Technology, Productivity Hacks, Tips and Tricks

[ZF Lee]

When you are hosting a hybrid (online and physical...especially if you also stream LIVE on Zoom) event, just remember to toggle Zoom's 'dual screen' if you are doing dual-screen approach. You can find this in the General tab under Zoom's Settings...and tick on 'Use Dual Monitors'

Dual-screen for presentations can be a total game-changer.

You can just work on other works on your main device-- but push your presentation slides to the 'far right' to be displayed on the projector screen.

Thing is, if you are using Zoom to also to stream the presentation-- and you DIDN'T use its dual-screen option-- let's say it gets really clunky to move everything around and it makes the entire process laggy.

Makes for a poor impression in front of your audience...

If you want to feature the speaker's face alongside the shared presentation slides on Zoom, you can use the Side-by-Side Mode. Check it out under Zoom's General Settings too.

But somehow you can't use Side-by-Side along with Dual Screen.

If you don't have a second device to turn into your 'second monitor' for the dual-screen thing, you can actually
use your SMARTPHONE to simply connect with your laptop/PC.

There are many apps out there that allow dual-screen capabilities-- but all paid.

Splashtop XDisplay's personal-use version though is free.
But it doesn't seem to have wireless capabilities (unless paid?). So you need to connect it with your computer via
USB cable.

 

[Andy Black]

For productivity:

Notepad++: amazing text editor for working with "technical" texts (Linux alternative: Notepad qq)
ClipX: clipboard history manager - if you copy & paste a lot (Linux alternative: ClipIt)
Kdiff3: great tool for comparing texts, files, and even directories

Fighting distractions:

Facebook news feed eradicator: as already mentioned here, use this if you need to be on Facebook
Block Site: prevents you from visiting undesired websites (such as YouTube).
Block Site For Android: same thing for your Android device (can block websites and apps)

Health:

f.lux: as mentioned here before, blocks blue light to help you sleep better
Twilight: the same thing for your Android device
Big Stretch Reminder: reminds you to take regular break from the PC

You just reminded me of Cygwin which I use to write quick UNIX shell scripts on my Windows PC. Anyone up for bit of vi, sed, grep, or awk?

 

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[Guest1413tpa]

Right now, I have been trying to learn Keyboard shortcuts on macOS and Windows (I use both).

Mousless on macOS has been invaluable for this, wish they had a Windows Version.

 

[Andy Black]

I had some software that allowed me to move Windows around on the screen at the touch of buttons. It was great but is depreciated now. Winsplit I think. I’d love to find something similar.

 

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[Madame Peccato]

Not a tech hack, but still good for productivity:

I can use my mouse left-handed while writing right-handed.

Nice, I am so bad at using a mouse with my left hand, despite being so good at using it right handed. It's basically an extension of my arm at this point. I need to use it left handed more.

 

[Beerbread]

Wow that’s one serious mouse. I had a Razer for years with adjustable weight cartridge during my CS obsession days.

Wow, CS takes me back I originally bought it to play Ragnarok Online, but I haven't used it for gaming at all! It's the best $30 I ever spent and it comes with 5 modes, so there are different macros for each program I'm using.

 

[RazorCut]

If I remember correctly (I’m 150 miles away from my pc at the moment) you can use the mouse scroll wheel as well instead of swiping? I could have dreamt that though.

 

[MπR]

2. Alfred
Easily search through your computer files, applications & even google, without using your mouse to navigate.
Using the shortcut Option + Space
It works the same as the native Spotlight tool, except with greater functionality. You can also set it up to work with other programs so you can quickly add tasks/whatever you do with certain programs.

Alfred - Productivity App for macOS

Alfred is a productivity application for macOS, which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords and text expansion. Search your Mac and the web, and control your Mac using custom actions with the Powerpack.

www.alfredapp.com

Alfred is such a great tool. And if you grab the Powerpack it is even more powerful. Well worth the investment.
From custom searches, textexpansion to whole workflows you can pretty much automate a lot of stuff on your mac. Saves a ton of time. A must have on Mac

Workflows for Alfred

 

[ZF Lee]

Botsociety for planning chatbots copywriting (for messaging platforms like Messenger & WhatsApp)

You can create quick dialogues between the bot, and hypothetical prospect answers.

