All-star free agents are masters at multitasking. They know how to squeeze productivity out of every waking hour and how to leverage technology to make the most of their time.
Free-agent multitaskers expect their software to work as hard as they do. One of the most durable tools in my software kit is FileMaker Pro 4.1, an easy-to-use database program that can handle the heavy lifting when I'm organizing reports, contact lists, invoices, and other projects that come with working solo. FileMaker combines modern database power (including full relational capabilities, scripting, cross-platform support, and more) with page-layout and formatting tools. After entering a batch of customer profiles, I can adapt that information in any of several ways -- as a project-status report, as a checklist, as a mail-merge letter.
FileMaker helps jump-start the filing by bundling in more than 50 prebuilt templates. Free agents will find these templates -- which generate invoices, expense reports, purchase orders, and other documents -- to be critical time-savers.
Coordinates: $199. FileMaker Pro 4.1, FileMaker Inc., www.filemaker.com
There's nothing more frustrating than brain-storming the idea of the year -- only to get swept up in another task and lose your thought. That's why another can't-live-without-it device in my free-agent tool kit is a microcassette recorder. I use it to capture my big ideas -- as well as items on my To Do list and other day-to-day minutiae.
Lately I've been thinking of upgrading to a digital recorder. Sony's ICD-80 Digital Voice Recorder looks like a good pick. Smaller than a microcassette recorder, the device slips easily into a coat pocket or purse, so it can go anywhere you go. The ICD-80 handles up to 48 minutes of recording and includes a feature that flags high-priority items. The device also allows you to make message files, so you can separate voice messages into categories such as "memos" or "meetings." Using the Sony ICKIT-W1 accessory kit, you can even connect the recorder to your computer, upload voice files, and then email the files to customers or colleagues.
Coordinates: $249.95. ICD-80 Digital Voice Recorder; $69.95. ICKIT-W1 -- both from Sony Electronics Inc., www.sony.com
Real-deal multitaskers hate being tethered to their desk. They want the freedom to roam when they're on the phone, so that they can grab a spreadsheet or enter notes from a conversation into their computer. Using the speakerphone option on a desk unit is not much of a solution: Most speakerphones have the acoustic finesse of a Fisher-Price toy.
I've been shopping for something that will let me keep my hands off the phone and on my work, and I think I've found what I need in Polycom's SoundPoint audioconferencing speaker. The beehive-shaped speaker takes up about as much space as a typical desktop phone, and it connects easily to your telephone receiver.
The speaker delivers full-duplex audio: Unlike an ordinary speakerphone, SoundPoint won't leave you sounding as if you're calling from a cave. The speaker also makes it easier to distinguish between multiple voices, so you're less likely to miss words when people speak simultaneously. Best of all, you can roam up to nine feet away from SoundPoint -- and the person on the other end of the line will never know that you're moving around while you talk.
Coordinates: $299. SoundPoint, Polycom Inc., www.polycom.com
One of the biggest myths about free agency is that working solo is the same as working alone. Savvy free agents know better. They recognize the value of connecting with other people, and they're always on the hunt for tools that will help them do so.
Web sites catering to free agents are springing up almost as fast as free-agent businesses. One such site is DigitalWork, which has assembled an array of business-support applications under one virtual roof. Free agents can use DigitalWork to locate and hire temporary employees, to sell their wares via the Net, to purchase goods and services at a discount, and to access reports on competitors, customers, and vendors. Members can even issue news releases at a discount by taking advantage of DigitalWork's partnership with BusinessWire, an electronic news-distribution service.
Coordinates: Free. DigitalWork, www.digitalwork.com
The Web is the ultimate networking tool, but don't overlook the plain old telephone. While doing research for this article, I tested Siemens's digital Gigaset 2420 Cordless Communication System. I was looking for a way to escape to an upstairs room -- away from the distractions of my main office -- and still stay connected with clients and with my assistant. The Siemens system provided a handy solution.
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