Openera - Identify, classify and auto-file email and cloud files.

How Constant Refining Led to a Beer-stained Termsheet

Krissie Thornton — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:59:26 +0000

If you didn’t catch it when it aired, this is an interview Openera Founder & CEO, Peter Lalonde, did with Rob Woodbridge at Untether.tv. Thank you Rob for your candid questions, and for shining the spotlight on Openera!

Corporate IT’s Dirty Little Secret: “We’re aware of ‘Shadow IT’, we just can’t stop it”

Krissie Thornton — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:49:01 +0000

Cloud Sprawl

Cloud computing has certainly created some big problems for companies. As GigaOM reported, “Guess what Mr. CIO, 1 in 5 of your employees uses Dropbox at work”. Wait a second … this is news to most CIO’s? The fact that ‘Shadow IT’ exists in organizations is no secret to most CIO’s. They know that employees have gone behind their backs and are using consumer cloud applications at work. In fact, According to Rackspace, 43% of IT Decision Makers are perfectly aware of Rogue IT¹, and other reports have shown that 60% of CIO’s have admitted that they are aware of employees moving confidential documents to personal Dropbox accounts.²

CIO’s Know What’s Going On

The dirty little secret is, CIO’s are perfectly aware that this is happening but are unable to prevent it effectively. Just a year ago, one in five executives reported it’s impossible to manage all the disparate cloud services within their organization, while an additional 60 percent of executives are worried about unmanaged cloud sprawl.³

Employee’s Are Resourceful, and That’s a Good Thing!

The real problem isn’t that CIO’s aren’t aware of Shadow IT, or that employees are using consumer cloud applications to get their job done. Actually, business executives should be excited that their workforce is being resourceful and finding ways to solve business problems and work more efficiently. After all, the alternative is a workforce that sits around waiting for someone else to get them what they need, pointing fingers and laying blame on why things are progressing so slowly, and stuff’s not getting done.

Balancing Corporate & Employee Needs

Corporate IT has been a laggard due to insecurities and concerns about the security risks of the cloud; meanwhile employees have been bypassing IT and using consumer / prosumer cloud applications to get stuff done. The real problem worth solving is at this intersection of the company’s need for security, and the employees’ needs for tools and applications that work the way they do. There has certainly been enough debate and talk on this issue, but very little in terms of real solutions outside of putting the company on “lockdown”, enforcing stricter policies, and crossing fingers hoping employees adhere. Sadly, even corporate policy doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for employees to “go rogue” and provision consumer cloud applications on the sly.

While nearly two-thirds of companies (60 percent)report they have corporate policies in place that prohibit such actions, respondents say there are no real deterrents for purchasing cloud services by stealth. In fact, 29 percent report there are no ramifications whatsoever and another 48 percent say it is little more than a warning.

So, what’s a CIO to do? What are the real solutions to this problem? How can Corporate IT enable employees to use the tools and applications they love without putting corporate IP, documents, and data at risk?

The Next Step (What we’re working on)

This is a problem we’re passionate about solving. While even we haven’t completely figured it all out, we’re certainly making some strides by first helping companies apply corporate policy to documents that are being passed through email, corporate systems, and consumer cloud applications. This allows companies to mitigate risk and stay compliant, and employees can use the tools and apps they love, and focus on more meaningful and productive work. Click here to see how we’re working on solving this problem, and to try it out for yourself or your company, and please let us know in comments how you think this problem is best solved. ¹AllThingsD: “Using a Cloud Service at the Office Without Permission? You’re Not Alone.” ²Ponemon Institute: Confidential Documents at Risk Study ³Avanade Global Survey: Has Cloud Computing Matured?

Openera Integrates with MS Exchange to Help Enterprise Customers Meet Compliance Requirements … Automatically.

Krissie Thornton — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:21:06 +0000