I was tried this out for my first chatbot copywriting gig, and I really liked how you can check the flow demo, instead of putting up with clunky Microsoft Word crap.
But it caps out at 30 messages per design for the free plan.

I had to be satisfied with just coming up with a Microsoft Word draft for the client.
I didn't feel like paying for the subscription- as I don't usually do chatbot work.

But definitely, chatbot copy CAN be a good niche to entrench into for freelance copywriters.

 

[RazorCut]

But definitely, chatbot copy CAN be a good niche to entrench into for freelance copywriters.

Love that. Thansk ZF

@Primeperiwinkle

 

[RazorCut]

Two PC programs I couldn't live without that I have been using for years.

SnagIt. Just a brilliant piece of software if you need to do any form of screen capture including long web pages, video and screen recording. Simple, quick and something I find I use constantly if I'm at the PC.



The second one is Clipmate. It's like an archive database for every copy paste you ever do.

That includes Text, RTF, HTML and images captured in Bitmap format. Everything is saved in the database and is totally searchable. I use a fraction of its capabilities but it has a spell check, you can use it for editing and case conversion etc.

Because it works as an extension of Windows Clipboard it literally works in every program that runs on your PC.

 

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[Primeperiwinkle]

Love that. Thansk ZF

@Primeperiwinkle

I was going to look into it on Monday lovie, after I learned a bit more about PPC but thank you for tagging me. xx

And don’t tell them about Snagit! It’s my wand of power with which I can capture information in the blink of an eye and then put it somewhere else! Muahahahaa!

 

[rollerskates]

A major way to cut down on distractions--turn off notifications on phone apps. The ONLY app I allow notifications for is when I have sales and customer inquiries. I use social media apps, but I don't allow notifications on them, even though they're for business. Not seeing a sea of red every time you look at your phone will cut down on stress.

 

[FBA-N-SEO]

I think it's something everybody's been using for a while -- this one is just free

 

[becks22]

I used 'Transcript Puppy' today and did a transcript for less than $6.
I make videos and share my screen for training my employees but this one was a phone call script for a service so I needed it written out. Going to be using them again as I will probably need more things like in the future.

 

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[Kal-El1998]

I usually find my productivity hacks to not eat until I have one of my priorities done for the day.

 

[becks22]

Coolors.co > you can use this website to create color schemes randomly. Perfect for branding and figuring out your business identity.

 

[Andy Black]

Cygwin was really good when it was the only option... now with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) it is not really needed. WSL feels almost like Linux.

Oh nice. I’d never heard of that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[RazorCut]

Not a tech hack, but still good for productivity:

I can use my mouse left-handed while writing right-handed.

Funny you should say that.

I’m in the market for a new keyboard as the one I’ve had since 2009 gave up on me recently.

That got me thinking about buying a TKL one (TenKeyLess) and a separate keypad so I could learn to input numbers with my left hand and use the mouse with my right (great for spreadsheet work, and something I seen my old accountant do.

Still undecided and I’m not a fan of TKL keyboards on their own as I’ve always got a spreadsheet open.

 

[Mirkonik]

On the Mac I use a tool called BetterTouchTool (folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac!), that let's you set all kinds of gestures, Keyboard Shortcuts, TouchBar manipulation (can actually make it pretty useful), automatic resizes of windows (similar to Windows when you move your windows to a site to make it half the screen or full width). It's really awesome in my opinion.

 

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[Redwolf]

Some of my list is obvious, some is not. It got way longer than expected.


Chrome:

In settings - Ask before displaying external images
Useful if you know it's just a tracking pixel and you want to fly under the radar.. or don't want to view bloated emails.


Gmail: Drag and drop an image onto compose window body and it inserts it INLINE (obvious) however, if you drag and drop onto the bottom toolbar it ATTACHES it.


TabCloud
save groups of tabs
TabCloud


MailTrack
See if/when your email was read or a link clicked

Email Tracker for Gmail, Mail Merge-Mailtrack

Gmail mail merge and mass email tracker with 2 million+ users. Free, unlimited email tracking to boost outreach and email marketing.

chrome.google.com

LastPass
Password manager + never reuse a password, the #1 reason accounts get "hacked"

LastPass: Free Password Manager

LastPass, an award-winning password manager, saves your passwords and gives you secure access from every computer and mobile device.

chrome.google.com

Gorgias Templates
Stop tying the same email to every customer. Use templates. Also supports typing one word, hit tab, and it'll auto fill.

