A while back, I was speaking with a friend who asked me how I keep track of so many things, blog on a constant basis, and generally live such a productive life, especially when others my age are playing video games and watching TV. He unknowingly unleashed one of my non-comprehensible rants on patience and not watching TV, but pretty soon the conversation turned to the applications I use on my computer and phone to stay productive (he’s a tech junkie, so it was expected).
I can’t explain to you just how happy he is after trying a few of these applications out. He’s constantly telling me how much free time he has now, how less frantic he is, how more organized he is, yada, yada, yada. Seeing how happy and productive these applications made him, and wanting to spread joy around the world (Santa complex?), I’ve decided to list my top ten productivity increasing apps.
Let’s dive into the list:
1. RescueTime (referral link)
This is the mint.com for time. All you have to do is install it, and let it run. You’ll then receive eMail reminders as to how productive you were with your time. You will have to tweak some of the less familiar applications and sites you use so it can recognize them, but after that you can let it run in the background uninterrupted. It measures how long you’ve been on a sites and applications; and it knows that Facebook and Twitter is NOT productive time.
The “compare with the average user” aspect part of it is surprisingly the part that makes me more productive. It becomes a game to see how more productive I can be compared to the majority of people, which I think is sheer brilliance.
2. WriteRoom (Mac application only… sorry)
I don’t know how to write anything without this application anymore… seriously. The simplicity of it makes it obvious and not worth wasting money and/or time on, but I can honestly say that this app has made a huge difference in my life. The fact that it darkens the rest of the screen so that I concentrate only on what I’m writing has allowed me to write longer and better posts, which is good in a dirty sounding way.
This would be my most used application if not for RescueTime constantly running in the background. And does it not remind you of Linux?
3. Teux Deux
I’m a lover of simplicity, and so is Swiss Miss (a fantastic/inspiring/be-witching designer). When I heard of an online application site that she helped design I had to use it right away, and I’m glad I did.
Teux Deux, French play on “To Do”, is a simple and well designed to do list. I used to use other “to do” applications but I found out that they were either too complicated, or way too simple. I like Teux Deux because it’s simple enough that I can’t write task, after task, after task of things I need to do, which forces me to concentrate on the few things I really need to focus on.
And when a task is completed I cross it out and when it’s not done by the end of the day it moves to the next date; Simple. The added touch was the fact that it’s an online app, meaning I can access it anywhere.
4. Evernote
I live by the Evernote caption, this is my external brain. I never thought bookmarking could become ever more simple and better, but it did. Evernote is bookmarking that syncs with all my devices, so that if, for example, I’m on the road and I want to access that document I read online the other day but have no access to a computer I won’t have to worry because it synced with my iPhone and I can read it from there. Anytime I see anything worth remembering I just click one button using their Firefox plugin. Anytime I see a piece of text worth remembering I highlight, right-click, and Evernote it.
There are so many thing to do with this application that I would need a book to explain it all. All I can really say is that I trust Evernote to remember things more than my actual brain (quiet sad if you think about it).
5. Dropbox (referral link)
This is my USB without a USB. Dropbox allows you to create a computer in the ‘cloud‘ so that your files can generally be accessed from anywhere.
The great part about Dropbox is that adding to the cloud is so easy it’s second nature. Dropbox puts a folder on your computer that when documents are added to it, they are automatically synced with the folder you have over at Dropbox.com, allowing you to access your files from any computer later one just by going to their site.
The collaboration aspects of Dropbox are amazing. When you want to share the folder with someone else all they have to do is add a folder to their computer, and as long as you give them permission to access your folder, their folder will be automatically updated anytime you update yours; it would seem like your both working on the same computer.
I like Dropbox because they’ve satisfied both my wants and needs. They’ve given me a great collaboration tool (want). And they’ve secretly given me a backup of my computer so that if it ever crashes all my files are already backed up on the cloud and onto someone else’s computer (need).
The added bonus is that if you use my reference link to sign up we both get an added 250MB of free space for free. Win-win situations are great aren’t they?
6. E.gg Timer
Simple but effective. This is a simple egg timer that unbelievably added a great deal of time to my life. It allowed me to stop dilly dallying around and set focused and strict time periods for the things I do. Remember, “the task will expand to fit the time allotted” ~ Parkinson’s Law.
7. Tungle
The best appointment setting and online calendar app I’ve seen right since Google Calendar allowed sincing with iCal.
Here’s my set-up. My Tungle is synced with my Google Calendar, which in turn is synced with my iCal. Whenever someone wants to set up an appointment with me all they have to do is choose a time I’m available through Tungle and book it. Once it’s booked it syncs with my Google Calendar which then syncs with my iCal. This allows me to only have to access iCal on my Mac and Google Calendar online, while allowing others to instantly see the times I’m available and book them without constantly bothering me, bringing piece of mind to everyone.
8. Mindmeister (referral link)
This is brainstorming heaven. Whenever I need to brainstorm on an idea, this is what I turn to.
I like simplicity and ease of use, and Mindmeister provides both. I can work on my own mind-map sand map things out or work with someone else on the same mind-map and instantly see what they are doing on their end through real-time collaboration. Once done I’ll usually export it into .PDF format. But the beauty of it is that I, and others, can export any mind-map into practically any format we so like.
An unexpected treat came along in the form of public mind-maps. These are mind-maps that were already created by other people, and they are, to say the least, very information, handy, and time saving.
9. Grocery IQ (iTunes App)
Ah, the grocery list application. You can rename this app the “grocery shopping made fun” app or the “never forget to buy that thing again” app (unofficially of course).
Thanks to this app I don’t forget to buy anything whenever I go shopping. Honestly, who keep grocery lists these days? That whole re-writing things to buy week after week, it seems so pointeless when you generally buy the same thing over and over.
Hence, why I use Grocery IQ. My favorite feature about it is that it saves grocery lists and allows me to check off the items I already have. Thus, allowing me to always know what I have in the fridge and what I don’t, and also allowing me to not waste precious time asking myself “Do I already have this at home”? I do wish it had more Canadian related stores and products, but what can you do. Americans make things for Americans.
10. LeechBlock (Firefox Add-on)
“You can block sites within fixed time periods (e.g., between 9am and 5pm), after a time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour), or with a combination of time periods and time limit (e.g., 10 minutes in every hour between 9am and 5pm). You can also set a password for access to the extension options, just to slow you down in moments of weakness!” ~ LeechBlock
I would have ranked this higher. The fact that this application allows you to stop yourself from being tempted from sites you know damn well will be distracting to you is sensational. A great hack for Leechblock that I recently learned was the * hack. The * acts as a wild-card for ALL websites and blocks them all at once, brilliant! The reason why I didn’t rank it that high was because in times of random internet use (we all have them), where using the internet is a must, it can be your worst enemy. but overall if you manage your time wisely, you should be fine and dandy.
And there you have it. My top ten productivity increasing applications. The list is ordered starting from the most productivity increasing app down, so if for instance you could only choose one, choose the first. I’ve also taken the liberty to advertise some of the apps on my site (look to your right), because I think they are that good.
So, what’s on your “Top Ten Productivity Increasing Apps” list? Do you have one that’s not on the list? Share, goddammit, SHARE!
photo credit: Chris Radcliff