MINIMIZING OVERHEAD: FREE STUFF THAT MAKES WORK TRAVEL EASIER
I’ve been travelling a lot for work lately and find that a lot of valuable work time is wasted figuring out where my next meeting is in a city I don’t know very well and trying to finish up projects without all the usual tools in my home office.
I don’t have the budget to buy any expensive software tools, but I have found some free services that maximize my productivity. So I figured I should share my discoveries.
If work takes you on the road, TripIT.com is a very useful free service that helps you plan your travel itinerary and make the most of your time. It offers an easy to use website, and mobile web applications that work on almost any phone.
Once you’re on the road, a number of free applications will make your Blackberry your best friend. Here’s some examples:
HandyLogsMoney which keeps track of your expenses and mileage.
Call Time Tracker is really is useful for people who bill by the hour, since it keeps a log of your phone calls and creates an Excel spreadsheet you can use to bill that time back to your clients. Now isn’t that handy!
Scroll through the Blackberry App store and you’re guaranteed to find other free programs you’ll never be able to live without.
The bottom line is that there are a huge number of small business services, programs and resources available for free - so start looking!
Are you using these free applications in your business?.
Cheryl Binning is a Vancouver based freelance TV, digital media and print writer, publicist and small business owner. She's been writing about business, entertainment, the media and communications for fifteen years, and isn't sure if the highlight of her career so far was interviewing Nick Nolte in his bathrobe, or meeting Alice Cooper at the Music Video Awards.
Follow her on Twitter @cherylbinning
