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🎧 AVOID DISTRACTIONS…
- Stayfocusd, Freedom or SelfControl (free): Block your own access to distracting sites (including Facebook) for a specified amount of time.
- Pocket (free): Save all the web articles and sites you want to explore at a more convenient time and access them from any platform.
- Noisli (free): Make any environment more conducive to focus by choosing from dozens of soundscapes, from trickling creeks to cabin thunderstorms.
- **News Feed Eradicator** (free): This Chrome extension deletes the most addictive part of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube...) - the feed - and replaces it with an inspiring quote.
- Unroll.Me (free - only available outside EU): Unsubscribe from all newsletters in a few clicks
🕸️ SAVE TIME WHILE SURFING THE WEB
- AdBlock (free): Prevent ads and pre-roll videos from automatically loading and slowing your search engine down.
- Dashlane (basic version free): Remember one master password and let Dashlane take care of the rest, auto-filling forms, addresses, bank details, and passwords on your behalf.
- OneTab (free): Free up memory space by closing all open tabs with one click.
- Auto Tab Discard (free): Automatically suspend unused tabs to give you more memory space. Control which tabs are closed in the settings menu.
- AutoPagerize (free): Automatically turn websites with several pages into only one long, scrollable page for more efficient browsing.
- I don't care about cookies: Remove cookie warnings from almost all EU websites
🤖 AUTOMATE YOUR MANUAL TASKS
- Zapier(basic version free)
- Make.com (basic version free). Even more powerful than Zapier, but a bit more complicated when you're not used to it.
- Manage files: Hazel (only available for Mac with a one-off payment of $32) or DropIt (PC equivalent available for free).
🚅 MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME OFFLINE
- Google Drive Offline (free): Enable offline access in the Google Drive settings to use Google Docs, Sheets and Slides in offline mode when you’re on a plane or there isn’t an available internet connection.
- Gmail Offline (free) : Enable the "Enable offline mail.” option within your gmail settings
⚡ MAKE YOUR LIFE A LITTLE EASIER…
- Alfred App (the search function is free, otherwise it’s a one-time payment of $25): Run a search for a file or open an application without using the mouse. Speed up typing using Snippets, access the clipboard quickly, or instantly run a search on any site with custom web searches.
- Swiftkey (free mobile app): Speed up your typing on a smartphone.
- 10fastfingers: Test your typing speed, then use TypingClub to practice.
- CloudApp (basic version free): Create, annotate, and share screenshots or animated GIFs with just a few clicks. To share, you simply attach a hypertext link, which is ideal to be included in an email.
- aText or Auto Text Expander (one-time payment of between $5 and $35 depending on which version you choose): Speed up writing using shortcuts and abbreviations, e.g. ‘addr’ to autofill your office address.
- Expensify (basic version free): Create automatic expense reports. When you receive an invoice via email, simply forward it to [email protected].
- iScanner (basic version free): Create a quick, high quality scan of any document with your mobile.
🤳 USE YOUR COMPUTER, NOT YOUR PHONE ****
- Android Messages (free, go to messages.android.com): Send text messages (SMS) from your computer instead of with your Android phone.
- Messages (free app for Mac): Send text messages (SMS) from your computer instead of with your iPhone.
- **Whatsapp** (free, go to web.whatsapp.com): To send Whatsapp messages from your desktop. Also available as a desktop app.
⌨️ USE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
📩 SPEED UP EMAILS
- MixMax (basic version free): The ultimate productivity tool for Gmail. Send ‘mail merge’ campaigns, track your emails, use templates with shared access, schedule emails to be sent later, use Salesforce integration, automatically arrange meetings via your calendar… The free version lets you use each function 10 times per month, which is enough to get you started. Only the mail merge function isn’t offered with the free version, but you can always use Yet Another Mail Merge for free instead. While YAMM offers fewer features, overall, it’s still pretty good.
- Fullcontact: Find and synchronize detailed contact information (including photos, social networks, etc.)
- Clearbit for Gmail (free for up to 100 lookups per month): Find an email simply by entering someone's name and their company. If you can’t find what you need through Clearbit, use Hunter. Hunter searches for any publicly-listed email addresses a business may have, and uses this information to figure out their format, i.e. [email protected]
- Manage emails with Inbox Zero:
- Turn on Gmail keyboard shortcuts
- Enable the ‘Send and Archive’ function in the Gmail settings menu so that you can send and archive emails with one click
- Create email filters that automatically archive certain emails, such as meeting acceptance confirmations (except maybe from your boss—you’ll want to know whether he or she is going to showup).
- Automatically prioritize emails using labels: apply a filter so that emails from your boss are automatically labelled VIP and are tagged in red.
- **Inbox when Ready** (free): Hide your inbox by default: you can write new messages and search your archives without getting distracted. See your inbox only when you deliberately choose to.
- **Superhuman** ($30/month) : A bit expensive but it's like Gmail on Steroids –much more powerful than Gmail and Mixmax combined. Give it a least a look.
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