Sunday, August 04, 2013

Things I can't live without

There's SO much information to keep track of these days - PINs, passwords, birthdays, receipts - it's endless. From time to time I get asked how I stay organized - and while I think I could certainly do a better job of being organized, these tools are invaluable to me. I thought I'd share them with you.

Evernote - an online notebook that syncs across all my devices - computer, iPhone, iPad and the web (if I'm at work and can't install the app on my work PC). There's a premium version but for the most part, the free version works fine for me.  I keep receipts, instruction manuals, show prep ideas, travel confirmations, health information, shopping ideas, etc. Notes can contain text, images, attachments, PDFs, etc. Couldn't live without it. Here are some ways people are using Evernote.

Dropbox - for syncing files from work to home. Often I'll have a bunch of files at work that I need to work on at home. I upload them to Dropbox and then I can download them at home. I also use Dropbox to host a website (not recommended if you expect a lot of traffic) and keep my favorite family photos synced across my iPhone and home computer (this means I don't actually have to take up the space on my iPhone - just download the one(s) I need when I need them). Here are some other cool ways people use Dropbox.

If This Then That. IFTTT allows you to set "triggers" (things that happen on the web) and "actions" (what you want to have happen when the trigger happens). For example, when my favorite blog updates, I can have the post automatically archived to Evernote so I can read it at my convenience. Or when I post a picture on Instagram, it can also send that picture to Twitter and Flickr. Here are some cool ways people are using IFTTT.

Fitbit. My Fitbit Flex is a band I wear on my wrist that tracks my steps and sleep. Like a digital pedometer. I shoot for walking about 10,000 steps and about five miles each day. My stats are updated in real time so I know if I need to get up from my desk and walk around more often at work, or if Wrangler The Dog and I are going to be taking an extra-long catchup walk tonight. Last month I walked about 150 miles.

My iPhone. Of course. It's like a second brain. I have my calendar, contacts, apps for the services listed above, and more.

I hope this give you some inspiration to stay organized. Got a question about any of these apps? Shoot me an email! Thanks for reading.

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