Being able to work online has its benefits, such as having the flexibility to work nontraditional hours with clients from countries around the world, but it’s also easy to get distracted. Fortunately, there are several tools available to help improve concentration and productivity. Read more »
One of my key requirements for the task management apps that I use is that I can access my to-do list anywhere. That’s why I was keen to test SmallTask, an app for Mac and iOS that has built-in support for popular file sync service Dropbox. Read more »
I make extensive use of smart folders and tags to sort my email into logical groups that I can easily process all at once. The key is to use rules and filters that automatically sort my email without any additional intervention from me. Read more »
Apple’s iWork suite of Apps are now available on the iPhone and iPod touch. With the exception of GarageBand, that makes all of Apple’s iWork and iLife iOS apps universal. Here’s how the iPhone versions stack up to their larger-screen counterparts. Read more »
Apple introduced iPhone and iPod touch versions of its iWork productivity suite on Tuesday. Pages, Keynote and Numbers will all be available as individual apps for $9.99, or as free universal updates for existing owners of the iPad versions of the apps. Read more »
The use of the iPad by mobile workers is on the rise, and that brings with it both boons and challenges for productivity. Here’s how you and your remote staff can stay on top of iPad usage, lest iPad usage controls you and your organization instead. Read more »
“Untethered,” for most of us, isn’t technical jargon, but rather the ability to work unrestrained, able to jump from one activity to the next without cumbersome tools slowing us down. But to become untethered, we must be willing to move away from old ways of working. Read more »
As part of my recent productivity kick I’ve been thinking about to-do lists. Better task management allows us to get more accomplished while not spending too long managing the process. Here are some suggestions to help you focus on completing tasks rather than managing a list. Read more »
Coworking is a great way for freelancers to work in an office setting without having to sign up for office life, but it can also be a useful for remote teams. Some companies are now supporting remote staff with a coworking stipend. Here’s why. Read more »
How much more you could get done if you had just an extra hour a day? While I can’t magically transport you to Bajor, where they have 26 hour days, I can share a few tips that will help you to take control of your schedule. Read more »
The reality is that truly productive teams tend to be close-knit. There’s a strong sense of rapport between the team members. Let’s face it, in a productive team, it’s the teamwork — willingness to problem-solve together — that often ensures the productivity. And teamwork depends on rapport. Read more »
I’m a huge fan of anything that can make me more productive, so I’m always looking for ways to accomplish more while not killing myself doing it. It’s easier to excel if you can do more than your peers while still having time to recharge. Read more »
Every day, it seems, there are dozens of new applications available to help with different aspects of web working. It got me thinking. What is it we really need as web workers these days, and is anyone working to find solutions to those problems? Read more »
Today’s free Amazon app for Android devices, Business Calendar, is so good, I’d actually pay for it if I had to. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing Google purchase the software and integrate into Android as the native Google Calendar client for smartphones and tablets! Read more »
Since my business runs on iCal, I approached the CalDAV upgrade for MobileMe Calendar users (which becomes mandatory May 5) with reluctance and some healthy fear. Here are my recommendations and a walkthrough of the process that should hopefully make the task less daunting for you. Read more »
Keeping up with Twitter, Facebook and all the posts and comments written about your company can be overwhelming. Postling is a centralized dashboard for organizing, managing and tracking all your social media efforts, so that you can engage with your entire online community from one location. Read more »
The $30 rebate on MobileMe and iWork for new Mac purchasers is now discontinued, according to a leaked internal memo provided from “a source within Apple.” If true, the end of these rebate programs is a good sign that updates are on the way. Read more »
URLHistory’s one of those simple but amazingly useful little Windows apps that does one thing really well: it monitors your clipboard looking for copied URLs, and stores them for use later. If you frequently end up pasting URLs into a text file, URLHistory’s for you. Read more »
Can making email into a game make you more productive, encourage you to develop better habits and make email more fun? That’s the idea behind Baydin’s The Email Game, which applies gameplay mechanics to the process of working through your inbox. Read more »
If you’re working with a distributed team, you should be regularly gauging and improving your effectiveness. Here are a few questions to help you quickly zone in on problem areas with your virtual workforce, as well as some suggested solutions to help you correct them. Read more »