Email is still king when it comes to communicating in business. Enterprise workers manage an average of 110 emails each day – with almost 15% of those containing important corporate files as attachments. Only a fraction of those end up being filed to the right place. Why? People hate filing. Filing email attachments to the right place is a mundane task that takes away from focusing on more productive and meaningful work. This results in 76% of email attachments never being filed, and over 80% of a company’s most important files getting lost and buried in employee inboxes. Not only is this a compliance nightmare for Enterprises, but it actually makes employees less productive when they need to find an important file quickly. Yes, people hate filing, but people really hate not being able to find files fast. Openera automatically organizes email and cloud files to meet corporate compliance requirements and allow the right people to find files fast. Openera’s out-of-the-box integration with MS Exchange allows enterprise customers to connect their email accounts with enterprise cloud applications like Box and Salesforce to have important company files automatically filed to the right place based on personal preference or corporate policy. Sales executives can have contracts, proposals, and quotes automatically filed to the right Account & Contact record in Salesforce, and sales collateral sent to Box. Marketing collateral and content is auto-filed to Box.com to a shared folder that everyone can access. Finance can have invoices and billing statements auto-filed to private Box.com folders when they need to be kept confidential, and to Accounts and Contact records in Salesforce when Sales needs to see them. Getting started with Openera is easy. Simply sign up for free, then get started in 3 simple steps. Step 1 - Securely authorize your exchange email account.(Ensure IMAP is enabled*) Step 2 - Securely authorize your cloud storage accounts Step 3 – Set up automatic filing rules:(optional) Once you’ve completed set up, we’ll get to work indexing your files, and automatically organizing them. Then, moving forward, we’ll file all of your email attachments according to your filing rules. Important company files get to the right place, you can focus on more meaningful work, and find any file fast – no matter where it is. *If you are not sure if your Exchange server is IMAP enabled, you may need the help of your email administrator. For more information on connecting MS Exchange emails you can go to our Support Forum on this topic.

Be Afraid of the Dark – Why Employees Using Personal Cloud Storage for Work is Bad

Nate Steere — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:23:31 +0000

This post is the second in a series about the issues surrounding cloud computing. Storing business files has come a long way, hasn’t it? We’ve seen huge advances in the ways we use both wired and wireless networks to store and access data. It wasn’t so long ago that businesses were first developing network storage so multiple users could access the same file, and now it’s an everyday part of working with others. Wireless access has only improved things for users, making it easier than ever to connect with the data they need, wherever they are. And with cloud-based storage, holding on to needed files is the easiest it’s ever been. So what’s the downside? For companies, quite a bit. Employees are doing more and more work on their own devices (phones, home computer, and other private devices), and those devices connect quite easily to cloud storage services like Dropbox, Evernote or Google Drive. Which means:

It’s Often Easier for Employees to Use Private Cloud Storage for Their Work

Cloud storage, as we’ve said before, is free, automatic, and really convenient. If employees spend a good amount of time working from outside the office, or just favor the ease of the high-tech solution, they can start saving most of their work to a private storage solution. People tend to take the path of least resistance, and automatic backup of important documents (like those affecting your livelihood!) is a major time saver for the employee. The company is still getting copies of the work, sure, but an important shift has occurred:

The Company No Longer Has Access to Its Documents

The company, which paid for the work generated and by all rights should have full access to its own internal documents, no longer does. This isn’t done out of malicious intent, but in the name of convenience. Employees are on the go and need files that are on the go as well. As a result, the center of focus for the employee’s productivity has shifted off the company network, and into the cloud. This is a convenient solution for the employee, and the company might even be pleased, but is employees using personal cloud storage for work a good idea?

A Rogue or Former Employee Can Damage the Company

If an employee has a falling out or is fired, they are able to do huge amounts of damage to the company. First, the company doesn’t have access to the work the employee was doing. This can set them back by months of work, since whoever steps in to take the former employee’s place now has to start from square one. Secondly, the employee is able to take all that work with them to their next job, including with a competitor. We know, taking company information with you is nothing new, but in the past an employee would be walked off property after being fired, so they did not have time to steal information. The only people who took company secrets with them were deliberate in doing so, and planned ahead. Now, as more and more people shift to automatic online storage, the number of people who have access to information that their employer considers proprietary has gone up. These people, who may never have planned ahead to maliciously hurt them employer, are given an opportunity to do so after the fact, when they’re upset and more likely to seek revenge. What do you think, readers? Are company files in employee’s private clouds a good or bad thing? Let us know in the comments!

Control Cloud Clutter or Cry

Nate Steere — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:04:48 +0000

This post is the first in a series about the issues surrounding cloud computing. Cloud computing has been a huge advance for computer users, especially those of us who work on the go. Being able to grab your files from anywhere is a big quality of life improvement, and a back-up safety net to boot. But like any good tool, the cloud has some limitations to be aware of, so you don’t get burned down the road. Today, we’re thinking about Cloud Clutter and how it affects you.

What is Cloud Clutter?

