Everyone has their own best practices and tools for getting the job done. Some include holding onto their iPhone for dear life or learning how to stay organized even during the chaotic times. Our recurring segment “It Works for Me” will feature business professionals sharing their secrets on how they get the job done. Next up is Ryan Brown of FormFast.
Company Name: FormFast
Job Title: Solution Architect
Where do you live? Pittsburgh, PA
Where do you work? St Louis, MO
What is your office environment like? I work from home, but the corporate office is fully stocked with every type of snack you can imagine. It is impossible to go hungry or thirsty while visiting the office.
What technology do you use at work? Lenovo Yoga IdeaPad and an iPad mini. I travel a lot and both of these devices have excellent battery life and allow me to demo our solutions on different platforms to our prospects. I also carry an iPhone with an external battery pack to make sure it is always charged. Some other pieces of equipment I carry include the Asus USB monitor and a Topaz sig pad to demonstrate capturing electronic signatures in a hospital. I love my HP Officejet 8600 in my home office – it allows me to send faxes, scan documents, and of course print.
What technology do you use at home? I have a Windows 8 desktop and also a Macbook Pro. I wish there was a better all in one device for my TVs, but right now I use a combination of a Tivo Roamio with a couple of Tivo Mini’s for watching cable along with Netflix streaming, a Roku for Amazon Prime, and a couple of Boxee Boxes to access video and audio off my NAS.
On a scale of 1 (never) to 10 (always), how often are you connected to your smartphone? 10 – I actually carry 2 iPhones (personal and business) which comes in handy when the battery dies in one.
What is your favorite organizational tool? Microsoft Outlook with an Exchange backend. The Exchange part is key for calendar, contact, and note syncing across my different computers, tablets, and phones.
What is the latest website/app/tool you are obsessed with at the moment? I have a few favorites, so I will list one for each category. As a frequent traveler, FlyerTalk.com is an amazing forum to keep up to date on the latest airline, hotel, and other point earning strategies and promotions. One of my favorite apps that I use pretty often is Waze – it is great for directions but more importantly knowing about traffic conditions and where cops are hiding. Since joining FormFast I have been introduced to many different online tools. One of the popular ones I have been using is LucidChart for designing work flow diagrams.
Can you recommend a book? Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. Networking is a large part of success and you never know who you may meet on a plane or in a hotel bar. Starbucked is also another great read on the rise of Starbucks and also some of the criticisms made against them.
What’s your best time management tip? It is simple – write down what you need to do. With so many distractions it is hard to remember. Write it down and scratch it off when complete.
What’s the strangest thing in your office? A Think or Swim (Trading Platform) Stuffed Monkey that hangs from my desk.