Get With the Times

I got a laptop because when I was on tour, finding a fax machine by 9am every Sunday was impossible in places like Smalltown, Tennessee.  I got a smartphone because of the fact that I’m a freelancer and  by the time I read an email offering work, 5 people had already responded and I lost the opportunity.   I signed up for twitter because  I needed to hire someone and get them to show up within 4 hours and my boss said “tag it on twitter” (yes, it worked.) My recent technological discovery came with this little wonder called Dropbox.

Some documents (like prop lists and costume flow charts) are constantly updated and have to be shared with multiple people: the Stage Management Team (who observe rehearsal and update the document appropriately), the Design Team (who need to design and build according to the document), and the Production Management Team (who adjust the budget according to the document).  Everyone needs to add things to the document and there are many ways to keep everyone on the same page.  My new favorite is Dropbox.com

Want to always make sure you’re looking at the most updated contact list? Or sick of having 50 documents called “costume plot” with different dates taking up room on your hard drive?  Tired of remembering who to email the updated versions too? Dropbox eliminates these problems  by connecting one single document with many users to a folder on everyone’s computer.  Know what else is great? You get an update whenever a document has been changed and by whom.  And it’s all free with plenty of opportunities to earn more free space.

What are your favorite technological tricks for staying organized?