Cloud Clutter includes the following:

Stuff you don’t need

Cloud clutter is all the stuff that you don’t need, let alone in the cloud. The automatic nature of most cloud backup solutions is that you end up holding onto copies of everything, and that’s probably not the best solution. Why not? Isn’t that the point of the cloud? Sure, but remember: most of these services include a small amount of free storage. After that, you’re paying for space. We’ve got NO problem supporting these awesome companies by paying for storage, but don’t overspend – if you save everything, you’re going to be forking over more than you need to. Think of the people who rent a storage unit, only to fill it with things they will never use!

Stuff that’s not where it belongs

Just like that person with the storage unit full of physical things, you’re EVENTUALLY going to have to sort through this crap to get to something you want. Remember, the point of the cloud is backup and retrieval: to be able to grab the things you want, from anywhere. Ever tried to pull something out of a shelf at the back of a full garage, your feet balanced on two boxes of holiday decorations? That’s pretty much what it’s gonna feel like when you’re trying to figure out where you saved that important document if it’s actually three subfolders deep in your Dropbox’s “Pictures” folder.

4 copies of things

Having a copy of each of your contacts’ info is great. 4 copies? Not so much. Especially when one of them is current, 2 are obsolete, 1 is somebody else you mislabeled, and all 4 are lined up together in your smartphone’s directory. “One copy of everything!” you say. “Isn’t that the point of the cloud?!” The answer, like so many tech questions, is “Yes, except.” Yes, except that you use multiple software and webware applications, by many different companies, and those ecosystems don’t always play nice. I once tried to sync my Mac’s iCal, my Google calendar, AND my Outlook calendar at work. Events made in 1 place would generate 3 copies, and events made another place wouldn’t sync outward at all. I’m sure I made a mistake with a setting somewhere, but these problems are pretty common.

What to do?

Okay, hate cloud clutter? Awesome! Let’s get to clutter-bustin’. Here are some ideas.

Do things correctly from the start

A big part of the appeal of cloud solutions is the “Tada! It’s already working” feeling of backup. It’s true that these things come installed ready to start working immediately. Take some time, however, to get the settings tweaked to what works right for YOU. Configure what folders sync, what size of files, how everything is sorted into the cloud, and so on. A few minutes of work on the front end will save you big time when it comes time to actually use this stuff.

Label Things Well

Cloud storage is designed to hold lots of stuff, so most of them feature strong search features to help you wade through your digital treasure trove. But all of those search features can’t help you if your files aren’t searchable. And, between you and me? The way you label your files kinda sucks. Just a little! Don’t hate me. Kidding aside, make it easy on yourself – set your files up to be easily searchable. How many Office users do you know who have multiple documents saved as “Word1” somewhere on there system? When you save a document, name it something easy. Better yet, name it THREE things easy to remember: if your software can do partial searches, naming a file “Project Report Presentation” will turn it up whenever you search for any of those words. If a file is for a specific month’s financials, date it. If your system supports tags, filters or something similar, use them. Make it easy for your future self to find the files you need. This is a good habit to get into with all your files, not just cloud-bound ones.

Do a periodic cleanse/purge

The cloud is a tool, and like every tool, a little maintenance from time to time will keep it running well. Go into your storage, and see how well your organization is holding up. Does the file layout match the way you actually work? Are there old projects in here you could move to an offline backup? Is there anything else you feel you could improve with your cloud setup? It’s your tool, so make it work for you, in the way that works for you. That’s a moving target, incidentally, so take a few minutes now and then to double check. What types of cloud clutter are you fighting? How are you doing it? Let us know! Image By: Chuck Todd

Surefire Ways to Make the IT Department (and your boss) Love You

Nate Steere — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:34:35 +0000

We love our technology, and when the stuff works, it’s amazing what it can do for us. But technology can and does take a nosedive from time to time, often when it’s least convenient, like when you’re trying to connect to an important online meeting and your router decides to slow to a crawl for no reason whatsoever. That’s when we call the IT department. The question of whose emergency gets responded to first, and who’s first in line for those ever-so-elusive equipment upgrades, can often seem a bit random. However, we have a simple plan to help tip the scales in your favor: Use IT appropriately, build good relationships with them, and your IT Department will love you. Let’s elaborate.

