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  • 6 time tracking tools to uplevel your productivity

    success with savitha

    By Sowmya Narasimhan

    Do you want to be more productive and make the best use of your time?

    One of the key points of being productive is time tracking. In a business, a time tracking app is an essential time management tool that can help you and your team become more organized and efficient. Unfortunately it is one of those skills many of us struggle with.

    But don’t worry, tech is always there for our rescue! Read on to find out how you can ace time management using some incredible time tracking tools.

    1. DeskTime

    DeskTime is the perfect time tracker app for companies and teams that are more interested in the big picture. It is a simple-to-use app that combines three crucial features – employee monitoring, project management and productivity analysis. 

    Additionally, this software is designed to help managers and their teams identify their unproductive habits, by sorting web pages and applications into “Productive” and “Unproductive.

    1. ProofHub

    ProofHub is perfect for teams and managers looking to become more productive, and track their productive efforts. It is an online project management and time tracking software with powerful collaboration features.

    1. Hours 

    Do different colors make you feel vibrant? Then hours is the best time tracking app for you because in Hours you can manage your tasks and projects by color-coding them. That is, by applying a specific color for a task or project so you can easily differentiate between them. 

    1. Timecamp

    Timecamp is a cloud-based time tracking solution where work time can be easily tracked manually by timers and automatically via the desktop app.

    What makes Timecamp stand out among other time tracking apps is their variety of integrations with other apps. It offers more than 50 integrations with project management software and help desk apps. That way, you can easily sync and import your already-created tasks and tickets to Timecamp and start tracking time immediately.

    1. Tick 

    Tick is a solution for freelancers, small businesses, and start-ups that work on recurring projects and tasks. It’s a project-based time tracking software which tracks time against your estimated project timeline and budget. 

    With Tick, you can track how much time you need for certain projects, and use your previous timelines to create offers for new customers.

    1. Timely

    Timely is ideal for individuals and small-to-large companies that are project-focused and only have a need for accurate, billable hours. Unlike the other options on this list, Timely stands out as an automatic tracking software that is as seamless as one can imagine because it records everything all the time: GPS locations, emails, meeting, documents, and websites. 

    That means with Timely you’ll never need to start a timer again. It allows you to maintain the peace and quiet needed to stay focused and not get side-tracked or interrupted. 

    The wrap

    Time tracking provides an accurate insight into your work patterns and how much time particular tasks take. It helps to set realistic deadlines and saves you from working overtime. This will also prevent you from procrastinating and focus on the work you do thus saving your precious time!

    Remember: “What gets measured gets managed.”

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  • Crafting a relatable & attractive personal brand story

    In a world of information overload, how do you get your point across?

    One word: Stories. 

    Stories shed light on our past experiences, forge a bond between human experiences, and as a result become powerful forces of revelation and trust building. 

    So it’s no secret that your story forms the core of your personal brand. 

    Your story makes you real. Relatable. And most of all, inspiring. 

    Yes, you don’t need to scale the Himalayas to be credible and inspiring (but mad props to you if you do!).

    It’s the little things, all the small scattered experiences that converge to shape you and your purpose. 

    Wondering how to channel your emotions, collate your experiences, and craft a relatable story for your personal brand?

    Dive in!

    1. Dig Deep

    It’s difficult to be vulnerable and share the parts of you that have truly shaped you. 

    But a powerful story is made up of all the vulnerable bits that have lit a fire in you and forged you into your fabulous self. 

    Think about it:

    What’s the bravest thing you’ve done?

    What has shaped your principles?

    What inspires you today and every day?

    What made you choose your career or inspire you to start your business?

    What’s one quality that you value in yourself and your employer/business prospects?

    Answering these questions will give you more impactful and distilled points to weave into your story. 

    1. What do you want to be known for?

    Whether you admit or not, you’ve always felt you have a purpose to fulfill through your work. 

    You touch the lives of so many people on a daily basis: what legacy are you going to leave behind? What’s one thing that people will remember about you when you’re gone?

    Is it how you manage to think calmly even when all hell is breaking loose? Or your compassionate leadership style?

    The purpose of your personal brand is to attract your soul clients or your dream job. Show them why you’re head and shoulders above anybody else in your industry. 

    1. Talk about your mission 

    Your personal mission statement is an integral part of your story. To be effective, it should be diverse enough to showcase your strengths and future goals as well as focused enough to set you apart. 

    But here are some things to consider while writing this part of your story:

    What’s one thing you’d like to fix in the world around you through your work? 

    How will you fix it?

    Essentially, your “mission” should answer the “why factor” about your goals. That is, your story shouldn’t just be about what you do but why you do it. 

    If you get this down pat, you’ve got a significant chunk of your story sorted. 

    1. Keep it simple and focused

    Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Your story for your personal brand should also follow the same structure to be memorable and to hit home with clarity. 

    Explain who you are, what you do, and why you do it in simple language. Weave in how you plan to solve your customers’ or potential employers’ problems. But most importantly, tie in WHY your skills or  services will make a difference in their lives. 

    1. Your story is not your resume

    Your resume is all about your professional achievements. But your story, which forms the core of your personal branding, is an all-encompassing narrative that showcases your strengths, ideas, as well as goals. 

    A resume is good for a quick once over. But your story highlights the best parts of you and creates valid links between different parts of your personal experiences that have shaped you. 

    Your story should make anyone pick up the phone and call you to talk about that one wild experience that launched an ambitious project. 

    Bottom line

    You are a fabulous composite of your distinct human experiences. 

