These New Tools Will Increase Your Productivity And Lower Your Stress

Author: David McMillin       

Whether you plan meetings, sell convention center space, run an event app company or manage a hotel, your workload is growing bigger each day. Dahlia El Gazzar, founder of DAHLIA+ and renowned tech expert, wants to make that mountain of to-dos easier to climb. At Convening Leaders 2016, El Gazzar offered participants a look at some of the most game-changing technologies available today. However, technologies don’t automatically transform the way you send emails, make conference calls and book travel. El Gazzar gave participants a rule to follow. “Give yourself 21 days to use it,” El Gazzar said, reminding participants that seeing real benefits of a tech solution takes time. “It’s not about the application. It’s about you getting comfortable with it.”

If you’re looking to be more productive and less stressed, here are six recommendations to test from El Gazzar.

x.ai

Your virtual assistant who handles all your meeting requests

If you’re like me, you hate trying to arrange meetings. You send an email with time blocks that might work; the other invitees respond with alternative times because none of them will work, and the volley of emails continues to clutter your inbox. With x.ai, you have a virtual assistant who manages the conversation and syncs with your calendar. Plus, you get the bonus of looking like you can pay for an assistant.

Just Not Sorry

Your companion for more confident writing abilities

Are you constantly apologizing in messages to clients and colleagues? Does your writing convey a less-than-confident you? This awesome tool will analyze your messages and warn you of potential areas that might undermine your authority. Consider it a coach over your shoulder constantly saying, “You’re better than that!”

Grammarly

Your way to stop counting on Word to fix errors

Spelling, grammar and punctuation — if any of these fall into the I-wish-I-was-better-at-this category, Grammarly will be a godsend. It works with you as you type and instantly fixes over 250 errors, most of which will go uncorrected in Microsoft Word. It will make every piece of your writing — emails, reports, even social media status updates — look smarter. Oh, and here’s some other great news: it’s free.

Slack

Your email eliminator

There’s a reason why everyone is talking about Slack: it’s amazing. It’s built to help you break up with CCing, forwarding, deleting and feeling overwhelmed every time you look at your inbox. Companies are embracing this messaging tool to help teams communicate more effectively. It saves time and reduces headaches. And there’s a free version.

Options Away

Your best friend for travel arrangements

Meeting professionals are always searching for flights, comparing prices and seeking approval for costs. However, sometimes the approval process may take a bit longer than expected. With Options Away, you can lock in a price for anywhere between two and 14 days to secure extra time to decide. And you can even stop spending so much time checking Expedia, Priceline and Kayak — this tool will notify you if the fare drops or if the engine finds a more favorable itinerary.

SEE ALSO: How Your Travel Rewards Points Will Change In 2016

MobileDay

Your best friend for conference calls.

Forget entering an 800 number and a passcode, and don’t worry about entering any of the information into your calendar. This app eliminates the need to find any information for a conference call.

Making adjustments to your professional life isn’t just about downloading an app or bookmarking a website, though. Click here for helpful advice on adjusting your dietary habits to feel better on the job.

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