There's a productivity thread about every six weeks or so, and I figure we're due. Someone asked me what I use for organization/productivity or whatever after they saw some of my posts in a previous productivity thread, so I figured I'd just post a list here and link him to it.
WinSplit Revolution (Free) - This is a window management tool for Windows. You create areas where you want to be able to send windows, and then you can use a simple popup that allows you to place the windows, or you can use shortcut keys. I prefer shortcut keys. I don't like having multiple "workspaces" like with multiple desktops, and this works better for me personally.
7Stacks (Free) - Back in Windows XP, you could add folders to your start menu that would just open up when you hovered over them, and you couldn't do that anymore in Windows 7. This program does something like that, but it also lets you create popup menus straight off of your taskbar. I like this better than the menus in something like Objectdock that completely replaces your taskbar, and I probably save like 15 minutes a day just from how I've organized all of the random shit I need with this.
Freedom ($10) - The only piece of productivity software I've ever paid for. It essentially turns off your Internet connection for a set period of time, and it's great for when you catch yourself with some dumbass distraction like reading forums. The way I use this is that I set out a chunk of time (usually 30 minutes) when I realize I'm being distracted by something, and I make sure I have up all of the information I need in browser tabs before I start it. This gets me away from the distraction long enough that I get back into my work without feeling the need to go back to it.
News Feed Eradicator for Facebook (Chrome link) (Free) - This is a Chrome plugin. I think there's one for Firefox too, but I'm not sure. What it does is eliminates the news feed when you go to Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More and replaces it with some quote about productivity or staying focused or whatever. This is helpful for me because I use Facebook Messenger a lot, though it might be obsolete for that purpose with https://www.messenger.com running now.
Block Site (Chrome link) (Free) - This is another Chrome plugin. It blocks certain URLs, and you can have it set to block them during specific times on a schedule. I keep it on a schedule for the first few hours in the morning since I prefer to get up and start working right after I take a shower first thing in the morning. It adds another layer of resistance from getting into reading forums or news or something else in this time, and it helps me to keep from getting distracted along those lines.
As far as organizational tools go, I use OneNote, a bunch of spreadsheets (organized by 7Stacks listed above) and a pen/paper system. Any other suggestions?
WinSplit Revolution (Free) - This is a window management tool for Windows. You create areas where you want to be able to send windows, and then you can use a simple popup that allows you to place the windows, or you can use shortcut keys. I prefer shortcut keys. I don't like having multiple "workspaces" like with multiple desktops, and this works better for me personally.
7Stacks (Free) - Back in Windows XP, you could add folders to your start menu that would just open up when you hovered over them, and you couldn't do that anymore in Windows 7. This program does something like that, but it also lets you create popup menus straight off of your taskbar. I like this better than the menus in something like Objectdock that completely replaces your taskbar, and I probably save like 15 minutes a day just from how I've organized all of the random shit I need with this.
Freedom ($10) - The only piece of productivity software I've ever paid for. It essentially turns off your Internet connection for a set period of time, and it's great for when you catch yourself with some dumbass distraction like reading forums. The way I use this is that I set out a chunk of time (usually 30 minutes) when I realize I'm being distracted by something, and I make sure I have up all of the information I need in browser tabs before I start it. This gets me away from the distraction long enough that I get back into my work without feeling the need to go back to it.
News Feed Eradicator for Facebook (Chrome link) (Free) - This is a Chrome plugin. I think there's one for Firefox too, but I'm not sure. What it does is eliminates the news feed when you go to Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More and replaces it with some quote about productivity or staying focused or whatever. This is helpful for me because I use Facebook Messenger a lot, though it might be obsolete for that purpose with https://www.messenger.com running now.
Block Site (Chrome link) (Free) - This is another Chrome plugin. It blocks certain URLs, and you can have it set to block them during specific times on a schedule. I keep it on a schedule for the first few hours in the morning since I prefer to get up and start working right after I take a shower first thing in the morning. It adds another layer of resistance from getting into reading forums or news or something else in this time, and it helps me to keep from getting distracted along those lines.
As far as organizational tools go, I use OneNote, a bunch of spreadsheets (organized by 7Stacks listed above) and a pen/paper system. Any other suggestions?
