Almost everyone and their mother owns an iPhone these days, but if you’re only using it to make calls and look cool in public, you’re missing out on some great ways to increase your daily productivity. Because phones are no longer just a phone, they’re miniature computers in our pockets, we have a whole list of things we can do with them that were once not possible. Here at the blog we think your workday is just as important in the office as it is on your phone when you’re out and about. Most people don’t have average office jobs anymore, and for that, you need your own secretary: your phone. Let’s take a look at some apps you can buy that will help you get through your day a little easier.

The first thing we’ll take a look at is one of my personal favorites. Because I work with a lot of different documents from clients on a day to day basis, I need to have a way to get them from my computer to my phone without any hassle. For that I use FileMagnet. Yes, the name be a little cheesy considering the company that made it is called Magnetism Studios, but they sure do make a great product. Dropping five dollars on something so great is well worth it. Almost any file type you can think of can be transferred to the iPhone with the use of this application. It’s great for reading PDFs or Word documents on the go and it helps me get through piles of email attachments while I ride the train to work.

Next up is a little app called “Zenbe” lists. The name is a bit catchier than most other iPhone apps, so if nothing else, it should keep your attention. Zenbe lists are to-do lists you can add to your phone and sync with the Zenbe website. They store your lists on their servers so you can access them from any desktop computer or any phone capable of getting online. In addition to the lists being accessible everywhere, your lists, because they’re hosted somewhere other than your phone, can be edited by other people. So, if you’re out with a client and are making a to-do list of things you need to have to them by the end of the week (Zenbe lets you post due dates to your lists) and they forget to mention something to you, they can look at your list online and add that final task that they forgot to tell you over lunch.

Last is something that doesn’t need much of an introduction or spiel simply because it’s just so great (and free!) that bragging about it would be childish. It’s TheMacBox’s application called “Units.” It’s capable of converting currencies and units of almost any kind to other units of measurement. We live in a globalized economy these days and not having a handy way to convert back and forth between units could leave you without a business deal. Do yourself a favor and grab this one. Actually, grab all of them. You can thank us later for the time you saved.

In an ongoing segment here at Everyday Career, we’re looking at ways you can increase productivity in whatever field of work you’re in. As we’ve covered in a few previous topics regarding productivity, a lot of the time the most productive thing you can is to stop being productive altogether. That means stepping away from work for a little while to return refreshed and ready to go. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our work that our “play time” becomes nonexistent. When you reach the point in time where you’re completely unable to step away from your work to relax, you become a workaholic. Below are some tips and ideas you can follow to get your life back on track and out of “workaholic” mode.

1. Vacation: When work overwhelms you to the point of mental insanity, it’s time to take a serious break. The most popular thing to do these days for business elites getting away from it all is to abandon all forms of communication to the outside world. That means no cell phones, pagers, beepers, computers, email, anything. If you bring these along, you’re sure to get distracted by your Blackberry’s email notifications. Leave them all at home and enjoy your time away from the modern world.

2. My Time: Similar to vacations, getting some alone time is crucial for any amount of sanity. No one can be expected to work themselves to death every day, which is why in the evenings, you need to take it easy. Whatever it is you enjoy doing by yourself, be it reading, watching TV, or even playing some video games, do it for a couple of hours. Consider this a form of modern relaxation. You may not necessarily be cutting yourself off from the 21st century but you’re at least getting far enough away from the “office” state of mind that you won’t drive yourself crazy.

3. Work Separately: If you work at home, try to set up your home office as far away from the rest of the house as possible. If you have your computer and phones too close to the “family area,” you’re more likely to mix the two together. With a home office away from everything, your work and family time become separate.

4. “No!”: Perhaps the exclamation point in the tip title is a little excessive, but it better conveys the point. Sometimes you have to muster up the ability to say no to a boss or colleague because you are already busy. Overloading yourself results in added stress and responsibilities. If you’re able to say “no” to a request, you’ll be able to better plan your life around you instead of other people.