Don’t Panic unless it’s a true emergency

In some ways, IT is one of the most emergency-driven jobs in any company. It’s one of those jobs where everything is going well until it’s not, and then whatever’s wrong needs to be fixed now, now, NOW! Some people call IT with genuine emergencies, and some tend to make a mountain out of a molehill (my screensaver is DIFFERENT today! How soon can you get here?!). So, learn to do some basic computer & technology maintenance tasks. When you do need to contact IT, make sure they know it’s not an emergency, and give a timeline for when you’re hoping to have the repair done. If you’re not pushing the panic button every time you contact them, you’ll get more attention than the boy who cries wolf. Oh, and as far as fixing your own problems: remember that turning it off & on again solves 90% of tech troubles.

Help Them Help You

The first rule of influencing others is to make it as easy as possible for them to do what you want. How does that apply to IT? Help them: when you contact them, provide all the relevant information you can. Offer details on steps you’ve already tried, and what the results were. Don’t say your “computer is down”, say your internet isn’t working, or email doesn’t work, or something specific. Don’t ask the impossible, like doing things on a $0 budget. Remember, IT guys and gals generally like what they do, which means they have a mindset that enjoys fixing things and solving problems. So give them as much info as you can, and thank them. It’s often a thankless job, and for all you know they were in last night at 2am doing server maintenance and installing a new oscillation overthruster or solid gold Tesla coil or whatever.

And The Boss Is Impressed Too

Being on good terms with IT has an effect on how your boss perceives you. Having access to better equipment and resources is only going to make it easier for you to turn in great work. Working well with others and being able to persuade people to do what you ask are good traits to possess, and your boss notices that. And the flipside, where your boss has to spend his day smoothing the feathers of all the people you shouted at to try and convince them you had an emergency and everyone else should wait? Yeah, you want to avoid that.

I’ve Got Friends in Techy Places

A good working relationship with IT is a great asset during your career. Spending a little time working at it will pay big dividends. Remember, these guys LIKE fixing stuff, and like when you have the equipment you need. But like everyone else, they have more than needs doing than hours in the day, and more that needs buying than dollars in the budget. Using them only when needed, appreciating their help when you get it, and making their job as easy as possible is a giant leap toward making your IT department love you, and that’s exactly where you want to be. Got any other tips on maintaining a blissful relationship with your IT department? Share them in the comments below! *Image by: cibomahto

Make the First Hour of Your Work Day Awesome

Nate Steere — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:40:29 +0000

The arrival to work, for many, is not the finest hour of the day. Some people get NOTHING done in the first hour – chatting with co-workers, finding coffee, and checking out Facebook. At the other extreme, some people’s first hour of work looks more like the beach scene in “Saving Private Ryan”: slamming headfirst into a wall of overdue delvierables, mandatory meetings, and emergencies that devour your time and attention until well into the afternoon. Isn’t there a better way?!? We think so. The first hour at work is often the awesomest, and there are a several reasons why: *Infinite possibilities – Later in the day will come meetings and priority assignments from your boss that require you to drop your other work. At the start of your day, you can tackle whatever seems best. *Fewer distractions – less phone calls, paper clutter and email means a more productive environment. *More momentum – sure, not everyone is a morning person. But even if it takes a strong dose of caffeine just to get you upright and sucking air, we start the day with a less cluttered mind than we end it, so capitalize on that! Ok, so what do I do? Here are some ideas to reliably dial up the awesomeness quotient of your mornings:

Get In Early

We know, everybody recommends this. But that’s because it works. Getting into your workspace even 30 minutes early lets you capitalize on the benefits of the morning. A lot of people who downplay getting in early say that a superficial gesture, like what time you start working, impresses the wrong kind of people. That may be true, but the awesome work you produce is going to impress the right kind of people.

Clean your desk each evening

Set yourself up for success the next day by leaving your area clean. Spending your first hour each day cleaning up after yourself is not the path to awesomeness. Sprucing up your desk takes zero brainpower, so do it at the end of the day, when you’re feeling more “The Walking Dead” than “Mad Men”. Then the next morning, your own personal Mission Control is clean and ready to rock. We’re big believers that having things clean and organized makes people more productive… after all, that’s kind of our whole deal.

Have a task list

Before you leave for the night, make a plan for the next day. Note down any loose ends you need to tie up tomorrow, as well as other goals you want to accomplish. A quick glance at your calendar helps here, for some context. Leave the list where you can see it, either on your PC’s desktop, or written on a notepad that you place at the center of your (clean) desk. The next morning, you can sit down and get after it!

