9 Easy Ways You Can Be More Digital Right Now

Maybe you’re old school. Maybe you’ve been in the workplace longer than the internet has been around. Maybe you just don’t have time to learn.

Whatever the excuse, there’s no reason why you can’t (and shouldn’t) join the inevitable digital shift today. It’s not as hard as you might think.

Here are 9 easy ways you can get started, right now, as you read:

1. App Upgrade

Do you have a smartphone? Well then start being smart with it. Efficiency apps such as Evernote and Remember the Milk let you take your work with you wherever you go. If part of your job is to update your company’s social media outlets, you can do this easily from your phone, anywhere, anytime.

2. Ditch Word. Ride the Cloud.

Replace Microsoft Office with Google Drive. Drive has equivalent versions of the entire Office suite, except it’s cloud-based (ie. 1,000 times more useful). It’s so much easier (and less confusing) than emailing numerous versions of Word Docs, since Google Drive lives solely online and can be shared, accessed from any computer any time, and updated by everyone at the same time. (So encourage everyone else to use it, too.) Google Drive also has a cache of document templates.

3. Converge in the Webosphere

Give your team tools to stay on top of things without pulling them away for a meeting every 5 minutes. Collaborate on projects using Basecamp or some other project management software to keep all communications and files in one shared space. Use online mindmaps to brainstorm and plan projects, like Mindmeister. Google Drive is also great for cloud-based collaboration.

4. Sorry, Faxing is ‘Snail Mail’

Who do you think wants to drag themselves to the copy room to get your memos? Stop faxing and start sending documents electronically. Less paper, more accountability. You’ve got a record of when you sent that email, and all of the related correspondence.

5. www.YouNeedASite.NoSeriously

Does your company have a website? No? Get one, stat. People looking for information about your company are turning to the internet, and if you’re not there, you can be sure your competitors are.

6. Stop Falling Behind

Subscribe to a blog or a newsletter that shares digital tips (like ours). The digital world moves quickly and changes often. Stay on top of what’s happening by following updates from experts.

7. Stop Penciling People In

Use your electronic calendar instead of a paper one. Every smartphone has one, and your email client does, too. You can send meeting requests (setting up reminders for everyone else), make recurring appointments, and create multiple calendars for different parts of your work.

8. Get Yourself Social

Sign up for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest if you don’t already have a personal account. The best way to start to learn how you can use these outlets for business is to have a basic understanding of how people use them personally.

9. Paper, Seriously?

Are there other processes you can digitize in your office or work? Think especially about daily tasks that require paper. Get a cloud-based storage solution and put important information and documents there. There are even smartphone apps that allow you to scan documents with your phone, such as Turbo Scan and Genius Scan.

Remember, take one step at a time. You’ll get there.

Have any other tips for making the move to digital? Share them in the comments below.