It’s shocking how disorganized we all are. We have too much to do or we just put things off until we can’t find our stuff and tear our rooms into pieces while we search. You never really know bad it is until you actually organize and wonder how the hell you survived before. I was a disorganized mess not so long ago. I’d forget about meetings and I’d put off tasks for too long.

It’s completely different now.

Since I’ve invested my time into better understanding Internet tools, I’ve come across dozens of amazingly useful applications and websites that have greatly improved my productivity. But we can only use so many services before overload and, if you’re like me, you want to get the most benefit out of the fewest tools. Who wants to learn how to use more websites effectively anyway (well, except me, but I’m an anomaly in the first place).

So I’ve compiled my list of the 13 most important tools to help you organize your life so that you can get more done with less headaches. Most you’ve probably heard of, some you haven’t. Take a real hard look at all of these - I hope you will start using them to improve your daily browsing and your daily living.

1) Remember the Milk (Task Management)

What is it? - This under-the-radar service is the king of organizing your life and making sure you never miss another meeting or forget to accomplish a task. It allows you to create dynamic to-do lists, manage tasks, and create reminders. Tasks can be postponed, organized into groups, be mapped out on Google maps, and edited on the go. Set up IM and SMS reminders for your important events or send your tasks via Twitter or the phone for even easier use. If you don’t ever accomplish enough or write to-do lists on paper all the time, switch to Remember the Milk.

Why use it? - Never be disorganized again. Set up several tabs to organize your tasks. Appointments, Work, Personal, Studies, etc. Set up reminders so that you get text messages half an hour before any major appointment. Never have to use a pen and paper task list ever again.

Tip: Remember the Milk’s greatest feature is its integration with a variety of other services. Visit their services page and be sure to integrate Remember the Milk with Google Gears for offline support, Gmail for easier task management, and Google Calendar so that tasks from your to-do list appear in your calendar program.

2) ReminderFox Firefox Extension (To-Do Lists and Reminders)

What is it? - Not looking for something with all of the bells and whistles of Remember the Milk, but need something that will remind you that it’s your friend’s birthday? Or that it’s time to pay the bills? ReminderFox is a perfect solution for this type of problem within an interface you use all the time - your browser.

Why use it? - It’s dead simple to set up and use. You can add new tasks within the browser interface, and it comes with calendar and to-do list functionality. It’s a simple solution for a major problem we all have.

Tip: Synchronization is your friend, especially if you own more than one computer or have a work computer and home computer you keep exchanging information between. By using the network option, you can automatically synchronize your ReminderFox to a remote file that will update any computer for which you set it up. So if you set a calendar at home, and then get to work, it will automatically sync and those tasks will appear at work too!

3) Jott (Voice Notes and Reminders)

What is it? - Ever have a random thought in the car but can’t write it down? Ever want to send that thought to your co-workers? Ever want to send Twitter messages or create blog posts via your voice? Well, you can do all of that with Jott, a voice-to-text service that allows you to call a number, say your thoughts, and get a voice and written copy of your thoughts in your email. You can set up reminders

Why use it? - Record your thoughts, collaborate with coworkers, and Jott Links. Record the groceries or your idea for the next big company. Send your thoughts to your friends or coworkers by email and let them do the same. Use Jott Links to send information to your favorite services by voice.

Tip: Use Jott Links with your Google Calendar and Remember the Milk accounts. You can send new tasks to your Remember the Milk via Jott or add new tasks to your Google Calendar. There’s no need to browse to add these tasks anymore.

4) Google Reader (News and Information)
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It’s shocking how disorganized we all are. We have too much to do or we just put things off until we can’t find our stuff and tear our rooms into pieces while we search. You never really know bad it is until you actually organize and wonder how the hell you survived before. I was a disorganized mess not so long ago. I’d forget about meetings and I’d put off tasks for too long.

It’s completely different now.

Since I’ve invested my time into better understanding Internet tools, I’ve come across dozens of amazingly useful applications and websites that have greatly improved my productivity. But we can only use so many services before overload and, if you’re like me, you want to get the most benefit out of the fewest tools. Who wants to learn how to use more websites effectively anyway (well, except me, but I’m an anomaly in the first place).

So I’ve compiled my list of the 13 most important tools to help you organize your life so that you can get more done with less headaches. Most you’ve probably heard of, some you haven’t. Take a real hard look at all of these - I hope you will start using them to improve your daily browsing and your daily living.

1) Remember the Milk (Task Management)

What is it? - This under-the-radar service is the king of organizing your life and making sure you never miss another meeting or forget to accomplish a task. It allows you to create dynamic to-do lists, manage tasks, and create reminders. Tasks can be postponed, organized into groups, be mapped out on Google maps, and edited on the go. Set up IM and SMS reminders for your important events or send your tasks via Twitter or the phone for even easier use. If you don’t ever accomplish enough or write to-do lists on paper all the time, switch to Remember the Milk.

Why use it? - Never be disorganized again. Set up several tabs to organize your tasks. Appointments, Work, Personal, Studies, etc. Set up reminders so that you get text messages half an hour before any major appointment. Never have to use a pen and paper task list ever again.

Tip: Remember the Milk’s greatest feature is its integration with a variety of other services. Visit their services page and be sure to integrate Remember the Milk with Google Gears for offline support, Gmail for easier task management, and Google Calendar so that tasks from your to-do list appear in your calendar program.

2) ReminderFox Firefox Extension (To-Do Lists and Reminders)

What is it? - Not looking for something with all of the bells and whistles of Remember the Milk, but need something that will remind you that it’s your friend’s birthday? Or that it’s time to pay the bills? ReminderFox is a perfect solution for this type of problem within an interface you use all the time - your browser.

Why use it? - It’s dead simple to set up and use. You can add new tasks within the browser interface, and it comes with calendar and to-do list functionality. It’s a simple solution for a major problem we all have.

Tip: Synchronization is your friend, especially if you own more than one computer or have a work computer and home computer you keep exchanging information between. By using the network option, you can automatically synchronize your ReminderFox to a remote file that will update any computer for which you set it up. So if you set a calendar at home, and then get to work, it will automatically sync and those tasks will appear at work too!

3) Jott (Voice Notes and Reminders)

What is it? - Ever have a random thought in the car but can’t write it down? Ever want to send that thought to your co-workers? Ever want to send Twitter messages or create blog posts via your voice? Well, you can do all of that with Jott, a voice-to-text service that allows you to call a number, say your thoughts, and get a voice and written copy of your thoughts in your email. You can set up reminders

Why use it? - Record your thoughts, collaborate with coworkers, and Jott Links. Record the groceries or your idea for the next big company. Send your thoughts to your friends or coworkers by email and let them do the same. Use Jott Links to send information to your favorite services by voice.

Tip: Use Jott Links with your Google Calendar and Remember the Milk accounts. You can send new tasks to your Remember the Milk via Jott or add new tasks to your Google Calendar. There’s no need to browse to add these tasks anymore.

4) Google Reader (News and Information)
Read the rest of this entry »

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