How to become 25% more productive Essential free tools for the modern office By James Yeang of Friedbeef’s Tech ( www.friedbeef.com )

What’s in it for you Email – How to handle heavy loads without going nuts The 2 nd chance Outlook Rule Portable productivity – who needs admin rights? Image CC Scattynobrain

Email – How to handle heavy loads without going nuts

The 2 nd chance Outlook Rule

Portable productivity – who needs admin rights?

CC Visualpanic

1. Email – How to handle heavy loads without going nuts

Simplified GTD Steps Process Email in Batches Whatever can be finished now, do it now Whatever needs time to finish, assign a timeline to it, and do it later Have ONE and only ONE To-do list

Process Email in Batches

Whatever can be finished now, do it now

Whatever needs time to finish, assign a timeline to it, and do it later

Have ONE and only ONE To-do list

Ingredients 1 Desktop Search Tool 1 Outlook Email Client

1 Desktop Search Tool

1 Outlook Email Client

A typical morning?

Email can be dealt < 2 minutes

Dealt with and moved

Email needs follow-up

Drag email to Follow-up basket

…

Zero Inbox

No Action Required Action Required

Do one thing at a time, and move on to the next, according to priority a Sort by reminder time (You may need to add this field in Outlook 2000/03)

Once follow-up items are done, they are moved here

Have one and ONLY one To Do list

Have one and ONLY one To Do list

Gather all >2 minute tasks and email them to yourself CC Stich, Steve Roe , bkzzang

Bcc yourself on every email that needs further action from someone else … then treat it as an email to be followed up on

Sorting & Organizing Information

Desktop Search

What we’ve done Use Outlook as the One and ONLY one To-Do list Go through every email and acting on it if <2mins Mark it for follow up, and assign a reminder if >2 mins Move everything in the inbox to either a DONE or FOLLOWUP folder You get an empty inbox You remove the clutter of the items which don’t need action now You get to focus on what’s next - based on the timelines you set

Outcome? Next actions are clearly defined as everything is prioritized accordingly NOTHING no matter how small slips under the cracks Desktop search finds everything fast

Next actions are clearly defined as everything is prioritized accordingly

NOTHING no matter how small slips under the cracks

Desktop search finds everything fast

CC Visualpanic

For similar projects visit http://www.43folders.com/izero

2. The 2 nd chance Outlook rule

Murphy’s Law #99: “ You will realize you needed to add something to an email …ONLY when you’ve hit the SEND button”

“ You will realize you needed to add something to an email …ONLY when you’ve hit the SEND button”

The magic workaround

No more… Hitting the send button too soon Forgetting attachments Angry email written in the heat of the moment

Hitting the send button too soon

Forgetting attachments

Angry email written in the heat of the moment

3. Portable productivity – who needs admin rights?

How to constantly backup your work without even trying Http://www.mogware.com/FileHamster/

What it does Watch a directory Detect changes Save a NEW instance of the file

Accidents happen! Deleted by mistake File wrongly over-written Document becomes corrupt Wrong changes saved CC Caro Wallis

Deleted by mistake

File wrongly over-written

Document becomes corrupt

Wrong changes saved

For more portable freeware visit http://www.portablefreeware.com/ http://portableapps.com/ http://www.pendriveapps.com/

http://www.portablefreeware.com/

http://portableapps.com/

http://www.pendriveapps.com/

For more productivity tips visit… www.friedbeef.com

www.friedbeef.com

To recap…

Thank you for attending Enjoy your extra free time! Visit Friedbeef’s Tech ( www.friedbeef.com ) CC Visualpanic