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Strategy

10-Second Business Hacks

These 19 fast fixes will skyrocket your professional productivity.

I love all things life hacks -- ways to save time, money, be more productive faster. I did a quick Google search for 10-second busines hacks and lots of great tips popped up, like reading your voicemail via PhoneTag if you hate listening to it. The service will convert your voicemails to text and send them to you by email or message so you can get them even quicker.

Wearables Editorial Advisory Board members weigh in on their favorite fast business hacks that make their busy professional lives just a little bit easier: 

1. Prioritize. Always do your most important task the first thing in the morning before you do anything else. Triage your day based on the biggest need.
Marshall Atkinson, InkSoft

2. Sync everything, organize your folders and contacts so everything syncs to a file storage cloud app like Google Drive or Dropbox and use Office 365, Google or iCloud to back up all your phone data. This way if you lose a device, you simply plug in another one, stress-free.
Ryan Moor, Ryonet Corp.

3. Learn and practice hot keys, if your role is on the computer. With a few clicks and in a fraction of a second you can do just about anything on a Mac or a PC, if you Google “hot keys” and learn to practice them you can make getting around on your computer or laptop much more efficient and enjoyable.
Ryan Moor, Ryonet Corp.

4. Schedule. Plan all employee cross-training initiatives using a calendar and schedule them like an appointment. For example, Fred is working in receiving from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm and will learn how to check in goods. Detail a program for all you most important tasks and break down what’s needed to learn them into short chunks of time.
Marshall Atkinson, InkSoft

5. Learn to accurately measure your shop costs. Read this article for an in depth discussion. 
Marshall Atkinson, InkSoft

6. For better performance culture have employee reviews every six months.  Discussions should be based on performance and set at least three goals for the employee to work on for the next six months. Then, at that review discuss accomplishments and set new goals. Compensation is only discussed once a year. All reviews are based on the hire month, and scheduled on the calendar in advance.
Marshall Atkinson, InkSoft

7. Use your phone calendar to stay on time. Don’t just put your meetings in it or if you do that’s fine too. Make sure you set two alarms: one for the day before and another for an hour before your meeting. The first reminder will go off and it helps me to remind me what I’ll need for the meeting along with having one and the second one keeps me on point to be on time and get what I need in order if running behind on doing so. I always try to be 10 minutes early for meetings.
Howard Potter, A&P Master Images

8. Send photos from your mobile phone. Use your phone to send pictures of suggested designs or sew-outs of designs that have been digitized for clients. Take pictures of jobs that have a lot of parts so you can use them as a reference for repeating jobs in the future.
Ginny Fineberg, Sandpiper Embroidery

9. Take a meditation break. A few times a day, I plug in headphones and get a 10-minute meditation break from apps at Apple iTunes (but is also available for Android). Essentially, I can unplug from my surroundings and just go to my happy place – all’s right with the world.
Jay Fishman, Wicked Stitch of the East

10. Network, network, network. Networking isn’t limited to sales efforts. Meeting individuals from different geographical locations and career backgrounds will provide a wide variety of viewpoints and experiences.  Whether you’re in sales or just looking to share business practices, struggles and success stories, there’s a mutual benefit to be had from all networking efforts.
Andy Shuman, Rockland Embroidery Inc.

11. Get an instant screen shot. Do you ever need to illustrate something from your screen, whether it’s a still image or a video? Snagit is a low-cost option that lets you share what can’t be put into words, priced at $49.95 dollars, but you can take them up on a free 30-day trial. This product will become an indispensable tool you’ll turn to on a daily basis. Learn more: www.snagit.com.
Ed Levy, Hirsh Solutions Studio

12. Time is money. Be sure you’re optimizing your time to create wealth, and you don’t need an app or software to do it. Instead, focus on earning new customers, selling more to your current customers, hiring and managing salespeople, and buyout out your competition. Anything else could postpone your success.
Greg Muzzillo, Proforma

13. Stay virtually organized. Online applications aren’t foolproof, so refer to old school, everyday tools like handwritten notes kept in a tidy calendar diary. Organizing a Gmail account synched with your smartphone and Microsoft Outlook on your laptop will help you save on paper. Use a password keeper like Dashlane, LastPass or Roboform to ensure security of all your personal accounts.
Joanna Grant, Idea Custom Solutions

14. Stay in touch easily. Running a crazy schedule is made easier by responding quickly to my emails using voice-to-type programs like Siri. Using a software program like Slack is helpful in creating an online workspace for your computer or your phone to keep your work together with messaging, channels, and everything you need to worry about. Check it out: www.slack.com.
Samanta Cortes

15. See who’s at your door virtually. Working from home just got easier with Ring, an application that sends an alert to your phone when your doorbell rings and lets you see who is there. If you can’t get to the door, the app lets you talk through the doorbell to talk to whoever’s there. All of the data is recorded and kept on the cloud for 30 days. Check it out: https://ring.com.
Jane Swanzy, Swan Threads

16. Do at least one thing every day to build sales. Instead of focusing on major marketing campaigns constantly, remember to take it a day at a time. If you do just one thing a day to build your business you’ll make a minimum of 365 impressions on your market. Even if it’s simply pinning your business card to bulletin board or updating social media, even the little things count. 
Steve Freeman, Qdigitizing.com

17. Get a personal dashboard. Have your IT person design a dashboard for you with only those reports that are a daily must-read. You’ll save time searching for, and opening individual files, saving time and aggravation!
Shirley Clark, Madeira USA

18. Hold departmental meetings in the department, rather than in your own office. In familiar surroundings, employees feel more comfortable and are more prone to participating and sharing. Plus, you have good control of when you decide to end the meeting, by standing and heading for the door!
Shirley Clark, Madeira USA

19. Use voice-to-type on your laptop. Download the app Voice Note and make it easier to communicate. Use the voice to text feature outside of your Siri or cell programs with this app on your laptop or desktop. Best of all, it’s free, but make sure you always check for typos!  
Lee Romano Sequeira, Sparkle Plenty Designs