Taming the information monster
With such busy business and personal lives – and so much incoming information, it’s essential to have a few tools that save time and give us a bit of a break. Here are a few information-related productivity tools that I can’t do without:
Those who know me know that I’m a big fan of GTD – or Getting Things Done. Developed by David Allen, GTD is a system for “stress-free productivity” in work and life. It’s a way of dealing with the physical and mental information clutter that slows us down and frees up bandwidth for more focused, creative thinking. One caveat – You don’t just start “doing” GTD. It takes a while to find what works for you and how to incorporate the system into your workflow.
Evernote is a software product for collecting, saving, and finding all those pieces of information related to work and family projects. That’s where I keep conference notes, ideas for upcoming articles and presentations, travel documents, Christmas lists, and more. Since Evernote syncs with my phone, tablet, and computer, everything is right where I need it. Free and fee versions are available.
I’m working more and more with visual information, and SnagIt screen-capture software from TechSmith helps me crop images, create professional-looking presentation slides, and snag important screens from webinars. At $49.95 USD, it’s more than paid for itself in terms of my time.
What are your favorite tools for managing information overload?
