New Year Tools

While surfing the net I've found some awesome tools for productivity and fun.  What better time to share them than on New Year's Day when everyone is making their resolutions?  Here we go, my top eight tools for 2012:












1. Chrome http://www.google.com

I know what you are thinking: "What does an internet browser have to do with productivity? Big Whoop Amelia!"  But wait, there's more!  Chrome has this thing called an online store that you can access when you click to open a new tab.  This store adds "apps" (like those on a smartphone or tablet) to your internet browser.  How cool is that?  Really cool.  This is where I've found a lot of the tools for this post, and I love how CLEAN Chrome is.  No icky clunky search bars, or pop ups, just clean internet browsing.

2. Email Game http://emailga.me/

This little guy has changed my life (well at least the way I read/file/explore/piddle with my email).  This "game" syncs with your Gmail account to pull up all of your emails with just the content of the message.  No, borders, adds, etc.  Then it gives you a timer to help keep emails reading under control.  You try to beat the clock by choosing to delete, archive, file, or boomerang (have the game resend you the email at a specific time like: one day, one hour, one month from now) each email. When you do 30 you get a score and it tells you how much time you saved.

3. Fly Lady http://www.flylady.net

Fly Lady is a way of habit forming that specifically is geared towards those who procrastinate, are perfectionist, or cluttered.  It is a really great system and my New Year's resolution is to complete the 31 Baby Steps.

4. Cozi Calender http://www.cozi.com

This is an online calendar that can't be beat.  It has shopping lists, to do lists, a calendar that can be synced to Google, and more.  My favorite features are the weekly digest of your schedule, the text message alerts, and the customized notifications to different members of your family.  The mobile apps are amazing too (Blackberry, Apple, and Android).

5. StayFocused via the Google Chrome Web Store (it's free)

StayFocusd increases your productivity by limiting the amount of time that you can spend on time-wasting websites.  It does this by asking which sites you want to block after a certain amount of time.  There are a lot of customizable options so go check it out!  

6. Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com

Amazing clipper tool.  You can organize any image from anywhere on the net.  While this can be anti-productive you can use it to store recipes, inspiration, diet photos, shopping lists, etc.  If you become really addicted add it to your StayFocused account.  Remember to add me using the button on the sidebar.

7.  Sleep Bot https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lslk.sleepbot&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5sc2xrLnNsZWVwYm90Il0

 This app is a great one for getting in your sleep for the day.  It logs your sleep patterns and keeps track of how much sleep you need at any given time.  I couple it the BedTime calculator for a great app.  An online version is coming soon!

8. Grades: Student Planner https://market.android.com/details?id=com.eusoft.grades#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDUwMSwiY29tLmV1c29mdC5ncmFkZXMiXQ..

I have been using this app for  awhile and highly recommend it.  It lets you enter Prof's phone numbers, emails, and class times for individual days.  It also has a automatic GPA calculator.



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