The 3 Golden Rules for Building Your Tech Stack

Rrrrrrrrr…rrr…rrr…RRRRRRrrrr!

Nonstop leaf blowers outside my sunny Florida home can only mean one thing… December has arrived!

It’s time to take a moment and reflect on this past year… while also looking forward to all that can be possible when the calendar finally flips over.  So, let me ask you… Finding the right tech to power your speaking business can be overwhelming for many

Finding the right tech to power your speaking business can be overwhelming for many.  Just a quick online search gives you dozens of apps, tools, add-ons, and full software packages you can adopt for any given problem.

Then, take a break to grab some coffee, come back to your search, and that list has probably increased by half!  The number of tech options for small businesses is increasing… constantly!

So, how do you choose? 

You’re probably thinking of using things like CRM tools to manage your client interactions, social media tools to make posting more consistent, website tools to secure your site content, scheduling tools, video editing tools, email tools, tools, tools, and more tools!

The list goes on and on.

Then, there’s the nagging fear of choosing the wrong tool, taking valuable time to learn and adopt it with your team, only to discover you’re stuck with something you hate.

Yikes!  What’s an aspiring tech-savvy speaker to do? 

Well, it’s easy to get paralyzed by all the options.  That’s why I’d like to take a moment to share my philosophy for tech tools.  Here are the golden rules for building your tech stack!  

Rule #1: It Needs to Free Your Mind

As a creative, your mind only has so much energy each and every day.  While you start with a metaphorical “full tank”, each task drains that energy away.

That’s probably why I tend to drink more cups of coffee by 6am than most people drink all week long.  It’s also why my brain turns to mush by the time 4pm rolls around.  

(No afternoon meetings for me, thank you very much!)

(Granted, I do wake up and start work most mornings by 4am.)

So, when you’re choosing your tech tools, consider whether or not that tool is freeing your mind from all the tasks you normally have to do, or if it’s simply creating more clutter.  Does the tool make you feel more calm or more stressed?

For instance, I personally don’t love most social media tech tools because they usually come with a host of email alerts and push notifications.  When I see lots of interaction on my accounts, I feel pressure to interact with those replies.  

The result? Lots of clutter in my mind, and mental energy quickly leaks away.