Some leaders are tech geeks. Others are not.
In an incredibly helpful, practical episode, GeekPastor.com’s Wayne Cordova walks leaders through beginner, intermediate and geek level apps, tools, hacks and strategies that can help every leader free up time to do the real work of leadership.
So whether you love tech or hate it, this episode is packed with practical tools that can help you free up time to lead better.
Welcome to Episode 34 of the Podcast.
Guest Links: Wayne Cordova
Links Mentioned in this Episode
Beginner Apps
The Overcast App, a powerful, yet simple podcast player
Wunderlist, an easy organizational tool to help you get things done faster
Things / Cultured Code, a task manager for easy organization
Evernote, a workspace that allows you to capture what’s important, move ideas and stay on task
The Pomodoro Technique, a timer that helps keep you focused while promoting productivity
GTD – Getting Things Done, David Allen’s productivity system that captures, clairifies and organizes so you can reflect and engage with tasks you need to complete
Gmail, a very basic, user-friendly email system that can be customized to meet your organization’s needs
Airmail, an organizational e-mail app
Mailbox App, the email app Carey uses on his iPhone and iPad.
Dropbox, allows for easy sharing and access to files of all sizes
Jotnot, scan PDFs from documents, recepits, faxes, expenses and whiteboards. Great for financial organization and planning.
Instagram, a photo and video-sharing app that allows you to apply filters to capture the look and feel of a moment
Intermediate & Advanced Apps
Dispatch, helps you tame your inbox by letting you delete, defer, delegate, generate actions and even respond to your mails with ease.
Wayne’s Podcast on the Dispatch App – Inbox Hero
Text Expander, save time and keystrokes with customized shortcuts
Wayne’s Blog, 4 Practical Ministry Uses for Text Expander
Phrase Express, saves keystrokes by expanding text abbreviations into full text snippets
Work Flow, connects apps and actions together to automate things you do on your device.
The Trifecta of Automation Apps (These get expensive if you use all of them.)
Keyboard Maestro, automate almost any repetitive task you do with an Apple device
Launch Bar, an adaptive app launcher and document browser that allows you to access applications, documents, bookmarks by typing short abbreviations
Hazel, a system preference payne that helps clean up your files by automatically organizing
3 Things You Can Do Right Away
We can breeze through a day of ministry and never leave our desks, but technology helps see projects through and allows us to get to what really matters. When used as a tool, technology plays into the “how” when accomplishing the work of ministry and gives us margin to focus on building relationships. Wayne Cordova walks us through the apps that help him manage his ministry and tells you how to get started.
- Start using the to-do list or app that works best for you. Some people ask, “What Bible should I use?” when they start attending a new church, and the answer is simple. Use the Bible that you’re going to read. The same principle applies to technology. Before you spend money on anything, really decide on the system that’s best for you, and don’t spend money on anything that isn’t cross-platform. Look for the little plus (+) symbol that lets you know it’s available across multiple operating systems. Not everyone on your team will exclusively use one platform, so it’s not beneficial to use an organizing tool that isn’t universal.
- Work on how you choose to do e-mail. Everyone has to have e-mail to maintain communication. Get started with something simple. Gmail has a great search function within its system, and is very user-friendly. You could probably have a tech-savvy team member get your organization set up with custom Gmail addresses. Don’t feel obligated to use the software that comes on your computer. There are a variety of options that provide desktop options and apps for your phone. (If you’re a more advanced user, check out the organizational apps in the “Links Mentioned” section.)
- Turn your notifications off. There’s nothing like a red badge with a number on it that will prompt you to respond to notifications sooner. You want to see as little red as possible on your phone, and they get in the way of your ministry, your family and your personal time. Eliminate badges that may distract you, such as facebook, twitter and other social media apps.
Quotes from Wayne
A good podcast informs people as they listen or after they listen. @geekpastor Click To Tweet Rule of productivity: If I have to do it more than twice, I don’t want to do it again. @geekpastor Click To Tweet My heart isn’t technology. It’s people. @geekpastor Click To Tweet There are efficient ways to build relationships with people. Put the phone down. @geekpastor Click To TweetA New Episode Every Week…Just Subscribe
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Next Episode: Clay Scroggins
At age 30, he was asked to lead a church of 6000. At age 34, he was asked to lead North Point Community Church, a campus with 14,000 attenders, where Andy Stanley is the Senior Pastor. In this episode, we’ll talk to Clay Scroggins about the challenges of leading when you’re young, and how he’s navigating senior leadership at North Point Church in Atlanta.
Subscribe for free now, and you won’t miss Episode 35.
