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Pimp Your Work

December 31st, 2007

Downloadables: RocketDock

Is launching programs in Windows a pain in the neck for you?  I bet it is! That’s why there’s Rocket Dock, the single greatest piece of software.  Ever. (Says their website.)

From the RocketDock website:

RocketDock is a smoothly animated, alpha blended application launcher. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. With each item completely customizable there is no end to what you can add and launch from the dock.

Now with added Taskbar support your minimized windows can appear as icons on the dock. This allows for better productivity and accessibility.

 Click here to download RocketDock.

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 29th, 2007

Video Demo: Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done or GTD is David Allen’s system for personal productivity. I gave away a free copy of the audio book in a contest before. Here’s a summary of the book:

This video shows how you can create your own GTD notebook easily and more economically in lieu of the folders and containers suggested in the book. (Then again I think they weren’t meant to be taken literally). Here’s the video:

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 26th, 2007

Gadget Wednesdays: Mobile Notetaker

Here’s a scenario: you need to take down some important notes, but you don’t have a computer around. Or, you know, you’re just more comfortable with a pen and a pad of paper. Isn’t it tiresome to have to type the entire thing all over again just to get down digitally? Not if you have the Mobile NoteTaker.

From the ThinkGeek Website:

Product Features

  • Instantly transcribe your written notes and drawings
  • Uses standard paper - no special paper required
  • Stores up to 50 A4 pages
  • Includes LCD to view and confirm input
  • Operates both in mobile mode and when connected to PC or notebook
  • Connects to PC/Notebook via USB cable (included)
  • Includes software for synchronization and management of stored files
  • Includes software for OCR conversion of handwriting into editable text
  • Writes directly into Microsoft ® Office applications (in Connected mode)
  • Allows file transfer over LAN, e-mail and instant messaging application (in Connected mode).

Pretty cool, huh?

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 24th, 2007

Downloadables: Reminder Cube

for this week’s Downloadables, we’re featuring Reminder Cube - a feature-rich desktop calendar.

Here’s a brief summary from FreeDownloadaDay.com

Along with the standard ability to enter and edit appointments, you can also track longer-term projects with a searchable task list. A special “all day” window allows you to make notes that don’t apply to a specific task or appointment, but rather a whole day. Gone are the days of having to use poor old 8:00 am as the catch-all for notes for the day.

 

Click here to download Reminder Cube

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 18th, 2007

Productivity Toolkit: Scout of Nintendo Nonstop

Scout is my business partner, and she runs Nintendo Nonstop, a site about, well, Nintendo products. She’s the most productive person I know, and because of that I’m highlighting her in this week’s productivity toolkit.

Google Calendar For planning and scheduling tasks, as well as sharing calendars with contractors, clients, and other business contacts. Very helpful for reminders, especially since she’s online almost 24/7. However, when she’s on the go, she prefers to use an old school printout calendar from MS Outlook.

MS Excel This is a very powerful program, especially once you figure out how to use the more complex formulas. It does take a lot of effort to set things up, but once the templates are up and running, everything is automated. She uses this for recording her personal and business finances, designing schedules, and organizing the distribution of labor among contractors.

iDailyDiary For random daily notes.

Cellular phone Scout’s phone is a Motorola Razr V3. She uses it as a portable contact list and alarm clock for very important engagements.

Productivity techniques She believes that no matter what tools or gadgets you use, they won’t be effective unless you’re dedicated to being productive everyday. Also, when she schedules tasks, she also includes an estimated time frame for each. This is so that her schedule will be realistic and she won’t get frustrated if she doesn’t accomplish something within the day. She also sets aside 20% of her total work time to leave room for unexpected events.

Want to be featured at Pimp Your Work? Contribute your own productivity toolkit by emailing your entries to celineroque[AT]b5media[DOT]com

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 17th, 2007

Downloadables: Taskbar Shuffle

Whenever I’m working on my computer, I like to arrange things in such a way that makes my workflow easier.  Wouldn’t it be great if you could rearrange the windows on your taskbar so that all the related tasks would be close to each other?  You can do that with Taskbar Shuffle.  I’ve been using this program for such a long time, that when I’m working on other people’s computers I forget that this simple but practical function isn’t automatically part of Windows.  With the latest version, you can also rearrange your QuickLaunch buttons.  the program runs on Windows versions XP/Vista/2000/NT/95/98.

