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    Productivity

    StayFocused for Chrome helps you curb time-wasting websites

    Submitted by admin on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 13:00
    • extensions
    • leechblock
    • Productivity
    • time-wasters

     

    stayfocused

    LeechBlock is one of the cornerstones of my online life; it is an add-on that lets me set up a list of "time-wasting" websites and forces me to stop using them after some time has elapsed. It's one of the main add-ons that's keeping me on Firefox (rather than Chrome or Opera, which I really do like).

    StayFocused tries to bring a very similar feature set to Chrome. I looked at this extension a couple of months ago, and a second look this morning shows that, with many new features added, the developer has been hard at work.

    In addition to specifying which sites to block, you can now configure active days and hours (meaning, when to apply the blocking), blocked sites, and allowed sites (for white-list functionality). There's also a "nuclear option" for blocking access to all but the white list (or all including the white list, which would render your browser useless), and there's a "require challenge" option that forces you to type in a random string before you can change the options.

    If any of these seem familiar to you, that's because StayFocused seems to have taken a page right out of LeechBlock's book. LeechBlock has all of these features and many more. For example, LeechBlock lets you configure five different blocking sets and control the length of the string. With LeechBlock, I can configure it to let me access my time-wasting websites for "5 minutes every hour."

    Don't get me wrong, StayFocused is taking steps in the right direction. If you're serious about blocking distracting websites, though, it doesn't come close to the versatility and simplicity that LeechBlock offers. Also, I wish that StayFocused would give a bit of credit where credit is due; I could find no mention of LeechBlock in the FAQ or elsewhere.

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    • Feed: Download Squad
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    The life-changing list of keyboard shortcuts for Windows users

    Submitted by admin on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 14:00
    • keyboard
    • Productivity
    • shortcut
    • web browser
    • windows
    • windows key
    • WindowsKey

     

    There is always at least two ways of doing something on a Windows PC. If you've learnt by doing, rather than from a book, you probably only know one way. Watch your mother use a word processor one day -- I bet she uses File > Save rather than hitting Ctrl+S. What about you? Do you know your shortcuts?

    Keyboard shortcuts are by far and away the best way to a) speed up your work flow and b) prevent RSI. The single worst thing you can do, as far as your wrist and elbow is concerned, is move your hand to the mouse. The best thing you can do is read this list of shortcuts and be amazed at what you can do with just a couple of keystrokes.

    I've sorted these lifefinger-savers into three categories: life-changing, really neat and kinda cool. Some of you will already know most of them, but you won't know all of them. You owe it to yourself to read the first block -- but try and keep going until the end!
    Life-changing Keyboard Shortcuts
    First, the shortcuts that are so fundamental to computer use that you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. Almost all of these shortcuts should be performed with the LEFT hand, with your thumb on Alt or Ctrl.

    • Ctrl+T -- opens a new tab in all major Web browsers.
    • Alt+Tab -- cycles through currently-open programs. If you also hold down Shift, it cycles backwards.
    • Ctrl+Tab -- cycles through Web browser tabs (you can use Shift to go backwards too).
    • Ctrl+W -- closes the current window or tab. Some applications can be closed with Ctrl+W, but Alt+F4 is universal.
    • Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V -- copies selected text (you can use Shift and arrow keys to select text!), and then paste it. Use Alt-Tab to switch between source and destination for bonus points.
    • Ctrl+Z -- undoes your last action. This works in almost everything except Web browsers. 'Redo' varies from program to program (check the 'Edit' menu to find out!)
    • Ctrl+Mouse scroll wheel -- zoom in, zoom out. This works in almost every kind of app, including Web browsers. Great for increasing the size of tiny 'aesthetic' text on normal websites... or tiny thumbnails on nefarious ones. Also scales the size of icons on your desktop, if they're too small for you!
    • F5 -- refreshes your current folder/directory or Web page. Yes, you can hammer a button on your keyboard rather than foolishly clicking a button over and over!
    • Alt+D -- selects the address bar in your Web browser or folder/directory view! Yes, I know -- how awesome is that?
    The space-cadet keyboard!
     
