a date in your agenda to sort yours out using our top tips.
Time management
Stay on the ball and set time aside for meetings and events using cloud-based organizers like Google Calendar. This will allow you to access your schedule anywhere on your travels and from any device. To manage your time with even more helpful tech, there are extra tools like Toggl, Harvest and TimeCamp that all help to plan your tasks around your allotted time frame, and they can even link into your calendar to keep you on top of your schedule.
This way you can tune into your work without forgetting those important meetings, while other apps can take care of other distracting tasks, like organizing your expenses.
Travel planning
Around 27% of workers we surveyed as part of our report said that their commuting time could be put to better use. So if you're travelling for work with your team, enlist them to work on a pitch, presentation or one of your latest projects. If you're on your own, use this time to catch up on your emails, or even take a nap to boost your energy levels for your next meeting.
Putting this travel time to good use takes a little pressure off your schedule. and means that you'll always arrive at your destination feeling more prepared.
Mobile working
Even if you're travelling abroad and staying in new towns and cities, it's always good to plan ahead and arrange a working base for yourself. This will mean that, in between your meetings and engagements, you'll have to place to return to so that you can continue to work and consolidate your efforts.
Digital connections
It's official: 89% of business people globally say that the rise of remote working has made more people turn to cloud applications. Apps like Skype, WhatsApp and Slack are making sure that teams stay in touch while telecommuting or travelling for business. Equally, storage solutions like Google Drive and Dropbox allow files and company details to be shared with colleagues and contacts remotely, as long as there's internet access.
Finding the right cloud-based tool means you can connect with colleagues from anywhere in the world - and share the right information with new contacts, as soon as the opportunity arrives.
Following up
With all this in place, you'll have every opportunity to follow up with new contacts and cement business relationships. Tools like Outlook allow you to share digital business cards, so you're in direct contact and ready to arrange the next meeting. Make sure you strike while the iron's hot with doable action points that will prepare you to hammer the deal home. You can use simple task lists like Wunderlist to plan your next steps and share them with your team.
By planning ahead and making the most of mobile business tools, you'll find growth opportunities appear more often than you'd expect.
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