Category Archives: Productivity
Evernote’s New Twitter Functionality
Earlier this week Evernote announced new Twitter to Evernote functionality. The functionality allows you to direct a tweet straight into your Evernote account. I find this extremely useful since I use both Twitter and Evernote regularly. Below is an example of how this works.
The first thing that needs to be done is to follow @MyEN on Twitter and follow the directions on their Twitter page to link to your Evernote account. After that all you need to do is add @MyEN to any tweet and it will be directed to your Evernote account as well. You can also Direct Message MyEN (D MyEN).
A retweet that was routed to my Evernote account.
A direct message that was also routed to my Evernote account.
Here you can see where they show up in Evernote. Now I have access to the information just about anywhere I go. Very nice.
If you use both Evernote and Twitter, I recommend giving this functionality a try.
More Information
- Follow @Evernote on Twitter
- Tweet to self: Evernote gets Twitter integration – CNET News
- Archive Tweets or Pics with Evernote’s Twitter Integration – JKOnTheRun
- Send Evernote Memos from Twitter – Lifehacker
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Until later…
Tools That I Use Daily
There have been quite a few posts lately where people list the tools that make them productive throughout a given day, so I thought I would share some of the tools that I use on a daily basis.
Rockscroll – Extends the scrollbar in Visual Studio to show a syntax highlighted thumbnail view of your source.
Search .NET – Great .NET search engine
C# Search .NET – Great search engine for all things C#.
Console – A Windows console window enhancement. Features include: multiple tabs, text editor-like text selection, etc.
SlickRun – A free floating command line utility for Windows. Once you create your shortcuts, it is a big time saver.
SyncBack – Great automated backup application. Hear about this on the Mike Tech Show podcast.
UltraVNC – a powerful, easy to use and free software that allows you to remote control another system
LogMeIn – allows you to access your pc from anywhere (like GoToMyPC). They have pay versions as well as a free version. This is great for logging into the office from home. Saves gas 
.
FileZilla – Good FTP client from Mozilla. Works well for Secure FTP sites.
NotePad++ – A free source code editor (and Notepad replacement)
Foxit Reader 2.0 for Windows – Light-weight PDF viewer
TaskArrange – A simple utility that lets you rearrange the buttons of the Windows taskbar. This is helpful if you are like me and like to have certain applications show up first on your task bar. I like to have my email app and my work log app open first then everything else.
FastStone Capture – A powerful, flexible and intuitive screen-capture utility
UltraMon – Utility for dual monitors (30 day trial, then $39 – well worth it)
PingMe – A free, web-based reminder tool. It is easy to set up one time or recurring reminders to be sent to email or texted to your phone. I use this religiously.
Jott – A tool that allows you to capture thoughts, create to-dos and set reminders with a simple phone call. Since I drive 80 miles a day, this is very helpful. You’d be surprised at how many things come to mind while driving. There are pay versions, but I still use the free plan.
Evernote – Awesome note-taking software that allows you to sync notes from any pc/laptop/mobile device to the web. That way my notes are with me anywhere I go.
Windows Live Writer – Desktop application that makes it easier to compose compelling blog posts
Twhirl – A great desktop client for social networks such as Twitter, FriendFeed and Seesmic.
Texter – Text substitution application.
Stickies – Computerized version of post-it notes.
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The above are the tools that I use on a daily basis. See my Tool List for a full list of tools I like.
Great Bookmarking Service
I really like Delicious for bookmarking, but there is one problem. When their url was http://del.icio.us all was great, but when they changed it to http://delicious.com I stopped being able to access the site at work. Since I spend so much time at work, I went in search of a new service.
I searched for a couple of weeks until I ran across a service called SiteMark. It seems to do everything I need and the OCD side of me is satisfied because of their folder and tagging functionality.
They also provide bookmarklets (like Delicious) that make it easy to bookmark sites from any browser.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Delicious, but I also need a service that is not blocked by the Corporate Gods. If you run into the same issues, SiteMark is a great alternative to Delicious.
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Happy Bookmarking!!!
Social Networks/Blogging and Self-Improvement
Social networks such as Twitter and blogging in general have many benefits to help with one’s self-improvement. Some of these benefits include goal setting and overall learning.
One of the best things to do to set a goal is to tell people about it and what better place to do that than a blog or Social Network. I am still thinking about my goals, but below are a few examples of people who have posted their goals for the world to see.
- Using Outlook to Help Achieve Your Personal & Business Goals Part I – Misty Khan
- Using Outlook to Help Achieve Your Personal & Business Goals Part II – Misty Khan
- How I am becoming a better developer, part 1 of infinity – Justice Gray
- Being a Better Developer… in 6 months – Bil Simser
- What I’m doing to become a better programmer – IglooCoder
As I said above, I am still thinking about my goals, but I do use Twitter to post when I go to the gym…it a makes me feel accountable, so hopefully, I will do it more.
