Online tools

• www.Audible.com – no time to read? Listen to audiobooks (or newspapers, interviews, etc.) in your car, while walking, or whenever it is best for you.

Software - productivity

• Microsoft Outlook 2003 – the most essential piece of software on my system. Besides my email, I use it to manage my contacts, calendar and tasks. I also use it for all those tidbits of information I don't know where else to put.

• Microsoft Outlook 2003 Business Contact Manager – a free add-on (with Office Professional) that take the contact management piece to the next level. While it's still not quite what I'd like to see in a contact manager, it gets closer with each upgrade and the next one should be about right.

• Paper Tiger – "a powerful filing system that uses the power of your computer to help you get organized and stay organized." Barbara Hemphill calls it a "finding" system. And, it really works! Try it for free and see how well it helps you find your stuff (paper or otherwise).

• AddressGrabber – capture address information from a variety of sources (Outlook, ACT!, websites, email, etc.) with just a couple of clicks. Then, paste it into a variety of applications.

• Second Copy – I know you're backing up your data, right?! I use this to automatically copy files to my backup drive.

• AZZ Cardfile – if you still have information you can't quite organize, try this program. "Azz Cardfile is simple and powerful, totally customizable organizer software without predefined fields, it can be set to specific use as Recipe Software, Contacts Database, Address Book, Rolodex, Contact Management Software, Simple Database, Organizer for Notes, References or any other items."

• Goal Pro – a goal-setting system that helps you set your goals, manage your time, and track your progress.

• CDex – free CD ripper, converts WAV to MP3 (better than the one I actually bought). Find it on your favorite download site (mine is www.download.com).

• ColorSpy – a free tool that magnifies parts of the screen and shows you the color values in RGB and BGR format (HTML). I use it to match colors exactly. Find it on your favorite download site (try http://shareware.pcmag.com).

• Bookkeeping software – make doing your taxes much less painful and stressful. And, know what your financial status is at any point in time. It should also save you on accounting costs (most people are actually paying their accountant to do bookkeeping).

• Franklin Covey PlanPlus for Outlook – if you like the paper version of the Franklin Covey system, try the Outlook version.

• MindManager – my preferred tool for mind maps. I'm very visual so I like this to help me think out projects. I also use it for my overall to-do list (specific items go in Outlook when I need a reminder).

• Microsoft Visio – while I think of it as a drawing program for those of us who can't draw (I can't draw a straight line with a ruler!), Microsoft considers it a drawing program for creating diagrams. It has a bunch of pre-defined templates with all kinds of shapes. Create flow charts, mind maps, and a whole lot of other stuff.

• Camtasia – "record your screen, PowerPoint presentations, voice, and Web camera video to create compelling video tutorials, training presentations, and rich sales demonstrations for Web and CD-ROM delivery."

• Picasa – a free program that "helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize."

• Word Splash Pro – ever want to make word search puzzles? This program will let you do it.

• The Brain - yet one more way to organize yourself. There's a personal version as well that "helps you organize all your Web pages, contacts, documents, e-mails and files in one place so that you can always find them—just like you think of them."

• Tricia's Tech Tips – last, but not least, I have a little program that offers tips on how to work smarter with technology. As soon as I set up a shopping cart, I'll create a link to this.

Software - Internet

• Mozilla Firefox browser – generally, a safer web browser than Internet Explorer (at least at this point in time). It blocks pop-ups, has tabbed browsing, and other features that make web surfing easier and more secure.

• Google toolbar – puts the power of Google search in a toolbar, always ready to use. Several other features improve your surfing.

• www.surfsaver.com/ – "Download Web pages into searchable folders. SurfSaver lets you save, organize, and search the information you gather on the Internet."

Software - security

• ZoneAlarm – a firewall is an absolute must. Read my article on Safe Computing for more information.

• Microsoft Defender – a free program (at least for now) that monitors for adware and spyware.

• Lavasoft Ad-aware Personal – a freeware program that looks for all those pesky adware programs that want to install themselves.

• Spybot Search and Destroy – another freeware program that looks for spyware. Find it on your favorite download site (mine is www.download.com).
  
  * Make sure the anti-spyware or anti-adware software you buy is valid  – a lot of the free ones actually install adware or spyware on your computer instead of removing it. The ones I've mentioned above are valid.
   

• Smasher – erases your Internet tracks (cookies, sites visited, cached pages, etc.). There are plenty of programs that do this (and some are free). Find them on your favorite download site.

• Asterisk Key Password Revealer – can't remember a password? It's right there hidden behind those asterisks. This program will show you what it is. Find them on your favorite download site.

• Spoofstick – "SpoofStick is a simple browser extension that helps users detect spoofed (fake) websites. A spoofed website is typically made to look like a well known, branded site (like ebay.com or citibank.com) with a slightly different or confusing URL. The attacker then tries to trick people into going to the spoofed site by sending out fake email messages or posting links in public places - hoping that some percentage of users won't notice the incorrect URL and give away important information. This practice is sometimes known as 'phishing'."

Software - fun

• Dazzling Blossoms Screensaver – or some other screensaver that you enjoy (a second one for me is a very realistic aquarium).

• Games – find something that is fun and stimulates your brain. A personal favorite is a crossword puzzle.

Hardware

• Portable hard drive – I've used several which I use as a portable backup drive. My current model is a LaCie. Archos has some extremely small and lightweight models.

• Dell Axim PDA – I find a PDA is much more convenient for checking my calendar, looking up a contact, etc., than starting up my laptop and opening Outlook. Since it syncs with Outlook, I have it all right there. And, if it's stolen, it's backed up on my computer so I have only lost the hardware (and I always want an excuse to buy a new one anyway!).

• Olympus Digital Recorder – want a way to capture those random thoughts when you don't have a way to write them down? Or, do you do speaking or training? Record yourself with a digital recorder. Then, simply drag the file to your computer and you can start creating a product. Make sure it uses a USB cable to connect to your computer.

• CardScan – do you get lot of business cards? This is a combination of a small scanner and software that converts the scanned card into a contact file. A great timesaver. Be sure to get the scanner too as it's well worth the cost.

• UPS - Uninterrupted Power Supply – don't lose your data or fry your computer when you lose power. Depending on the model, you'll have at least a few minutes to save your work and shut down.

• A little $4 cable (male to male) from Radio Shack – you can use this to plug anything that has a headphone jack into the microphone jack on your soundcard. You can then record from analog devices (like a tape recorder) and create a digital file.

• Color laser printer – choose your favorite brand. Although the initial investment is more than an inkjet, the long term costs (and per page) are much lower. And, they're a whole lot less finicky (at least in my experience). The quality should be higher as well.

• Electronic label maker – if you make a lot of labels, this device can be another great timesaver. Dymo is the most popular brand and has been making them a long time.

• An electronic toy you can call a business expense!

• Shredder – minimize your risk of identity theft. While the Internet has made this a greater threat than ever, it still usually starts offline in people's garbage. Make sure you shred anything with personal information, especially financial papers (like all those offers for credit cards, equity loans, etc.).