This tip is part of an automation series I’m running to showcase 24 of my most useful computer automation tips.
I want you to stop for a second and think about this: when you boot your computer, how many windows do you have to push away until you can get a clean desktop to start working with?
How about this: do you remember the last time you were working on a task and some stupid window popped up asking for some kind of confirmation? Do you get this window often? Don’t you wish the computer was smart enough to remember your choice and not display it over and over again?
If you resonate with any of the above, then today’s automation tip will fit you just perfectly.
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This tip is part of an automation series I’m running to showcase 24 of my most useful computer automation tips.
In the first post of this series, I’ve talked about how you can find and access any file in a split second using Google Desktop. While Google Desktop can also be used as an application launcher, it doesn’t do a very good job at that.
If you’re unfamiliar with what an application launcher is, here is a short description:
Application Launcher is a fancy term for a simple tool – a piece of software that stays in the background and, when you type a given key combination, gets up and helps you find the right application, file or action you want to execute. Instead of moving your mouse around, aiming and clicking at things, you just type a shortcut (usually Ctrl+Space), start typing the name of the program you want to execute and hit Enter. Simple and fast, and takes a tenth of the time you’d have needed to search the shortcut with your mouse.
Now if you’re wondering whether the title of this post is somewhat exaggerated, then let me break it down for you:
I did my homework: I’ve surveyed most of the popular Windows application launchers, including my all-time favorite one, ENSO. It turns out that the application launcher I’m presenting today requires by the far the least amount of keystrokes to do the job. Why? Simply because it doesn’t require you to type any shortcut (like the Ctrl+Space mentioned above) before you start typing the name of the application you want to launch. So let’s see how that’s possible. Click here to continue reading →
This tip is part of an automation series I’m running to showcase 24 of my most useful computer automation tips.How long on average do you spend finding a particular file or a document? What if you don’t remember the location where you placed this file? How long will it take you then?
No one really measures these kinds of things, but you’d be surprised to learn that I’ve personally watched countless people (including my mom) navigate mazes of complex folder hierarchy to get to some file or a document they’ve been working on. Worst yet, some of my very own coworkers still manage to use this old-school way of accessing files. And for the record, I work in a software development house. Imagine my frustration when I ask someone I’m working with to find me a file or an e-mail in their archive and they spend the next 10 minutes or so going through their folder mess, most of the time giving up at the end and asking me: “do you really need it?”.
So I decided enough is enough. Hey everybody, there’s a much much … much faster way to find and access any kind of file in your entire hard drive in a split second, even if you don’t recall the name of the file! Stop for a second and take a wild guess what that is. (Hint: it’s not this stupid dog)
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Ever since my post about my secret to productivity (automation), I’ve been meaning to compile and present the complete list of all my automation tools and tricks. In that post, I’ve mentioned briefly some of the things that I automate in my desktop and browser.
This time around, to celebrate the relaunch of the blog, I’m starting a 24-day post series (the biggest I’ve ever embarked upon) with 24 ways you can use to automate your digital life.
With “digital life”, I mean your daily interaction with your PC, including the desktop operating system and the browser. So essentially the tips in this post series are categorized as either Windows- or Web-related. It’d be interesting to see how many of the Windows-related tips can be applied to the Mac. However, all Web-related tips should be relevant to anybody using any popular operating system.
Every one of these automation tips is explained in dead simple terms with a step-by-step procedure for implementing it. Non-tech savvies as well as geeks should find this material useful and come out with at least one or two automation tricks under their belts.
So what do I mean by automation and what’s in it for you?
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A recently launched group project started by Ben at the Instigator Blog aims to collect the web’s most comprehensive list of productivity tips. Everybody can chip in with their secret productivity tips. In the end, we’re going to compile one huge list (and hopefully publish it in a downloadable e-book) that anybody would find immensely useful.
What’s my secret?
One word: automation.
Let me elaborate on that a bit:
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