Balls in their court

Projects can often feel like a game of tennis – you do something, then bounce the project to somebody else, who later smacks it back to you. After you left last night, did any projects get moved forward to where they need you to do something? Do it first thing in the morning, and get it fired off to whoever needs it next. This way, every project on your plate takes at least one step forward, every day. You can’t make your co-workers work faster (there’s no app for that, sadly), but by maximizing the time the project’s in their hands, you keep things moving.

Do something awesome every day

Like lots of things in life, our careers are a sum of small actions taken day after day. Nobody can go to the gym for a marathon 30-hour workout and come out with their ideal body – that’s just not how it works. But taking a step in the right direction, day in, day out, is a system that’ll make your output more awesome. Hit the first hour of the workday like you’re hitting the gym, and you’ll produce an awesome body… of work! Sorry. Now go out there, and make your first hour of your work day awesome!

5 Signs You’re Secretly Organized (Hiding in a Cloud of Disorder)

Nate Steere — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:20:02 +0000

“Inside every fat man is a thin man trying to get out”, or so Cyril Connolly once wrote. We believe the same is true of getting organized. Just because your desk currently looks like a scene from “Hoarders” doesn’t make you a disorganized person. You haven’t been working at staying organized, but hey, maybe deep down you’re an organized person. If any of the below sounds like you, you’re likely not disorganized by nature, you’ve just been too busy hunting bigger game.

1. You know where things are

Sure, I’ve got piles of paper on my desk, but these piles have a system, guys! Having some kind of organization (Stack A: important crap, Stack B: unimportant crap) shows you have at least a vague understanding of the need to sort things, both to keep order and so you can find them later. You see the benefits of organization, even if you’re not taking advantage of them.

2. You delete emails when you’re done with them

Or print them out for reference, or save them into a reference folder, or whatever. If even part of you grasps that your inbox is an “inbox”, and probably shouldn’t be your whole organizing system, that’s a step in the right direction. Sorting the actionable stuff from the fluff is important, even if you’re not doing it as often as you’d like.

3. You keep a clean space to work

As long as you laptop isn’t balanced precariously on top of old junk mail, it’s safe to assume at least a little of your desk’s top is visible. Sure, the kitchen counters are covered in appliances, but do you have a little prep area that’s clean? Then you appreciate the productivity that comes with having space to work. Maybe you need to get better at putting things away when you’re done with them, but your secret, organized, self obviously appreciates having some elbow room.

4. You have a calendar

It’s just empty! Same goes for a contacts list, or even that cool task management program you bought. If you’ve got the tools, but aren’t currently using them, give yourself a point. Somebody who has taken the time to buy a calendar or set up a google calendar at least understands the value of the tools, and something deep inside you is saying “I want that!” (my precioussssss). You’re not currently using the tools, but that’s just a matter of making yourself do it until the habit sinks in. The system works, you’re just not working it.

5. You feel better when you’re organized

This is the big one. Some of this productivity stuff can’t really be explained, it has to be experienced firsthand. The relationship between our mental state and our physical environment is deeper than you’d think at first. It sounds crazy, but if you clean up your physical clutter, you’ll feel less mental clutter. If that sounds like you, congratulations! You prefer having things organized! Now it’s just a matter of finding the time to stay organized. By the way, nobody ever said you need to be 100% organized all the time. Make the improvements you can – some days are busier than others, and you may find yourself losing control in the middle of a busy project. Totally. Normal. Once things slow back down, take the time to regroup and get yourself ready for the next big push. And hey – we’re here for you! Know somebody who needs to read this? Be sure to share it – and better yet, help get a friend organized and win a productivity-packed iPad with Openera!

Apple Takes Openera’s Lead with Passbook Release

Nate Steere — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:40:52 +0000

Has Apple Taken Openera’s Lead?

Like the rest of the iWorld, we’ve been looking forward to the release of iOS 6. The giant, free update is full of tons of the juicy, forward-thinking improvements that we’ve come to look forward to each year. While the annual update always has plenty of eye catching features, this year one in particular really intrigued us: Passbook. The app holds documents like tickets, passes, coupons, and store cards in one place… wait a second, where have we seen an idea like THAT before?

Don’t Call The Lawyers Just Yet

We kid, of course: Apple didn’t steal anything, but the app does have enough common DNA with our “File Finder” iPhone app that it’s worth taking a second look at it. Passbook is designed to interface with other apps, and hold some of your digital “documents” in one place. For example – you can “clip” a digital coupon in the Target app, and when you check out at Target the cashier scans your coupon. Same thing for boarding passes, even movie tickets. iOS 6 just launched this past Thursday, so there aren’t a ton of apps that support Passbook yet, but the idea’s solid so we’re sure that will change.

