If you are a web worker as I am, your time is precious. If you do not work, you do not get paid. If you aren’t as concerned about privacy then Google can be quite helpful at not only helping you get organized, but also helpful for keeping you productive and connected.
These are 10 of my favorite Google applications:
10 Google History
I know many privacy conscious users aren’t going to like this but I love Google history. Plus Google History is searchable which means I don’t have to scan through days and days of history, I just need to type in a search query much like a regular Google search.
9 Google Browser Sync
Again, there are privacy issues but if you are like me and work on both a desktop computer and a laptop computer this is a life saver.
You can configure Browser Sync to securely sync up your cookies, passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs and windows every time you browse the web. That way if you see a page you like on one computer and then switch computers you can reload that same window with little effort.
Setting it up is a breeze and the best part is, because data is again stored on Google servers, it is easily transferable.
If you get a new computer, simply install the extension and within a few minutes your brand new computer has your browsing history, passwords and cookies. No more straining your brain trying to remember them!
8 Google Bookmarks
This is a great extension to have, especially if you have the Google Toolbar and Browser Sync installed. Essentially it is a web based version of your browser bookmarks. And, as with many Google products, it allows you to tag your bookmarks into different (and if you like, multiple) categories, or tags.
Your bookmarks are accessible both via the bookmark toolbar button, or through Google’s own web based bookmark interface, allowing you to easily add, remove or manage them.
7 Google Toolbar
Not only does it provide essential information such as PageRank and other SEO related information, but the latest edition of the toolbar allows you to have custom buttons. In addition to adding buttons for Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar and every other Google service, you can create custom buttons. And that process is super easy. Especially if the site has a search box.
Simply log into Facebook, right click on the search box and select “generate custom search.” This will generate the button you need for Facebook and it will appear in your Google Toolbar.
Another cool part about these custom buttons is that since they are search based, you can search with them. Simply type your search into the Google search box, and instead of pressing the Google button, or enter, press the button corresponding to the service you’d like.
6 Google Notebook
This is, again, a very useful application especially if you find yourself switching computers. As the name suggests you can note things and store them online. Whether you type in notes, like a daily to-do list, or save an entire web page, this Google product is very useful.
Better yet, when you install the Google Notebook extension for Firefox you have instant access to all your saved notes with a single click.
As suggested above, simply typing them in works. But if you want to save web content you can also do that by either highlighting the text you want to save, then right click and select “note this”, or to save the whole page, simply right click anywhere on the page and select “note this.”
5 Google Reader
I think one of my biggest productivity gains came when I switched to Google reader from my other feed reader.
Plus it gives me more ability to group my feeds using tags, and scan them much more quickly. I’ve found that I’ve saved over an hour a day just by switching.
4 Google Docs
I am finding that I am using Google Docs more and more especially for sharing documents with others across the web.
We’d go through rounds and rounds of this. Obviously a big time waster.
But with Google Docs, you can collaborate on that document online. Simply upload your document and invite other users as either viewers or collaborators.
Best of all Google Docs supports a variety of formats for both upload and download of documents and spreadsheets.
3 Google Calendar
This spring I made a concerted effort to move as much stuff off my desktop as possible. I simply put all my actions and appointments here and I can access them from anywhere with an Internet connect. Further, I can share my calendar with others, so they can see my free/busy time, and I can set up multiple calendars (ie different calendars for different clients or activities).
Also, Google Calendar enables my to import my calendar data via a feed into my desktop application so I can continue to receive alarms and notifications of upcoming actions, as well as emailing me when actions are due.
2 iGoogle
I’ve been using a personalized Google Homepage for quite some time. For example, on my homepage I have a summary of my online calendar, my gmail account, and more. In addition I also have local and national news. Further, I can add additional tabs to help keep this information organized. The ability to create these tabs helps to keep me focused while giving me the ability to have diversions throughout the day.
1 Gmail
By far my favorite, and most productive Google tool is Gmail. Since I am a web worker, email is my primary mode of communication. Therefore I need something fast, lightweight and easy to use.
One nice thing about Gmail is that you can set it up to automatically retrieve email from multiple accounts. For example, I have 10 email accounts. For example, emails that come from friends and family are tagged as such and put into my inbox while email from link building efforts is also tagged, and some is automatically marked as read and archived.
If you want to improve the power of Gmail, you can also get an extension called Better Gmail which is a collection of Greasemonkey scripts designed to enhance Gmail.
But even without Better Gmail, I’ve found I’ve probably saved an hour or 2 per day by becoming better at email with Gmail.
There you have it, my 10 favorite Google apps that have helped me get more organized and more productive.