The iPad is great, but it has problems Apple could fix in future releases. The unveiling of the next generation of iPad Mar. 2 is a perfect opportunity to see some of these dreams realized. Here’s what I’d love to see, from a business user’s perspective. Read more »
On days where our tools, skills and energy come together, our output seems to flow seamlessly. On other days, though, no matter how many tools we use or how many cups of coffee we consume, something seems to be blocking us from getting anything done. Read more »
While there are definitely benefits to having the freedom of working from home, one downside for me has been the development of several bad habits. Breaking those bad habits is a real challenge, which in my case I knew would require a complete system reset. Read more »
I don’t know about you, but I often get to the end of the day and wonder where the 40 bucks I had in my wallet disappeared to. At LeWeb, I came across Toshl, an expense-tracking app that I might actually use because it’s so simple. Read more »
I’ve been working on site one day a week, and I’ve noticed something that differentiates the way I operate compared to my “in-office” colleagues: I see my time differently than they do. And, to be honest, I think it makes me more productive than they are. Read more »
Parental Controls in Snow Leopard are an absolute hit with parents. But the usefulness of those tools don’t just stop at the kids. From blocking websites to tracking time, they can also be used to increase your own personal productivity. Here’s how. Read more »
Undergoing continued health treatment while you’re working full-time remains a challenge — especially for the freelancer or contractor. The good news is that balancing work and ongoing health treatment isn’t impossible. These are a few of the techniques I’ve used to make it easier. Read more »
Looking to plan your budget for next year? Deciding where to spend is a tricky decision. If you’re a remote worker, or managing a remote team, then it could be even harder. What kind of investment will pay back the most in terms of productivity? Read more »
“Action days” — days where you and some friends agree to check in with one another hourly to keep tabs on each others’ progress — are a great way to motivate yourself and keep yourself accountable. Here are some suggestions as to how you could use them. Read more »
I’m working in my pajamas. Getting dressed makes me feel more “put together,” so it’s something I aspire to on most days; today’s not one of those days, and I’m OK with it. Here’s why, along with a few more advantages of being a web worker. Read more »
More and more, web apps are becoming interconnected with one another. In general, of course, this is a very good thing, but it nonetheless introduces dependencies between these apps. And as more apps come to rely on one another to provide critical services in our day-to-day ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Many of the things that masquerade as helpful in getting work done can, in fact, make jobs harder and draw things out.. Here’s a list of three things that have led me down the garden path when it comes to being genuinely productive. Read more »
The past few months have been filled with dilemmas; I’ve found myself struggling to find solutions to them on occasion. While figuring out how to move forward with something can be frustrating, there are a few strategies I’ve stumbled on to help me get unstuck. Read more »
Microsoft has released Office 2011 for the Mac, and we’ve already looked at the new versions of PowerPoint and Word in the suite. Now it’s Excel’s turn. How does the updated spreadsheet program compare to the dismal reputation of its predecessor? Read more »
Word 2008 quickly fell out of favor with me. It consistently crashed on exit. It was horribly slow, and struggled to keep up with itself. If Word 2011 just felt faster and didn’t crash, I’d consider it money well spent. But Microsoft went beyond that. Read more »
Office 2011 for Mac, the latest version in Microsoft’s workhorse suite, is now available at your favorite retailer or Microsoft’s web site. In this version, Visual Basic macros are back, but Entourage is out, having been replaced by a new, all-Cocoa version of Outlook. Read more »
If you’d like to work from home but your company doesn’t allow it, why not become the prime mover in a program to see if working from home can’t help boost productivity? It’s easier than ever to make the argument to the decision-makers in your organization. Read more »
It sounds great, right? Cut your email replies down to a couple of sentences and everything’s peachy: you’ll plow through that inbox super-fast and be able to get onto the work that you have to do a whole lot sooner. Productivity will soar! Or will it? Read more »
You probably find it hard to motivate yourself when you’re feeling under the weather. But even if you’re not sick, low levels of motivation may still be related to health. It turns out that how fit you are can have an effect on your productivity levels. Read more »
Distractions are rotting your brain. Recently, research has revealed a lot about the long-term effects of distractions and digital multitasking. An inability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, poor performance and stress; this is your brain on the Internet. Your Mac can help, though. Read more »