    You have been buoyed by your strengths and strengthened by your perceived failures. Your story should factor in all these aspects but in a streamlined manner. 

    While there are no right or wrong personal stories, your story should be composed in line with the values of your personal brand to be impactful and effective. 

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  • My 2018 #GirlBoss Moments: 6 Things I Learned About Running a Successful Business

    Social Squares

    Hey there!

    If you're here, I'm pretty sure you're grappling with the seemingly Herculean task of building a successful brand.

    It's not the easiest thing to do though, is it?

    But it can be.

    Honestly, entrepreneurship is a journey that demands you take a positive spin on your perceived "failures" if you want to keep on keeping on. Back it up with deliberate action, and you've got a little fire started. The good kind.

    I won't say you wouldn't be making any mistakes in the process (after all, making mistakes is the best way to learn), but you'll tend to get burned a lot less if you keep these 6 things in mind.

    #1 Don't #birdbox it - listen to your clients

    In short, build a product or service that your market needs.

    As entrepreneurs, we're swayed and seduced by the genius of our idea. But often, this product or service we put our heart and soul into may not be what our clients need.

    Why?

    It could be a number of things, including positioning and pricing. But the most important question to ask is: is it solving your clients' problems?

    Essentially, you can't market a product that doesn't lead by benefits.

    So before you drown yourself in endless cups of coffee and spend a whole lot of time and money pushing a product that wouldn't be lapped up by your target market, keep your ears to the ground and listen to your clients.

    #2 Be agile

    Oh no, not tech jargon again!

    But hear me out.

    When I started my image consulting agency in 2016, little did I know I'd have to turn my business model on its head and pretty much start from scratch. But honestly, being agile is the single best thing decision I've taken for growing my business.

    So what is agility in business, exactly?

    Agility means to be able to quickly pivot on your feet to adjust your products, services, or campaigns in line with the changing market, economy, or customer preferences.

    So what I'm really saying is: Don't keep all your eggs in one basket and avoid building your business with a tunnel vision.

    For example, if your ad spend on a particular social media platform is dragging you down, take a step back and check out whether your customers are actually hanging out on that platform (and if they are, what kind of actions are they taking?).

    #3 Stay focused and don't try to do it all

    Let's face it: growing a business on your own means there's always too much on your plate.

    So you try to take everything on all at once, especially because you've been consistently sold the stoic image of a hard worker rather than a smart worker.

    Plus, there's the occasional case of Ohhhh, shiny! that threatens to derail your focus (c'mon, just me?).

    Here's what I learned in 2018 (and I suggest you do the same for focused results):

    Take on a couple of things and do them consistently.

    For example, if you're currently focusing on creating a body of content, don't try to juggle it with establishing a presence on social media right away.

    Why?

    1. You wouldn't be able to focus on impactful content creation when you're trying to engage with your followers.
    2. Without a body of content, you wouldn't show up consistently on your followers' feed, which is the last thing you want to do when you're building brand awareness.

    In short, be a hawk with your goals, not a magpie.

    #4 Zero-in on your target market and your ideal customers

    KFC wouldn't market to vegans.

    So why should you waste time, energy, and money wooing folks who'll never buy your products or services?

    Do your research and narrow down your target market instead of trying to cater to ANYONE and EVERYONE. Know who your ideal customers are and what their problems are, inside out.

    You must be thinking: But that means I'll have less people to bring on board.

    Take a minute to rethink that: even if you have less people to market to, they will be more likely to get on board once you pitch your offer to them.

    #5 Entrepreneurship isn’t easy and it's not for everyone

    Take a minute to process this.

    Breathe in. Breathe out.

    Unlike a corporate job where you're a cog in a wheel, being a #girlboss means you'll need to wear many, many hats every day.

    So if you're one for falling into line with KPIs that someone else sets for you, maybe running a business isn't for you (and that's okay).

    But if you like getting your hands dirty and revel in your ideas coming to life and adding value to your customers in spite of the grind, welcome to entrepreneurship, ma chérie.

    It gets easier when you latch on to the learning curve, but you need to be open to learning and investing in yourself.

    So go on - take some courses and learn new skills, or hone some existing ones. But most importantly, warm yourself up to the idea of building your comfort zone outside your comfort zone.

    It's worth the climb.

    #6 It can be lonely when you are building a business on your own

    Before you build your awesome team, you'll be frequently holding staff meetings in your head.

    And some times, this can take you down a rabbit hole you'd much rather avoid.

    (Trust me, this will lead to a whole lot of unproductive days and way too much second guessing if you don't pull back in time.)

    My advice?

    Show up at networking events and engage with a community who will cheer you on.

    Need suggestions on what works and what doesn't? Approach a coach or a mentor who's willing to be the wind beneath your wings till you learn to fly straight.

    Find yourself faltering with your personal KPIs? Connect with an accountability partner.

    The Wrap

    Real talk? There's a long way to go before you sip those mimosas on the beach and watch all the $$$ roll in.

    Yes, it's hard, but not impossible.

    Remember:

    • Listen to your customers and create a product or service that focuses on solving actual problems. (This way you organically reduce the need to hard sell to your target market. No one likes outrageously salesy brands.)
    • Learn to pull the plug on products or processes that aren't working.
    • Sell yourself on the idea of smart work rather than hard work.
    • Lastly, don't forget to invest in yourself: learn some new skills, approach a mentor, or get an accountability partner to keep you on track.

    Ready to slay? Let's talk!

     

     

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