Dan McGaw
Do you make the most of your workday? Whether you work a 9-to-5 or are constantly on call, time management is important. But how do you get everything done without running yourself ragged?
Dan McGaw is the CEO and founder of Fuelzee, a check-in app that functions as a gas station rewards program. He’s also the director of marketing at KISSmetrics, a Web analytics platform that makes data intelligible to site owners. With two leadership roles Dan’s time is always at a premium, and efficiency is paramount.
He was kind enough to share with Ebyline some of the ways he manages to make the most of his workday as well as some insight into online marketing success. Based in Florida, where Fuelzee is headquartered, Dan makes frequent trips to the KISSmetrics offices in San Francisco. We caught him during a stretch on the west coast.
How Do You Manage Two Full-Time Jobs?
I wake up and do a couple hours of work for Fuelzee first. It’s an all-the-time sales organization, and I can’t go more than two days away from it. Fuelzee is based in Orlando and KISSmetrics is in San Francisco, so I’m able to get work done before they start the day. After a day of work for KISSmetrics I’ll typically put in a couple more hours for Fuelzee to finish anything I couldn’t get to in the morning.
What’s Your Email Setup?
I use Gmail more than other inbox tools. I’m a master of Google shortcuts. I get in the neighborhood of 200 emails a day.
What Are Your Go-To Systems And Apps For Time Management And Productivity?
I spend anywhere from $50 to $75 a month on productivity apps. I use Dropbox for everything. I have a 250-gigabyte account for both corporate and personal use. I’m not always an early adopter, though. I was the last one of my friends on Facebook.
Dan’s list of apps was so extensive that we’ve provided a quick overview below.
Alfred – McGaw calls it “a godsend.” For Mac users, makes searching your desktop even faster and provides expanded hotkey options.
Buffer – Publishes your social media posts across platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and automatically schedules them to go out at intervals.
Evernote – Save webpages, notes, and other digital media and access it from any of your devices.
FollowUp.cc – Allows you to schedule meetings and reminders in your inbox.
Gmail Shortcuts – Keyboard shortcuts to help you clear out your inbox faster.
Healthier – Reminds you to take a break from work and suggests exercises to help you stay fit.
Moom – For Mac users, makes it easier to resize and move your windows and provides shortcut for a more organized view of your desktop.
Pocket – Saves all of the reading you haven’t had time to get to in one place.
Rapportive – Saves and shows detailed profiles of your contacts in your inbox.
RescueTime – Time management tracking app that tells you how long you spend on different sites and apps.
Skitch – Makes marking up and sharing images and documents easier.
Trello – Lets you create and organize to-do lists as well as share them with collaborators.
As A CEO And A Director, How Important Is Delegation In Your Day-To-Day Work?
KISSmetrics involves a lot of delegation. It’s about 60 percent planning and meetings. We have eight people on our marketing team. For Fuelzee, I handle all the marketing and have one assistant. My co-founder handles the development side of things.
How Do You Decide Whether To Learn A New Skill Or Outsource The Work To Someone Else?
It comes down to money. My time is worth a certain amount, and if something can be done cheaper by someone else, it’s worth hiring them. For example, our more complicated graphic design work is done externally, but we’ll do all the basics in-house.
You Do An Exceptional Job Managing Your Personal Brand On Top Of Your Existing Workload. Where Does Social Media Stand In The Realm Of Content Marketing?
Social media is not really a good way to attract new customers. It’s a good way to keep people updated, but going viral is not as easy as it used to be.
A big thanks to Dan for taking the time to give us a few pointers on how to squeeze more into each day. To (try to) keep up with Dan, follow him on Twitter or visit his Website.