Great Minds Think Alike

That concept should sound familiar to you if you’ve seen or read about our iPhone app – and if you HAVEN’T seen our iPhone app yet: what are you waiting for? It’s free! And awesome! Go download our beta version and stay tuned for our next release! (we’re in process of making it more awesome). We’ll wait. Back? Okay! Passbook is a convenient central app to access your digital coupons, tickets and so on from across your iDevice. Openera is a convenient central app to access your email attachments AND cloud files from services like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and even Salesforce. Two apps that solve a major problem with iDevices: searching sucks. As much as we love our iPhones (and we do!) digging through multiple apps and email inboxes looking for a document is a pain: you need to remember when and where you left the document, and coworkers who send important documents with the subject line “Hey” aren’t helping either.

We Come From The Future

As the world moves more toward reliance on smartphones and tablets as our main computing devices, the need to pull up what you need, when you need it is only going to get more important. Look at it this way: these devices aren’t going to get LESS useful, and 3 years from now you’re going to be getting even MORE email than ever before. The more you do online, and the more you do it on the go, the more we need quick, “it just works” solutions for finding what we need on our devices. Apple & Openera have come up with the same solution to two different problems: rather than searching through your device for what you need, put the device to work with programs that gather the information for you, so you can get it faster, with no fuss. To see Apple handle coupons and tickets with the same solution we’ve come up with for email attachments and the rest of your files tells us we’re in good company. It’s the wave of the future, and we’re happy to be riding it! Bonus: After our previous post about using a tablet as your primary computer, we decided to try an experiment. This post was composed and prepared entirely on an iPad. The things we do for fun around here! We also used a Bluetooth keyboard and the iA Writer app, which this writer recommends.

A Mobile Only Modern World: Helpful or Harmful?

Krissie Thornton — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:54:46 +0000

As I was doing my usual read-throughs on Lifehacker, Lifehack, Dumb Little Man, and other stuff I have in my reader, I came across these two posts – and had to write about them. I’ve seen posts before about digital diets, or going technology free, etc… and while I think they’re fun experiments to read about – going completely tech-free just doesn’t seem like a viable long-term option for me … or for the modern world. These two posts, however, are different. They’re not about going digital-free, avoiding social networks, and shutting technology off – they’re about simplifying our digital lives in some way or another. Being smarter with our technology to make our lives better or enable us to work more efficiently. They are also two very contradicting perspectives about the future being highly mobile.

A Year Without a Computer

Wait, what? I said this wasn’t about going tech-free. This article on Inc.com is about one executive’s experiment to see if he could succeed in every aspect of his job with only a smartphone or tablet. No laptop, no desktop. So he’ll be using nothing but his Samsung Galaxy Note (phablet) for an entire year. In this article, he shares his thoughts & experience so far (he’s 6 months in). We’ve long talked about, and heard that the future is mobile - so this is a great way to demonstrate what’s possible as well as prove that you can be just as efficient, productive, and skilled at your job with only a mobile device. Here’s the full article: http://www.inc.com/bzur-haun/work-productivity-without-laptop-phone.html

NO EMAIL

I’ll be up-front about this – this article gives me a little bit of anxiety. We all have our habits when it comes to our smartphones. Games, social media, messaging, or email – the apps we mindlessly check when we’re walking somewhere, standing in a long line, or waiting for someone at a restaurant. Email is definitely one of mine. I’ve even caught myself checking my phone for email while I have my email open on my laptop in front of me (I know, that’s pretty bad). And well, you know how we feel about email. This article explains the benefits & consequences Harj Taggar, Partner at Y Comibinator, experienced after deleting the Mail App from his phone. In fact, the results he experienced led him to delete a few other apps from his phone like Facebook & Twitter. Here’s the full article: http://lifehacker.com/5940677/no-email

Final Thoughts

On one hand we have one man working to prove that you can be successful and productive with only a mobile device, and on the other a man who finds the habits we form with our mobile devices to be more harmful to our productivity. Perhaps this opens the door to a new market of applications to manage the apps we have, and how notifications work so we can experience the freedom of mobile, while avoiding or helping to reduce the habits that create distractions from getting things done. What are your thoughts? Do you see mobile-only as a viable way to work day to day? What habits have you picked up with your smartphone that would be more harmful than helpful with getting things done and staying on task?