By Celine -- 0 comments

December 14th, 2007

Productivity gifts for the holiday season (under $50)

Ah, the holiday season is near. If you’re a true productivity genius, you probably bought all your gifts and planned your holiday budget way back in June. But for those who are new to the productivity game, here is a quick list of great productivity gifts you can get for the following people:

  • Geeks and gadget freaks
  • People who are already productive
  • People who really need some productivity in their lives.

Gifts under $10

The Staple Free Stapler lets you staple all your corporate paperwork without the danger of getting an unruly staple in your eye. Comes in 3 colors, but can only clip at most 5 sheets together. Price: $5.99

Have a smelly coworker who’s always asleep on the job? Give him the Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap. He can lather up and get a caffeine dose at the same time! And no, you can’t eat it. Price: $6.99 Another alternative is the peppermint-flavored Costic’s Caffeianted Soap. Price: $5.97

Dilbert is the ultimate corporate slave. If you identify with him, you’ll love this Dilbert Stress Toy. An excellent stocking stuffer for those who experience stress in their workdays and want to release it, either by squeezing hard or turning this into a voodoo doll. Price: $3.99

Is desktop sanitation an issue in your office? If so, you might just need this USB Mini Vacuum Cleaner. It sucks out the disgusting stuff stuck in your keyboard and the other nooks and crannies on your desk. Price: $8.95

Under $25

Is it hot in your office?  That’s probably because the company’s cutting down on the electric bill.  If that’s the case, your colleagues would love a desktop personal air conditioner.   Price: $22.99

If you notice that your office is wasting tons of paper each year printing monthly calendars, a magnetic monthly planner might do the trick.  It’s magnetic, a dry-erase board, and you can put sticky notes on it, too. Price: $19.99

Under $50

Have trouble getting up in the morning? The Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock will shake your bed and your ears. There’s no way you’re snoozing this. The only way you’ll stay asleep through the alarm is if you’re completely deaf and paralyzed. Or dead. Price: $39.99

If your coworker keeps asking you “Where is that pen?” throughout your workday, then you’re both losing precious minutes of your time.  Here’s a Revolving Desk Organizer to help your disorganized friend keep office tools within reach. Price: $29.99

Does your spouse come home with leg cramps after a long day at the office, sitting in her workstation?  If that’s the case, a pedal exerciser under her desk might do the trick.  Price: $39.95

Finally, this sleek monitor stand drawers let you get some extra storage space from under your monitor.  It comes in a sleek black color.  Price: $49.00 

By Celine -- 2 comments

November 15th, 2007

Productivity Toolkit: Jason of CoolBlogTech

Jason Baird of Cool Blog Tech (there doesn’t seem to be anything on his site right now) shares his own productivity toolkit with us today. Here are the tools that Jason uses to stay productive:

HottNotes This tool lets Jason paste little sticky notes all over his 2 computer monitors. He uses these notes as neat reminders for the things he needs to accomplish.

Launchy This is a nifty little keystroke launcher. With this program, Jason can launch his frequently used applications within a couple of keystrokes.

Google Toolbar Bookmarks This keeps his bookmarked websites portable.

Google Reader to read his RSS feeds. According to Jason, “it just saves me a lot of browsing and I have become comfortable with its interface and integration into my gmail account”.

Google Notebook This helps Jason organize his jumbled notes from dozens of daily phone calls.

Pad of letter size paper (no, it doesn’t link to anything) for jotting things down quickly. Jason uses 1 or 2 pages per day and date them accordingly so as not to forget to document something later.

Want to contribute your own productivity toolkit? Email your entries to celineroque[AT]b5media[DOT]com

By Celine -- 0 comments

November 15th, 2007

Want to know how much a meeting costs? Check out Meeting Miser

Almost all Some meetings are a complete waste of time. You can easily identify this kind of meeting if you’re sitting in a conference room, thinking “What a waste of time!”. If this is familiar, keep in mind that you’re also wasting money. Figure out exactly how much money a meeting costs with Meeting Miser.

Basically, this online tool computes how much each attendee is paid by the hour, letting you know how many precious dollars your company is throwing away spending on a particular meeting. Project this tool the next time you’re having a meeting and watch your supervisors sweat as the dollars add up. This makes the tool both fun and productive.

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By Celine -- 0 comments

October 21st, 2007

Productivity Toolkit: Celine of Pimp Your Work

I’m going to do a series of posts called “Productivity Toolkit”, where I ask professionals about which productivity tools they use.  They may or may not answer me. If you want to contribute to the Productivity Toolkit, simply email me (celineroque AT b5media DOT com) your list of tools and why you use them.  One sentence descriptions per tool will do.

To start off this series, I’m going to go ahead and post my own toolkit:

Read More

By Celine -- 2 comments

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