Top 3 Technical Time Wasters for Church Planters (1 of 3)

This is NOT breaking news, but I’ll state the obvious: church planters are crunched for time. Every day feels like 30 hours of work crammed into a 24-hour day. Like you, I believe Jesus never gives us more than his Spirit can empower us to accomplish in a given day. Like you, I also struggle with trying to control too much, and feeling overwhelmed.

Because time is so important in the early days of planting a church, we would be wise to remove any unnecessary time wasters. One area that can throw church planters for a loop is the technical tasks accompanying church planting.

Here is the first of three common technical time wasters and how you can avoid them.

Number 1 Time Waster: Keeping up with passwords.

When you plant a church, a “new church” is not the only thing you start. You open bank accounts, create social media accounts, buy a domain name, grab a new email address, and lots more. Each of these comes with a username and password. I can’t tell you how many times I help church planters who have no idea what their username or password is for a given account. Some of them jot down their username and password on a scratch piece of paper and stuff it in their wallet. Inevitably their wallet is the size of an Acme brick. Others write them down in a document…or two…or three. And some just never bother writing them down at all.

Thankfully this problem is easily solved With a handy app called Dashlane. I’m a geek. When it comes to password apps, I’ve used a lot of them. I love Dashlane. Not only does it keep my data secure, but it saves me a ton of time. Here are seven things Dashlane does well when it comes to saving you time (and keeping your secure).

1. Dashlane intuitively asks if you want it to add new usernames and passwords when you browse.

For example, if you navigate to a website and enter a username and password NOT currently stored in Dashlane, a handy pop-up window will ask if you want to add it. You don’t forget the username or password. And you don’t have to take the time to manually add your username and password to your password app. The result is time saved.

2. Dashlane logs you into websites requiring your username and password.

You head to a website and stare at the login screen. You try to remember what username and lame password you used but you draw a blank. Not any more. Dashlane remembers for you. In an average day, Dashlane does this for me probably 10 or more times. The result is time saved.

3. When signing up for new accounts, Dashlane recommends strong, unique passwords and stores them in your Dashlane app.

You no longer have to come up with unique, secure passwords…or use your anniversary for the 100th time. You also don’t have to remember a bunch of unique, secure passwords. And thanks to what I mentioned above in item number two, the next time you log into the website, Dashlane will automatically supply your username and password. You’ll be logged in before you can blink. The result is time saved.

4. Dashlane can store your bank account information.

So if you set up a PayPal account or an online giving solution for your church, Dashlane will automatically supply your bank account and routing number on the application. Imagine form fields auto-populating with the stuff you’d normally spend 10 minutes tracking down. Which one of those random numbers on the bottom of the check is your account, and which one is your routing number anyway? The result is time saved.

5. Dashlane gives you the ability to securely share your username and password with someone else.

This is great for church planters who need to delegate tasks to other team members. Now you can securely share login information. And because Dashlane prompted you to create a random, secure, strong password when you setup the account…you don’t have to worry about sharing your one password you’ve used for everything since Al Gore invented the internet. It’s also great for sharing usernames and passwords with your wife…like when it’s time to pay your wireless bill online. The result is time saved…and a happy wife. (Your welcome.)

6. Dashlane can generate new, random passwords for existing accounts all at once.

If you’re the paranoid type, Dashlane can generate and register new, random passwords for several accounts all at once. For many existing accounts, Dashlane can generate a new, random password for you AND go to the site and update your password settings for you…all with the click of a button. Looks like you just saved more time.

7. Dashlane alerts you of any potential security risks.

The Dashlane app features a handy “Security Dashboard.” Here you will see any passwords that are:

• weak
• reused
• old
• compromised.

For example, if you have an account with a company who has been compromised (like Target in the past), Dashlane will alert you and encourage you to change your password.

Summary

Each of these great, time-saving features listed above are free. All you need is to download the free Dashlane app and add the browser extension for Google Chrome or Safari.

For a small monthly fee, you can upgrade to Dashlane premium.  This will enable you to sync all of your username and passwords between your computer and your smartphone. I upgraded my account a few months back and love it. The premium service brings the security and convenience of Dashlane to my phone and laptop.

The only thing Dashlane has failed to capture is how much time it has actually saved me. Stop wasting your time losing, Miss placing comma or forgetting your username and passwords. Stop wasting time losing, misplacing, or forgetting your username and passwords. Grab the free Dashlane app and start saving time. Use the extra time to love on your wife and kiddos!