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Another benefit of blogs and Social Networks is the learning aspect. I follow people on Twitter that I think I will learn from. It is my main reason for using it.
The other day I posted an article showing how to transfer the column headings from a SQL Server query result to Excel. Someone had just shown me how to do it that day, so I thought I would share what I had learned. I had a comment on that blog entry that gave me a much easier way to do the same thing. This is what I mean by learning. I took that knowledge back to the person in which I learned the original way. I also posted another article with the easier way and gave credit where credit was due.
In closing, Blogging and Social Networks allow normal everyday people to learn and achieve goals. I truly believe you do not have to be a professional blogger to reap the benefits.
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Happy learning and goal setting!!!
Keyboard Productivity
I am trying to use the mouse less and the keyboard more.
About six months ago, I began using a utility called SlickRun (after seeing it on Scott Hanselmen’s Tool List). It is a free floating command line utility that is invoked by a simple key combination (in my case Win+Q). You can set up what are called magic words. For example, to start Lotus Notes I press Win+Q and type ln into the slick run command line. I do it in my sleep now.
SlickRun Magic Words – they are awesome…
I also use a utility called Texter. It is a great text substitution utility that I read about on Lifehacker. I do a lot of second level support, so this is helpful for typing repetitive text.
The latest utility that I have started using is Launchy which is another great application launcher. I heard about this one from Jean Paul Boodhoo. This utility is invoked by pressing Alt+Space, but can be mapped to other keys. Launchy basically indexes the programs in your start menu to make launching applications much faster. There are quite a few plugins out there too. Ben Scheirman found a cool online To Do list called Todoist that offers a plugin that enables you to add items to your list via the Launchy command line.
Launchy command line
I personally find that the combination of Slick Run (because I love magic words) and Lauchy work the best for me.
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Related Links
Going Commando – Put Down The Mouse - Jeff Atwood
I forgot my mouse today…..big deal!! - Jean-Paul Boodhoo
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Good Podcasts on Productivity and Development
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts in December. There are three that I found extremely interesting.
Hanselminutes – Show #55
Discussion of Life Hacks with Gina Trapani, web developer and author of the book “Life Hacker – 88 tricks to turbocharge your day”
.NET Rocks – Show #205
Discussion with with Venkat Subramaniam and Andrew Hunt about Agile Development
.NET Rocks – Show #206
Discussion with Ted Neward about .NET and Java compatabiliy
After listening to the .NET Rocks with Venkat Subramaniam, I can’t wait until his presentation at the Houston .NET User Group meeting this month.
I was extremely impressed and inspired by the HanselMinutes interview with Gina Trapani. I love her view on the difference between women and men in technology — “Men live to geek and women geek to live”
Sleep Does the Body Good
I am reading a lot these days about how your body needs rest; however, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life many people do not give their bodies the time to recharge.
A good night’s sleep is imperitive for maximum productivity. Aspects of our life, such as behavior, decision-making and eating habits are affected by the amount of sleep we get. For example, without enough sleep, the chances of having an automobile accident go up dramatically because we are too tired to place all of our attention on the road.
Honestly, if I do not get enough sleep, my workday tends to be along the lines of the below cartoon.
Maybe we should take some lessons from our own pets. They sleep an exorbitant amount of time so they have enough energy to run, play and enjoy life.
T.O. Whenham has a series of articles on the subject of sleep
- Get Some Sleep – Part 1
- Get Some Sleep – Part 2
- Get Some Sleep – Part 3
- Get Some Sleep – The Final Chapter
The Ririan Project publishes articles on several aspects of productivity. Below are two articles about enhancing sleep quality.
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Sweet dreams…
Workspace Organization & Personalization
The average person spends over a 1/3 of a 24 hour day (8 hrs) in the workplace and generally, that means a cubicle. I am one that believes in attempting to make your workspace easier to work in. I am always looking for new ways to organize my work area. I am organized enough to be subjected to teasing by some of my co-workers, but oh well.
As far as personalization, I have a couple of pictures of my family as well as a couple of small posters relating to cycling. There is a really good blog entry by Steve Pavlina in which he makes suggestions on how to make your workspace more appealing to you — whether it be an office or a cubicle.
10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace
I have also been receiving the “Productivity Principles” e-newsletter from David Allen. I have incorporated several of his organization ideas into my everyday routines.
Productivity Principles Newsletter
If you must spend such a large amount of your waking hours in a cubicle, should it not contain things that remind you of where you really want to be most of the time?
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[-- Related Links --]
Organizing Your Workspace
How to Organize Your Desk and Keep it Organized
