SuccessfulMindset

Ok, so in today’s day and age, most of us have certain pieces of technology that we use so often that if we were to lose them or forget them, we feel like we’re naked when we walk out the door.  I thought I’d throw together the quick list of thing I use so often in my business and personal life that without them I wouldn’t be nearly as effective and efficient as I am (or at least hope to be).

So here’s my list: 

1. My Laptop - An HP Pavilion DV1000 with an upgraded 2GB of RAM.
   I use my laptop every day, and I’m probably on it at least 5 hours a day between checking personal and business email, webconferences, blogging, and web development for my business team.  I’m not quite sure what I’d do without it.  It’s a great machine that looks good, runs well, and has a nice slim profile.  It’s not the lighest or sexiest laptop in the world, but it’s held up pretty well this last year that I’ve owned it.  Not sure what I’d do without WiFi and Panera!
2. My Cell Phone - Motorola Q from Verizon Wireless
   This is my most valuable mobile piece as it syncs wirelessly with Outlook on my laptop, so even when I don’t have my computer with me, I’ve still got all my contact info, calendar events, and email access.  Every time I update a contact or schedule an appointment on my phone, it wirelessly syncs with my laptop so when I get home and open the lid, it’s already in my Outlook Calendar.  It’s also got internet access via Verizon’s EVDO network, which is comparable to high-speed wireless…so if I absolutely have to know what movies are playing where I’m at, or get lost and need to use Google Maps for Smartphones, I can pull it up without any trouble.  I also love that the phone will dial from phone numbers saved in the notes section of an appointment…just a handy feature that makes followup calls a snap!
3. My Bluetooth Headset - Samsung WEP200
   This little thing is awesome!  It’s an in-ear design, so it fits much like and bud-type headphones…no hooks or anything.  And it’s so small its hardly noticable - no more CyBorg walking around.  It’s got awesome sound quality so I don’t have to strain to hear people on the other end, and most of the time they don’t know I’m on the headset.  The battery life is great - I can get a full day out of it, probably talking a total of around 4 hours on it, and on standby the rest of the time.  I really love not having to hold my phone up to my head all day, and the freedom to have my phone in my pocket or on the table while I’m doing other things while talking is a great time saver.
4. CommuniKate 2.0 Video Webconferencing
   I plan on doing a post in the future outlining the what CommuniKate is and how I use all its functionality, but for now I’ll just say that in terms of being able to communicate with large numbers of people all over the country at the same time and convey ideas online is awesome!  Sometimes I use the video option, but most of the time the screen sharing or presentation sharing works just fine.  I run at least 4 webconferences a week, most of the time more, and for $35 a month for unlimited usage, this is definitely a time-compounder!
5. And Last, my iPod Nano
   I remember the day I heard about 1GB harddrives and thought, “How could you ever fill it up?”  And now, with my 4GB Nano having only 23MB free, I know!  It’s not hard to fill up an iPod with music and informational audio.  Most of my storage space is taken up by business-related, self-development and thought-process talks ripped from CDs or downloaded from podcasts (and this blog on podcast! See the link at the top of the post or to the right in the sidebar) - awesome stuff to listen to on a regular basis…in fact it’s key in developing a winning attitude.  Most of the time I just listen on the headphones, but sometimes I’ll throw on my FM transmitter to listen while I’m in the car.  It’s just an awesome alternative to having to lug around 200 CDs!

So that’s my list.  I’ve found that these pieces of technology allow me to be many times more efficient and effective with my time than before I had and used all of them…and they all work together to create a very mobile and low-overhead business operation.  I love being able to go anywhere in the country and be able to operate the exact same as if I were here at home…it’s just a cool feeling to know you can take your business and life anywhere in the 21st century and not be locked into an office all the time!  Lifestyle…it’s what we’re all after, right?

So what’s your list?  What things can you not live without?  Post ‘em in the comments section and we’ll see how much we all have in common!

To your success,
Steve