Staying in Sync

The second you step out the door, you're in danger of being out of sync--with appointments, contacts, you name it. Samir Bhavnani, research director at Current Analysis West, says entrepreneurs can sidestep this in several ways. Often, it takes more than one of these tricks to stay connected.

1. Consider text messaging. There are many road warriors who still don't have e-mail service that is pushed constantly to a handheld device throughout the day. Sometimes the best way to contact them is with a text message, which is easier to receive discreetly than a phone call.

2. Invest in a data synchronization service that goes beyond e-mail. In addition to Funambol technology, you can keep your data in order with BeInSync or FolderShare.

3. Collaborate on projects via the internet instead of an application that's on your notebook or desktop. At Google Documents, you can create spreadsheets or documents that can be updated and stored centrally. Office Suite from Zoho offers even more application options, including a presentation tool and joint notebook.

This article was originally published in the September 2007 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Staying in Sync.