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    RescueTime, the deliciously detailed and informative Internet productivity meter, now for Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Tue, 04/20/2010 - 13:30
    • add-on
    • chrome
    • Firefox
    • graphs
    • Productivity
    • productivity meter
    • ProductivityMeter
    • rescuetime
    • time

     

    I only just covered this bad boy in last week's Firefox Friday -- and now there's a Chrome version! RescueTime advertises itself as a 'Productivity Meter' but really it's just a cool way of seeing how you spend your time on the Internet.

    All you have to do is install the extension and it'll do the rest. At any time you can click the menu button to see a quick breakdown of how distracted you are as well as how productive you are compared to other RescueTime users. If you visit sites like Facebook or Flickr, your distractedness rises; stick to work-related stuff and you're 'safe'. Talking of 'safe', no login is required to use this extension -- you are anonymous (for all intents and purposes)!

    The proof is in the pudding, though: after a few hours or days, check out 'Detailed Stats'. Prepare to be shocked, awed, amazed and disgusted by the damning but beautiful graphs. The amount of data that the RescueTime team and its users have collated, and thus the accuracy of the reports, is quite stunning.

    (Incidentally, if you're a manager of some kind, there's a 'pro' version which you could no doubt use to improve the efficiency of your team...)

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    • Original article

    Popchrom is an awesome text expander for Google Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Tue, 03/23/2010 - 12:00
    • chrome
    • efficiency
    • expander
    • Google
    • Productivity
    • typing

     


    If you do a lot of typing on your computer, you owe it to yourself to install a good text expander. You type a couple of characters, and you get a whole phrase. It's a fantastic way to increase your productivity and reduce repetitive typing (except for your abbreviations, of course). For those of you using Google Chrome, there's a slick new extension which puts a text expander right inside your browser.

    Popchrom lets you set up custom abbreviations which it can then expand in any typing field. You can also edit existing entries and delete those that you no longer need. To access the options screen, just click the Popchrom icon -- which the developer was considerate enough to put in Chrome's Omnibar (instead of in the browser actions area). There's also built-in support for time and date variables.

    Once you've got your abbreviations set, you expand them by pressing ctrl+space after you type (ds + ctrl+space = Download Squad). It's pretty awesome.

    Popchrom currently has trouble with Google Docs, Wave, and some WYSIWG editing fields. However, it's well worth installing, even with those hiccups (which the developer is already working to resolve).

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    • Feed: Download Squad
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    Chrome Corner: extensions to keep Google Chrome in sync on multiple computers

    Submitted by admin on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 22:30
    • browser
    • chrome
    • extensions
    • Google
    • Productivity

     

    Since you last saw an edition of Chrome Corner, we've done some re-thinking about what it should be. Instead of trying to force together a weekly update when there's sometimes just not enough news to justify doing it, the Corner will now crop up whenever the crew at Download Squad has a nice haul of of Chrome-y goodness to post about.

    Today's topic: syncing across multiple computers!

    Google Chrome can sync your bookmarks, but what about all the other bits and pieces that you want available on all your machines? Passwords? Form data? Notes?

    The Extension Gallery has plenty of awesome options that can help you keep all your Google Chrome installs marching in step -- read about eight useful ones after the break!


    Passwords and form data: LastPass, RoboForm
    Apart from not having the same set of bookmarks available on every machine I use, nothing irks me quite as much as having to recall and re-enter all my passwords manually. LastPass and RoboForm both handle the task admirably, and they have other benefits as well. LastPass, for example, includes a strong password generator which makes creating hard-to-crack passwords easy.

    Both extensions can also auto-fill form data for you with your pre-entered information (name, address, phone number, etc.).

    Tabs and Sessions: TabSync, FreshStart
    FreshStart is a fantastic session manager and synchronizer (which I wrote about before), with the ability to restore sessions from machine to machine. It's also great at recovering from crashes. TabSync is more minimalistic in its approach. Set it up to auto-sync or press the button to do things manually, and your current window's tabs are locked in so you can restore them again later.

