the software i use to simplify my life

I do the majority of my work at my computer (when I’m not in the classroom or on the ice). Using software that works well and enhances my productivity is key to helping me simplify my life. I don’t want to be wasting valuable time calibrating, adjusting, and learning how to use complex programs. For that reason, I tend to use software that does one thing and only one thing very well. I’m not receiving any money for this write up so please don’t be wary of my testimonials. I am merely trying to give credit where credit is due in terms of quality software that I use everyday. Please note that I use a Mac. However, most of these programs have a PC equivalent.

Web browsing: Safari
I have used Firefox, Camino and, most recently, Chrome in my search for the best internet browser. I keep coming back to Safari time and time again. Every time I try out a different browser and encounter a problem I come back to Safari. Not once in at least the past 6 months have I encountered a problem with Safari and had to use one of my backup browsers. It just works.

Writing: WriteRoom, TextEdit, or Google Docs
 I do most of my basic writing in the program WriteRoom. It does a great job eliminating distractions so I can just focus on my writing. Once I have actually finished the hard part, I can always copy and paste the text into a different program for further formatting. If I know that I’m going to be sharing the document I will sometimes do the writing directly inside Google Docs.

Media: iTunes
I like that I can have access to my music, videos, TV shows, podcasts, lectures (and soon, books) within one program. I like that everything is seamlessly kept synced with my iPod Touch and the only thought that I have to put into the program is what I want to actually watch or listen to.

Document/everything archival: Evernote
Evernote might be my favorite application on this entire list. I love that I can basically throw any document at it and have it ready to be searched in a matter of seconds. I don’t worry about complex filing systems anymore. Literally almost every piece of information that comes into my life that needs to be saved ends up in Evernote, and thus, easily found.

Task/project management: Things
Things is one of the few pieces of software that I was willing to shell out actual money for (along with Evernote). It is a very simple program that keeps all of my to-do’s and projects in easy to access lists. Plus, it stays synced with my iPod Touch so I always have my latest task list on hand at all times.

Data backup: Mozy
Sometimes I even forget I have this program running on my computer. Every night it backs up all my data to a remote server without me having to do anything. I check it from time to time to make sure everything is running smoothly but I have never had to intervene. If something were to happen to my computer, I’d very simply be able to retrieve all of my information from the Mozy servers. Piece of mind is a beautiful thing.

Honorable Mentions
Instapaper: This service has revolutionized the way I read the internet. When I come across something that I want to read but is going to take longer to digest than I currently have available, I click on a little button and it is saved to my Instapaper account. When I have enough time to sit down and read something meatier than the average blog post, I navigate to my account and I have a list of articles waiting for me. The level of what I read on the internet has gone up a TON since I’ve started using Instapaper.

Pen & paper: Not really a piece of software but still something that is integral to the way I work. Almost every blog post I write starts as a piece of writing (list, web, scribble, picture, etc.) in an old notebook. For some reason I love to outline my writing on actual paper before I sit down to type up anything. I think the completely free form nature of pen and paper allows me to not filter my thoughts as much as I might if I were to type up an outline.

Each program that I’ve listed tends to do only do one thing. I don’t have any extensions or add-ons attached to Safari, so all it does is render websites. iTunes does a lot, but it all falls under the umbrella of media. Things keeps track of what I need to do. Evernote holds information. Instapaper saves stuff to read for later. Since each program does what it is supposed to without any extra thought from me, my life is simpler because of it.

What simple programs do you use that simplify your life? I’d love to hear about them

Photo by goobimama

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under personal, productivity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • michaelnhart
    DiskMax the best all in one clean up and reg defrag program out there, easy fast and thorough, and no it is not mine, just love it and it is FREE! http://www.koshyjohn.com/software/diskmax.html
  • anni2
    Hi!

    Thanks for the text, I will definetly try to simplyfy my life with some of those programs! Me myself I am Scandinavian and currently in an exhange in France. I was surprised how students from North-America don't seem to know application called Spotify since everybody in my home country is using it. To sum up, it allowes you to listen an awsomly wide range of music, with only few commercials at times. You cannot download the music, but they pay fees to the artists so it's perfectly leagal to just listen the music you like like you had an own radiochannel. I hope you found this hint worth reading! And thanks for the blog, it's changing my life :)
  • That program sounds a lot like something called "Pandora" that tons of people use over here in the states. I don't think it is available in many other countries (I know it wasn't available when I was in Ireland). It sounds like Spotify is the international Pandora :)

    Thanks for reading my blog and I'm glad it's adding value to your life.
  • @Sam: Thanks for this article. I really enjoy your blog.

