Smartphones are great and smartphones are dangerous. It is estimated that 478 million units will be sold by the end of 2011. 478 million is a big number and a dangerous number. Smartphones can be a great help for your business and here are some of the ways that is true.
As I have been sharing my online system for productivity, the hub for a lot of what you do online is available on your smartphone. Tools like Evernote, your online calendars, e-mail etc. all have apps made for smartphone access. This is all great stuff.
The key to any effective system for productivity is to have a centralized hub to keep things efficient and easy to manage. Smartphones certainly make this possibly.
Another advantage to a smartphone is the ability to utilize social media. Unless your business is social media, you are probably struggling with the balance of when to use social media platforms and how often to use them. You’re a busy person. Busy people have to be careful with how they use their time. Your phone can be a great tool for being social while you are killing time.
I was recently getting my car serviced at the dealership and as I waited an hour longer than I was told I would need to (which is how my particular dealership insists on doing business), I used the time to engage with people on social media. It was great to build some connections and interact with great people sharing great content.
Remember when I said smartphones were dangerous?
Well they are if you don’t use your power for good. Despite all the convenience of the hub that a smartphone can be, it’s also the very thing that kills your productivity in the following ways:
- As a tool for interruption. Trust me, you don’t need to look at it every 30 seconds.
- As a tool that prevents you from being present in the moment. Are you hanging with your kids and your phone? If you are stop it right now.
- Keeps us engaged in busy work. Our e-mail inbox is not nearly as important as we think it is. Neither is Twitter or Facebook.
For all the good that smartphones can do for our business productivity, it can also be bad. Be smart with your smartphone and enjoy better productivity habits.