How I Work… An Insider’s View

After years of working online I’ve tried many many software tools, more than most. In addition through those long years and countless hours I’ve constantly refined my work flow. I’ve set up software and processes on my PC to work for me in faster, more efficient ways, and have reached a true Utopian type setup where I now have a near Zen like relationship with my PC and the tools I use. So I thought I would share with you some of those tools I use on a daily basis, and demonstrate how I use them, my work flow, and the layout of them on my PC.

First let’s go over some of the tools I use daily…

• Swift To-Do List Pro – This software is a ToDo list on steroids! Mainly I use it to write down anything and everything I need to do, this gets it out of my head, into a manageable list where I can sort my tasks into categories such as Home, Website 1, Project, etc. as well as sort them by priority or due date. I can attach notes, attachments, emails, etc. to any ToDo list item. Quite simply if you want to get organized, get more accomplished, and stop forgetting to do things, I highly recommend this program. They have a free version, and a paid version, I use the Pro/paid version. You can download it from their website here.
• RoboForm – An absolute MUST HAVE. If you aren’t using it already just download it now, install it, learn it, and trust me, you’ll save TONS of time and frustration. I wrote about RoboForm before, but I recommend you just download it, it’s free for up to 15 passwords or so and you’ll never realize how you lived without it.
• yaTimer – If you’re like me (actually how I used to be) you have trouble staying focused online sometimes, with email, Instant Messengers, and other interruptions on the PC it’s easy to get distracted. In addition you have to compete with the temptation of time-wasting distractions everywhere you go, funny youTube videos, banner ads, powerful ads grasping for your attention. Well not anymore! I use a little software program called yaTimer, and basically it’s a timer with a lot of nice features. However it’s not just what this software does, it’s how you can use it that makes it so AMAZINGLY POWERFUL!
  I’ve set yaTimer up with my most important tasks and projects on it, and then when I dedicate myself to focus on this task I start the timer. For example every day I want to spend at least one hour dedicated to getting more traffic to a website. yaTimer keeps me focused and on task because I know that I need to get that hour in, it’s right there, staring me in the face, it’s counting how long I have REALLY worked on that site. Another example is my daily “2 Hours of Power”. Every day I want to spend at least two hours of dedicated uninterrupted work time on my most important tasks, it’s certainly a mental thing, but when that timer is running I really feel different, I get more done! When I do get interrupted or have go to the bathroom or something I pause the timer, then start it when I get back. It’s amazing to see in cold black and white exactly how much you’ve worked on something, and with the clock ticking in the background you’re constantly reminded that time is our most precious and limited resource. Try doing this exercise, I think you’ll be surprised how much you are able to accomplish in such little time when you’re focused.
• TypeItIn Pro – Another time saving tool I use. Starting to see a pattern here? TypeItIn allows you to automate anything you type in on a reptitive basis on your PC. Whether it’s HTML code, emails you seem to repetitively send, or just a name or simple command TypeItIn can do it. I’m not going to go too much into detail about this program because there’s a lot that can be done with it, but I recommend checking it out and thinking of ways you can use it to save yourself time.
• QuickText Pro – This is a HUGE timesaver for anyone who wants to speed up any kind of repetitive emailing. In fact, this tool has saved me and my employees literally MONTHS of time. It integrates with Thunderbird email, so you have to be using Thunderbird in order to use it, but really, if you continually type in links, write the same things in emails often, or want to automate any type of mass communication it will be worth switching to Thunderbird just to use it.
• TwittIt 1.0 – Okay, well unlike the other applications I’ve listed, this one probably won’t be considered a time saver, however it does allow me to Twitter in a fast efficient matter, keeping my Twitter followers updated and anyone that comes to my website can see what my latest thought, idea, or projects I am working on. With TwittIt I just click a button, type in my Twitt, and I’m done. Fast, simple, and the world is a better place for knowing what I’m up to.
• iTunes in Minimode – Well, you’ve gotta make your workflow enjoyable, and music can help you keep up the pace, in addition you can listen to your podcasts or favorite motivational speakers in the background. I don’t use it all the time, but on certain projects it really keeps me in the groove.
• Lastly and probably the most effective tool in my PC tool arsenal is my custom homepage. Setting up a custom homepage is incredibly valuable, in fact you can even get advanced and integrate Roboform into your homepage so you can go to the site of your choice and login to it all with a single click! I won’t go into details about how valuable a custom homepage is as I’ve already written a detailed article about my custom homepage which includes a free template you can use for yourself.

Well, I could keep going with some of the tools and applications that are making my day easier, but I think I would stop there before I write a book here. So now let’s go over how I set them up on my screen, just to give you an insider’s view…

I usually leave all the applications on the right screen open all the time as they are frequently used. If I’m focused on a specific project I will close my email, that’s just a must. I also rarely open Instant messengers unless I’ve scheduled a conversation beforehand as they can turn into huge time-wasters. As you can see, I have my Start Menu open with shortcuts to my most used applications such as Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Microsoft Word. I also have a shortcut to a plain text file renamed as ‘Scratch Pad’. This is just a simple text pad that I use to paste things into, write something down for use in project later, a phone number, or whatever you would use a normal scratch pad for. Actually, the Scratch Pad comes in real handy, I probably use it every day.

Well there you have it, a glance at some of the tools I use and the layout in which I use them. I hope if anything you’ve gained something that helps make your workday a bit easier and more productive. Do you use any tools or have any unique time saving ideas of your own to share? Leave a comment and share them with the world.

UPDATE: The author of yaTimer has started a special promotion for Marketing With Miles readers…

Just leave him a message at: http://www.nbdtech.com/Contact.htm
Tell him you’re reading this blog and get 20% off on yaTimer – 39$ instead of 49$.

Offer good until the end of February 2008.