Last week, I was challenged to write about 'how I work.' Inspired by LifeHacker, Anthony Iannarino moved the idea into the sales field.

The progression has gone: Anthony, Charlie Green, Dave Brock, Dave Stein, Jill Konrath, to me.

Here's the inside scoop on my work life:

Location: Fort Meadow Lake, Hudson, Massachusetts

Current devices: Dell Inspiron, Samsung Galaxy 4, iPad 2

Apps/software/tools can’t I live without?

I LOVE technology get ready!

Must Haves for Work – use them all day, every day:

• ConnectAndSell
  Evernote
  HootSuite
  HubSpot
  InsideSales.com
  InsideView
  LinkedIn (feel free to join our Inside Sales Expert group!)
  Postwire
  Salesforce.com
  TimeTrade (why anyone would set meetings any other way is beyond me)
  Yesware

Apps I love in my personal life:

• Evernote (great for work and personal)
  Shazam (have a Sonos and Pandora is always playing great music I need to know about)
  Vivino (share great wine finds with friends)
  Waze (great GPS with traffic avoidance)

What’s my workspace like?

I and my team work out of home offices. People get so annoyed because I don’t like to do video calls. My standard response, "I'm sitting here in cat hair covered fleece.” Here's the source: Jake. 

In the winter, I work at my desk which has a great view of the lake. In the summer I work on the porch, which has an even better view.

What’s my best time-saving shortcut/life hack?

Set email to receive once an hour. It is amazing what you can do in one hour of uninterrupted time. Email is a distraction, people!

What everyday thing am I better at than anyone else?

Switching gears. At any point in time we have 15 active clients. I have my finger on the pulse of every project and can switch from one to the next with no problem.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Paper. How weird is that? This is the only thing I do not use an app for.

What do I listen to while I work?

I found this great 'French Riviera' radio station called ABC Lounge. I stream it all day long. Cool vibe.

What am I currently reading?

Smart Sales Manager, Josiane Feigon. On my second read through.

Agile Selling, Jill Konrath’s soon to be released book. Can you say awesome!?

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Who doesn’t love a historical romance combined with time travel?

What’s my sleep routine like?

In bed by 10pm. Read for ½ hour. Nighty night.

What’s the best advice I’ve ever received?

"You know what to do, so just do what you know." When I first started this business 16 years ago, we hit a sales slump. My friend Kristin Lembo said this to me and it just resonated. I went back to my office and got on the phone and the rest is history!

Fill in the Blank:

I’d love to see A Sales Guy - Jim Keenan answer these questions. Hopefully, he’ll take me up on this to keep the ball rolling. 

And ... hopefully you enjoyed the inside scoop on how I really work.