How do you balance life and work? Let us know in the comments below.

You’ve probably already cleared your desk off and gotten all of your papers filed away. But what if you’re still not able to get things done around the office? Well if you’re running the show as the head honcho, keeping everyone else in check and working efficiently is going to take more than coffee boosts and late night hours on the weekends. Today we’re going to look at how you can increase productivity around the office from the top position. While a clean desk and happy employees are great, at the end of the day you sometimes need a little bit more to get the ball rolling.

1. Undress: Now before your mind starts wandering off towards bad thoughts, just keep reading. Over time, bosses have developed a certain look. There’s a certain aura that surrounds the suit and tie you don every day. It may be a good idea on some days to lose the suit and go for something a little more casual. Obviously every day can’t be “casual Friday” but it may be a unique approach sometimes. Your objective is to make your employees feel more comfortable with your presence. Being the nasty boss that always seems like he’s out to get the staff is not conducive to efficiency. Go casual and gain some new friends around the office.

2. Encourage Ideas: Sometimes people are afraid to stand up and speak up about an idea they have for fear of being reprimanded. If that stigma exists, shoot it down. See if you can get the entire office together and let everyone know that their ideas on how things could be done differently are welcomed and appreciated. If people feel like their ideas are valued, they’ll feel like they have more value to the company. And at the end of the day, happy employees make better employees.

3. Leadership: More than likely, the reason you’re at the top is because you showed the most leadership of those among you. But are you really using your leadership skills everyday? Take a look at your work day and see if you’re really leading your employees or if you’re just a figurehead that they address with “Yes, sir.” If you’re really the leader, take charge and take the initiative to try new things and get things done. Don’t set arbitrary deadlines that can’t be met but if you want to be in charge, take charge.

4. Delegate: Big problems don’t ever solve themselves and passing them off to a handful of employees rarely works either. When you have things that need doing, spread the task around so that not only is everyone involved making them feel like part of the team, but things get done much faster if everyone is working simultaneously. Of course, this can’t work all of the time, but in many companies the opportunity exists to split work up but it never happens. A few lonely individuals end up working long hours while others take early lunches and three day weekends.

We’ve been asked to cover some topics regarding productivity in the past few weeks and we’re finally getting around to it! We know that not everyone out there is looking to find a new job or needs tips on how to improve their current performance. For that reason, we’re going to look at work as a whole and how improving your workspace can help you be a better employee or boss and get the ideas flowing to move forward. A messy desk or work area is the reason behind so many falters and problems in an office so getting rid of some of the clutter will help you be more organized and feel rejuvenated to start working again.

1. The first thing you’re going to want to do is get rid of that mound of papers that’s on your desk. You know, the stack that just keeps growing? Yeah, that one that you haven’t touched in weeks. Find a filing cabinet or drawer somewhere and organize some things. Once you have the papers off of your desk, look at all of those loose candy wrappers, scrap papers, and pens that you have lying around. Put them away. You should get the general idea. All you should have on your desk is your computer monitor and the papers you’re currently working with. While your new desk space will be visually appealing, it will also help unconsciously now that you have places to put things and places to work from.

2. Once you’ve got your desk space nice and tidy, the next place to clean up is your mind. Write down all of the things you have to do in the foreseeable future and work on one at a time. Getting rid of those ten activities you feel you have to do all at once will help in the long run. While you may think you’re not getting enough done, just watch. De-cluttering your mind to do one thing at a time in your newly cleaned desk space will increase productivity ten-fold.

3. The last but most important tip is to reevaluate the tools you need for the job. There are plenty of things you can use to do the same task but getting rid of all of the bells and whistles in a notepad or computer desktop can really help you focus. With all of that extra information coming in it’s often hard to stay focused on what you have to do. Eliminating those extra buttons and frills that make their way into everyday life is quintessential.

