Top 4 Smartphone Tips for the Busy Executive

As an executive, you are juggling seemingly innumerable responsibilities. You are often both the final decision-maker and the one who is burdened with ultimate accountability. It is imperative to utilize your time in the most productive manner possible. However, like most of us, your smartphone probably has you on a virtual leash, re-directing your attention with every notification. So with the arrival of associated physical ailments (text neck and numb fingers) and cognitive ailments (notification anxiety, “phantom vibration syndrome” and shortened attention span), how can we use this powerful tool to run our business and not have it run us?

The savvy business executive leverages the computing and connectivity power of smartphones to maximize productivity within the workday. After extensive research, here at AmDee,  we have provided the top 4 Smartphone Tips for the busy executive.

1. Identify Business Goals

Everyone has a seemingly perpetual to-do list that never gets resolved and in fact, only grows longer and more urgent with each passing day. Are there recurring tasks that just don’t seem to get done in the office, but could possibly be done on your smartphone?  For example are you the director of a sales team and don’t have the opportunity to check in with each of your sales associates? Perhaps downloading your customer relationship management mobile app will help you keep a bird’s-eye view of your sales team’s progress. Some apps may allow you to give suggestions to specific team-members pursuing specific accounts all from the convenience of your phone.

2.  Check Your Phone Less

An important smartphone tip for busy executives is to STOP mindlessly checking your phone. In order for you to fully wield the power of your smartphone in the pursuit of your professional aspirations, you’ve got to stop mindlessly checking your phone.

On average, Americans check their phone 47 times a day and spend at least 4 hours staring at their phone screen. A recent study even discovered that having your phone (turned off) in the same room while you work adversely affects your performance. For optimal productivity, they concluded your phone should be in a different room while you are working. We are not saying that is always possible but by now it is widely accepted that most Americans are workaholics and would might a major meltdown if their phone wasn’t within arm’s reach at all times.  At the very least we have an astounding inability to separate work and personal life.

Perhaps the constant phone checking is indicative of a very busy, fast-paced and demandingly responsive work environment. Yet, for all of the time that Americans are glued to their smartphones they are definitely not using this time to be more productive or efficient. Nonsensical, isn’t it?

Most executives realize that meaningful, long-lasting change requires the implementation of measurable and actionable goals. The first step in using your smartphone effectively is to determine how you are currently using your smartphone. When confronted with cold, hard facts most people experience the reality-check they need to implement and follow-up with a meaningful strategy of change.

Find out how you use your time on your phone:

One way to regain control of your time is to install time-tracking apps like Flipd,  Sense, Moment and Space that will give you daily reports on your phone usage–what websites or apps you visit and how much time you spend on each.

Limit your access

You can also block access to specific apps and content using Freedom, App Detox, Off the Grid, and AntiSocial during certain times of the day to ensure you are most effective during your work day and you don’t get sucked into an internet browsing time-sucking vortex.

3.Utilize a Text Autoresponder

It might be tempting to feel a massive amount of guilt if a text goes unanswered for a while. But with the influx of notification “pings” from a variety of apps, how are you supposed to remain focused on work with distraction buzzing every 5 minutes?

It is critical in every business to be responsive, but we have to prioritize and schedule a time in which we will be responsive. Not all messages that we receive are urgent and not all of the messages we receive are important. Check out our previous article if you’re having trouble deciding what is Urgent v. Important. Set out time to check emails and text messages. It can be once an hour or only 3 times a day (the beginning of the workday, after lunch and at the end of the workday).

The use of a text autoresponder like SMS Auto Reply reduces the impulse of needing to immediately check your phone and immediately respond. If your platform allows it mark yourself as ‘away’ or ‘snooze your notifications’. You can continue working knowing that you are being both responsive and productive.

4. Leverage Your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System

Every business has a customer relationship management process. It may a formal platform such as software Salesforce or Hubspot or informal like sifting through your inbox and following up with inquiries. No matter your method. Harness the power of your smartphone to manage every aspect of your CRM process.

• • Capture Business Leads & Memorialize Meetings – There are many methods to capture new business leads and find what was mentioned during past meetings. Some popular options include Cam Card, Evernote, and iCapture. Some of them can even automatically sync data with your CRM.
  • Leverage Your CRM  Mobile App – Many CRM systems have mobile apps so that you can remain up-to-date even out of the office.  Take orders from the road, enter prospective leads in the CRM pipeline and assign associates to follow up as soon as you finish a meeting.

Take away

Work Smarter Not Harder.

As a busy executive you are already working hard, now it’s time to work smart! Utilize the life-changing (for better or for worse) technology of the smartphone to work for you and not become a slave to it. Try-out just one of our tips and watch your smartphone become your best productivity tool!