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    • Feed: Download Squad
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    Chromodoro Adds a Pomodoro Timer to Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 13:00
    • Downloads
    • feed
    • google chrome
    • Productivity
    • timer

    Google Chrome: If you're a Chrome user that uses the Pomodoro Technique to get things done, you'll definitely want to grab this handy little Pomodoro timer for the Chrome toolbar. Unfamiliar with the Pomodoro Technique? Read on for more details.

    We shared the Pomodoro Technique, the brainchild of Francesco Cirillo, with you back in October. While Cirillo has a free e-book on his techniques the basic framework is:

    1. Choose a task to be accomplished
    2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
    3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
    4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
    5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

    Chromodoro is a small Google Chrome extension that puts a little Pomodoro tomato in the toolbar. Clicking the icon starts the timer and when the time is up a break reminder pops up. The default settings are 25 minutes of work/5 minute breaks, but you can tweak the times in the options menu to suit your work situation and needs.

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    • Feed: Lifehacker: Google Chrome
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    Chromodoro adds a productivity timer to Google Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 14:54
    • google chrome
    • pomodoro
    • Productivity
    • technique
    • timer

    Filed under: Productivity, Google, Browsers

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    • Original article

    Chromodoro adds a productivity timer to Google Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 14:54
    • google chrome
    • pomodoro
    • Productivity
    • technique
    • timer

    Filed under: Productivity, Google, Browsers

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    Don't Break the Chain Tracks Your Progress Seinfeld-Style in Chrome

    Submitted by admin on Fri, 01/08/2010 - 16:00
    • Calendar
    • chrome
    • Downloads
    • extensions
    • feed
    • Goals
    • google chrome
    • Linux
    • mac
    • Motivation
    • Productivity
    • windows

    Chrome only: Extension Don't Break the Chain tracks your progress with Jerry Seinfeld's productivity secret—a calendar that tracks how many consecutive days you've successfully achieved a certain goal.

    All the extension really does is bundle up the calendar from previously mentioned webapp Don't Break the Chain and move it into an easy-access button on your toolbar, but it's a great way to keep yourself productive without a lot of effort. Simply click the box for each day you complete a task, and skip the days you don't—the app will tell you when you've been dropping the ball. Don't Break the Chain is a free download, works wherever Google Chrome Extensions do.

    Don't Break the Chain [Google Chrome Extensions]
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    • Feed: Lifehacker: Google Chrome
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    MailBrowser for Gmail plugin is interesting, but needs work

    Submitted by admin on Thu, 01/07/2010 - 15:12
    • E-mail
    • Freeware
    • Google
    • google chrome
    • mail
    • Productivity
    • beta
    • contact list
    • ContactList
    • conversations
    • email
    • gmail
    • imap
    • mailbrowser
    • plugin
    • sidebar

     

    MailBrowser for GmailMailBrowser is a new Gmail 3rd-party browser plugin that sits in the sidebar, giving you more information about your Gmail contacts. The plugin works by downloading a complete local copy of your email archive from Gmail over IMAP, then cross-referencing it to your Google Contacts in your Google account. I should state up front that the MailBrowser plugin is in beta, and likely to change.

    MailBrowser for Gmail presents useful information about the contact you are viewing like a list of your last conversations with them, trending information about your communications with the contact, and fields so that you can add tags and notes to the contact in a very similar fashion to Xobni. It also attempts to look up the domain name of the contact and from there grabs information from the domain's website, which often turn out to be meta tags that are not all that useful. It would be nice if MailBrowser allowed you to choose the order it shows this information, or to hide sections entirely, because the most important information is hidden down at the bottom.

    Beware: because (as mentioned above) MailBrowser works by downloading a copy of all of your emails, it will use up a significant amount of disk space. 

    It will probably take the plugin a few hours or even days to index your entire account, depending on how much email you have.

     

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