    Due to the lack of a mac computer on my desk, i am trying to get the best out of my windows software. I put together a personal favourite list of tiny, quiet minimal apps that i'm using nearly daily. Perhaps you want to take a look.
  • using a clutter-free word processor like writeroom is genius. removing all the bells and whistles certainly makes for a less distracting writing experience. and who wants distractions while writing?

    my only regret is that i hadn't switched earlier. i used to think all the bells an whistles would help me write better. boy was i wrong.
  • Sam
    I grew up thinking that Microsoft Word was the only way to write on a computer. I'm glad I finally realized that the more "features" a program has the more time I think about formatting and less about writing.
  • Jeff
    CCleaner: Keeps everything running smooth. Used daily.
    Defraggler: Defrags my system. Used biweekly.
    Excel: Used to maintain all of my finances in one spreadsheet. Used daily.
    Firefox: The fastest and most minimal browser. Used daily.
    Foobar: The best music program out there. Used often.
    Notepad: Basic text editor to keep track of my to-do list. Used daily.
    Picasa: Great photo software with a lot of easy-to-use features. Used weekly.
    Roboform: Keeps track of all my logins, and I never have to type a single key! Used daily.

    All free software, with one exception: Roboform, which I bought years ago and am glad I did. It has saved me much time, frustration, and worry.

    (Excel came with the computer, though you could argue I technically bought it, but you could replace it with OpenOffice's adequate spreadsheet program)
  • Sam
    Thanks for the additions! I too used Picasa but have been slowly using Flickr more and more. I've found that they have a more robust community and better search features.
  • I used Mozy for a while, but found it did not work well at all for my wife, who is a laptop user who immediately closes her laptop when she is done using it. Mozy will only run your backup when the computer is idle, so her backups were never running. The restore process is pretty clunky too. Eventually I switched us to Dropbox. It's a different sort of backup - not only do you get backed up to a remote server but you also get synced copies on all your computers. If one computer dies you can just work on your synced copy on another computer. Backups are done immediately, as soon as files are modified. It has been flawless - amazing, I would say. The web site also has a great interface. It is more expensive ($9.95 per month for 50GB vs. Mozy's $4.95 for unlimited). But the price/space is fine for us, and the features suit our needs much better.
  • Sam
    @Shannon

    I can see how Mozy wouldn't be very helpful in that situation. I've also tried Dropbox but I found that I didn't like how it always seemed to be syncing and thus, slowing down my internet and computer. I seemed to be working on fairly large files most of the time so whenever I changed one it would take Dropbox awhile to get synced back up. I decided I'd rather just have my computer save up all those changes and transmit them once, via Mozy, while I was sleeping or away from my computer. I also very rarely use other computers other than my laptop so the ability to have files synced on other computers wasn't as vital to me.

    The bottom line is, find some sort of backup that works for you and stick with it. The worst feeling in the world is having something happen to your data and not being able to do anything to retrieve it.

    Thanks for the input!
  • Sam
    @Charley

    Instapaper and Evernote are very different programs. Evernote can basically hold every single type of information in one place. If you wanted to save articles to read for later in Evernote, you would just highlight the text and copy/paste it into the program, or use a plugin. The advantage being that you could then search it and tag it to your heart's content.

    Instapaper is a more singleminded program. By putting a bookmarklet in your bookmarks bar you can save articles to read for later with one click. You aren't able to search within the article for specific words, but you can organize your articles into folders.

    I use Evernote for information that I know I'll need again someday. I also use it to save personal development articles I can use for inspiration in my own life. I use Instapaper when I find something I want to read but not necessarily save forever. I'm more likely to use it when I stumble across something like an article from The Economist, The New Yorker or other long-form magazine format piece of writing.

    I hope that makes sense and is helpful to you.
  • Hey Sam,

    Thanks for sharing the list. I'm a Netbook user so am looking for a reasonable alternative to Writeroom.

    I'm a bit curious as to Instapaper. Does Evernote do the same thing? I've just started using Evernote recently but haven't touched Instapaper yet. Really, the functionality I want is Instapaper, a way to save articles I can read later.
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