Whenever I find myself doing repetitive work, I will stop and tell myself: There’s got to be a better way. With a specific problem in mind, I start to look around for solutions.
Sometimes the answer is only a couple of Google searches away. Other times, it can mean hours of frustration before seeing the light of dawn.
I enjoy trying out different add-ons and “tricks,” but only keep the good ones. Even so, there’s more than I can cover in one blog post. I want to focus on a few things that have dramatically improved my daily life.
This is my can’t-live-without “Read It Later” type of extension. When I’m browsing the web for information to help write my story, I use Diigo to attach highlights and stickies to a webpage as a reminder. Diigo automatically saves whatever I highlighted and allows me to access them from anywhere, via free apps, on iPhone, Android and iPad. It saves me precious tab space, allows me to organize by category and tags, and gives me a sidebar search box in case I am not into sorting. It’s a good system to track all the resources I find indispensable.
Minimap Sidebar (Firefox) /Select To Get Map (Chrome)
When I come across an address in a site or in an email, I don’t have to go through all the trouble copying and pasting it into Google search box and then leaving the current page for a new one. Toggling between tabs is time consuming.
With Minimap Sidebar, I can get maps and directions in a sidebar, new tab or pop-up preview window. I simply select and drag the address from any web page into the sidebar, and a marker will show up on the map. Minimap Sidebar offers many options and it really comes down to personal preference. Try them out and see what works for you. This add-on supports import of locations from KML and GPX files, and export of locations from KML, GPX and CSV files.
Select To Get Map is a much simpler extension. It recognizes any selected address on any web page and gives you a pop-up with links to show it on a map or get directions there. You will be led to a new tab, but it’s still an efficient way to figure out your way around.
Google Shortcuts (firefox/chrome)
This add-on displays almost all Google services (doesn’t have Google+ yet) as buttons for a space-saving drop-down menu next to the address bar in your browser. I use several Google products very often and already have crowded navigation toolbar and bookmarks toolbar. I can go into settings to customize my drop-down list.
Cutyfox URL Shortener (firefox)/goo.gl (chrome)
A single click gets the work done. Cutyfox or goo.gl shortens the long link you need for that tweet and copies the short version into your clipboard. There really isn’t much to explain, because it is that simple!
PDF/Excel shortcut
There are other ways to improve the daily workflow without installing new add-ons. When working with data, the most commonly seen “technical difficulty” is how to pull out government data that’s available only in PDF format and import them into a spreadsheet.
When I found out I can do this by using the ALT key, it was a life changing moment. Hold the ALT key and select a box around the column of data you want to copy, then CTRL+C, CTRL+V. There! The data shows up beautifully in a column in Excel. Then, work on your next column. There’s free software you can use to convert PDF into Excel, but the file you get will still require a lot of cleaning up.
A to-do list
Well, this is very old-school, but it helps. I can stick them on the wall above my desk, or carry them around when I have to go out reporting. By the end of the day, I will peel off the sticky notes and transfer whatever I didn’t get to that day to the next day’s list. Don’t wake up in the morning and roll the dice.
Sidebar
Firefox is my primary browser, so I would also like to share a couple of very useful keyboard shortcuts that I find quite handy.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with them. It’ll prove to be time well spent.