I’m always being asked how I’m able to get it done. How do I keep up with this blog, the other sites I write for, and also have a successful career as a social media consultant while parenting and traveling at the same time? My secret for getting it done is to streamline my workflow by using tools that help me maximize my productivity.
To help people realize how – and what – they can get done no matter where they are, Microsoft Office 365 is declaring today, November 7th Get It Done Day and starting a movement for the unbound accomplishers – everyone from the Enterprise Chief Technology Officer to household Chief Family Officers. It’s a chance to break away from the grind, expand the mind, and have fun all while getting it done from anywhere because everyone needs a little flexibility in their lives.
As a Mac and PC user who has my personal iPhone but is constantly reviewing Android or Windows Phones, it could be a challenge for me to work on different devices but tools like SkyDrive, OneNote, and Office 365 allow me to get things done when I need to, regardless of where I might be. I can work from the sidelines of soccer practice, in the air, or at home with my phone, tablet, or laptop. I love the flexibility that these tools provide to allow me the freedom to work whenever, where ever, and on devices of my choosing.
This week I flew to Seattle to visit Microsoft as part of the Champions Summit (#ChampionsSummit). With posts to write for Parents.com, Babble, and my own holiday gift guides to publish, I put documents from Office 365 and other files I might need on the plane to SkyDrive. SkyDrive is a cloud-based computing solution that allows me to access and edit my documents online, offline, on my laptop, tablet, and even on my phone.
Since I traveled with my MacBook, Surface Tablet, iPhone, and a LG phone I’m testing, saving everything to SkyDrive ensured I could get my work done without the worry about running out of battery on the long flight. I started to work on my MacBook and then moved over to my Surface and was able to finish my Toddler Gift Guide and cross other items off my to do list during my travels. As I started other posts, I saved them to SkyDrive so they could be accessed later.
Once in Seattle, I relied on my Surface Tablet a majority of the time but when we were out and about exploring the city or at dinner, I could leave my Surface in my room and rely on OneNote for my note taking needs. OneNote is a digital note taking app that helps keep me organized because it works with Windows, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android and can be used via the web or the web app. The ability to access OneNote allowed me to take notes on my Surface during sessions and then leave my tablet in my hotel room and access the same document through my phone when on the go.
With so much content created during my trip to Seattle during the Champions Summit, storage was never a problem on any of my devices. I was able to store items to SkyDrive and through OneNote thanks to my Office 365 Home Premium subscription that provides me with an additional 20 GB of storage, more than three times the amount that is available through a free SkyDrive account! For the price of $99.99 a year and one license that’s good for up to 5 Macs or PCs in a single home, the price of Office 365 Home Premium is worth it! If you divide out the cost for 5 machines in your home, the price comes out to $20 per computer/year and under $2 per machine/month!
Now that our trip is over, I’m looking forward to accessing SkyDrive where my fellow Champions Summit attendees will be sharing photos from our time together. SkyDrive is a perfect collaboration tool since it allows individuals to share files via the cloud through a shared folder. I’ve already had an opportunity to take a look at the resources in our shared folder but look forward to reliving memories from our time together through SkyDrive.
The flexibility that I enjoy comes from being able to have a job where I can work whenever and from anywhere I may be and thanks to tools that make it easy. SkyDrive, OneNote, and Office 365 are essential tools that allow me to get my work done but how do you get things done?
Today, November 7th, begins a national movement to #GetItDone and break free of tethered work forever by working at times and in places you didn’t think were possible. To help bring it to life, Office will be hosting installations in the form of giant checkmarks throughout New York City on November 7th that will highlight where major accomplishments are getting done and changing the world. Office will also showcase how people can collaborate and work together in real-time using technology like Office 365.
Not in New York? No problem! If you have a great story about how you get it done, enter The Get It Done Anywhere Contest by Office 365 for you and a friend could win a trip to some of the most happening events anywhere. Get it done alongside the most accomplished athletes, filmmakers and musicians around—on a trip to NYC, a journey to Park City, Utah, or a musical voyage to Austin, Texas. Visit www.office.com/getitdone to share a photo and enter to win.
Just post a photo via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #GetItDone and share what you accomplished in the caption. For those who are not on Instagram or Twitter, visit www.office.com/getitdone to submit a photo. For more information, head over to the Office 365 Facebook and Twitter profiles for features on business and thought leaders who are changing the world through technology, images from Get It Done Day, and much more.
I am compensated as an Office Champion and Microsoft invited me to participate in #ChampionsSummit and paid for my expenses but all opinions are my own and based on personal experience. Images courtesy of Microsoft. Amazon Affiliate links are contained in this post.
[…] just a PC user to access your documents across platforms. As a Mac and PC user, I wrote about how I #GetItDone Anywhere & Anytime with Office 365, SkyDrive, and OneNote and how these tools were instrumental during my #ChampionsSummit […]