No one likes to work. We all just want to have a good time and goof off instead of actually sitting down and getting things done to keep the bills paid. Unless you have a job you love, you’re probably stuck in the 9-5 rut that perpetually keeps you inundated with things to do. But, work doesn’t have to be miserable. You probably go into work dreading what you have to do that day and end up playing around with your coworkers to avoid work and make light of the situation. But, if you put your head down and get your work done in an organized and timely fashion, there’s no reason why you can’t have have fun and time left over each and every day.

So you want to do some re-organizing?

• Get there early: While it may seem like a foolish idea that you would never dream of, going into work early can help you get a lot accomplished in the day. You may not have the option to do this but if you live close enough to the office, going in an hour or two before everyone else will keep your workspace quiet. Without the distractions of your coworkers, you can focus on what has to get done and not be sidetracked by other on goings in the office.

• Make a schedule: Outline what it is you have to accomplish every single week on a piece of paper or Word document. With everything laid out you can then see what tasks are crucial to deadlines and which ones can be put off to later in the week. With everything mapped out you can set yourself an hour by hour agenda that will help you stay focused and on task. Build some breathing room in for yourself so you can have extra time if one project takes longer than you expected.

• Take breaks: You may be asking, “why would I take a break if I’m trying to get things done?” The answer is simple. If you take short breaks throughout the day, be it going to get some water from the break room, having a cigarette outside, or just chatting with the people next to you, you can keep yourself motivated. The human brain doesn’t like long tasks. So breaking up your day and tasks into smaller increments by giving the brain a rest will help things flow more easily and you may even get things done FASTER because you’ve taken a break in between.

• Go home: If your boss will let you, take some work home with you. That’ll get you out of the office that you hate so much and will give you some time in a comfortable environment. Some people work the opposite way and need an office to function and get way too distracted at home, but some people need that personal comfort to work properly.

When all is said and done, you may have a day that finishes earlier than everyone else, allowing you time to go home and relax while everyone else is still at work. I would love to know what it is you do to stay organized and get things done in time.

As a freelancer, you probably already know how tough it is to keep up with multiple clients and jobs that you have going on. When work comes in, you’re eager to get to work and get it finished so you can move on to the next one but when you get caught up in the rat race of trying to get everything done for so many clients, it gets tough to keep track of the money side of things. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself “No way would I ever forget how much I’m owed or how much I’ve gotten paid.” Well the sad truth is, we’ve all done it. It’s a sting that we don’t always recognize but we’ve all gotten paid less than we agreed to for one reason or another and there’s no reason for that to happen.

The ideal step to take in this direction is to make a spreadsheet in either Excel or an equivalent (a web based software like active collab) and put down all of your clients’ names in a single column. Next to them you’re going to want to keep track of what your current job for them is, what hourly rate or per word rate you’ve agreed to and when you have to turn it in. Maybe even throw in some contact info for the client so you know when and where to reach them should you have any trouble. From here you can organize the spreadsheet into any fashion you want so that you know what you’re doing and for how much.

Your clients are invaluable to you and without them, you can’t survive. Remember that. But also remember that they need you just as much as you need them. I’ve dealt with some greedy clients in the past that agree to pay a fair rate on the front end via a phone call or email exchange but when it comes time to pay up, they either flee or swear on their life that they agreed to a much lower rate. Cut this out from the very beginning. If possible, record any and all conversations you have a with a client beforehand, be it through email or on an instant messenger conversation. If they try and swindle you out of a lower rate, show them the conversation regarding pay and go from there. While not always possible, get some type of “pre-pay” ahead of time so that after you’ve designed a page of their website or written for them, they pay you to show in good faith that they’re willing to continue with that hourly or per word rate. This cuts out any possible confusion about rates and pay. If there’s a problem, don’t be afraid to bring it up to them. Remember, you’re not trying to be mean but this is business after all.

Recap:

• Make a spreadsheet or document with your rate, job, and client info for each job.

• Check off on the sheet when you’ve been paid and how much they still owe you.

• Record all conversations regarding pay rates if possible so you don’t get stung agreeing to a lower rate come time for payment.

• Get a payment on the front end as a show of good faith.