Text expander for the Web - Briskine

Write emails faster and boost productivity with templates and keyboard shortcuts.

www.gorgiastemplates.com

Windows

Hacks, Tips and Tricks

ALT + 26 on the numpad is the right arrow. →

WINDOWS KEY + SHIFT + S = quick screen grab

WINDOWS KEY + R = run box
In that box type:
shell:sendto - access your "right click → send to" shortcuts

Get Quick Launch back:
Right on the taskbar → Toolbars → New Toolbar
Copy/paste this: %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
Then "Select Folder"

You can download Windows for free, just need a license when installing. But good to have a version on USB ready to go.

Download Windows 10

www.microsoft.com

FREE Programs
Another vote for Microsoft's PowerToys

Captura
slick open source screen capture software

Redirecting…

mathewsachin.github.io

Aerial by cDima
Apple TV aerial screen saver (not productive, but cool)

GitHub - cDima/Aerial: Aerial Apple TV screen saver for Windows

Aerial Apple TV screen saver for Windows. Contribute to cDima/Aerial development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

AutoHotKey
Powerful keyboard remapping and macros

AutoHotkey

Free keyboard macro program. Supports hotkeys for keyboard, mouse, and joystick. Can expand abbreviations as you type them (AutoText).

www.autohotkey.com

SublimeText
The best text editor. Folks who like Notepad++ are unenlightened

Sublime Text - the sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose

Available on Mac, Windows and Linux

www.sublimetext.com

SFTP for SublimeText
Automatically save your file to your web server when you do File→Save without having to manually upload via FTP or web portal

SFTP for Sublime Text - an FTP, FTPS and SFTP client | Products | Codex Non Sufficit

codexns.io

Photo resizer by RW Designer
Phenominal, powerful JPG photo resizer. Can be scripted and batched and integrated into right click menu if you put the shortcuts in your "Send to" folder.

Batch Picture Resize

www.rw-designer.com

Macrium Reflect
Do a proper backup clone of your boot drive, and if it ever dies, nothing is lost, can keep using Windows without reinstalling or anything.

Macrium Reflect Free Trials

Macrium Reflect - Incredibly powerful software that allows you to create and schedule effective backups

www.macrium.com

ReNamer by den4b
Powerful file renaming software

ReNamer « Products « den4b.com

www.den4b.com

SuperFinder (or SuperFinder XT) by FSL
Powerful file search and file content searcher

FSL - Super Finder

www.freesoftland.net

Beyond Compare by Scooter Software
File comparing with line by line diffs, great to use when you're copying/updating code files and want to see what is different.

Scooter Software - Home of Beyond Compare

Scooter Software: Home of Beyond Compare

www.scootersoftware.com

ZeroTier One
Add any computer on the internet to your local network easily

ZeroTier | Global Area Networking

ZeroTier enables secure, modern overlay networking for the Internet of Things, Industrial IoT, RMM, Remote Access, Embedded Networking, SD-WAN, VPN, and more.

www.zerotier.com

PAID Programs
PdaNet
Use your Android phone's internet plan on your computer with your USB cable. Unlimited phone data? Congrats your PC now how unlimited data.

PdaNet+ -- Internet Sharing for Android

Use your Android phone as Wireless Modem, USB Tether, Bluetooth DUN, Wireless Router

pdanet.co

Other:
My stupidly long Amazon Music coding playlist.
All music without lyrics, good for concentrating
Amazon Music

 

[Madame Peccato]

Highlight text on your PC's browser (I assume Safari has it as well on Mac) and hit CTRL + SHIFT + U. Or right click on the highlighted selection and click on "read out loud"

 

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[CryptoCurt]

Evernote is a tool that i use daily. Good for journaling, just taking notes, including screenshots, links, incl. an own workchat between evernote users, sharing notebooks, all cloudbased so you have the user has access to all his notes on all devices. Very handy.

 

[Choices]

I usually find my productivity hacks to not eat until I have one of my priorities done for the day.

That's if you have achieved the skill of controlling your hunger / stomach.

 

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