Around the Web: Cracking the Email Nut

Be Seen Being Green

I try my hardest to take my canvas bags with me to the grocery store whenever I possibly can. Honestly I do! But I'm not gonna lie here: those bags aren't the most fashion forward accessories. So I was thrilled to find the canvas tote bags at Think Green with Me - chic, simple designs, no over-the-top colors. This is a bag I can see myself carrying proudly, not only because it's cute and reusable, but also because ALL of the profit from the purchase of these bags goes directly to a family in New Orleans that till trying to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Katrina. Yes, that 3 things to feel good about!!

Cracking the Email Nut

Like most people, I have way too many email accounts, some of which are so old I can barely remember the passwords. You know how it is - you set up one up for work, one for personal, one for family, one as a "junk filter" to input when an online purchase requires an email address, and before you know it, you've got a mess on your hands. NutshellMail is all about helping you clean that mess up. It allows you to turn the one account you use the most into a "universal inbox" where you can access, manage and monitor all of your email and social networking accounts in one place.

Save Me from Myself!

Let's be real: We all visit websites that are complete time suckers. Whether you're into reading celebrity gossip, looking at the latest fashion trends or sending lattes to your friends on Facebook, you know there's at least one website that can be considered your own personal productivity killer. Well, KeepMeOut is here to save you from yourself. Just create a bookmark for your favorite time-sucker by plugging in the site address. Then, specify a period of time that must pass between visits. If you try to visit before the appropriate amount of time elapses, KeepMeOut warns you against visiting it. For example, you can set it to stop you if you try to visit Perez Hilton more than once in an hour. The key is that you have to use the time-tracked bookmark; doing so will either allow you to go to the page (if you're within your set parameters) or it will take you to a reminder page that tells you how long it's been since your last visit. It's a gentle wake-up call for those of us trying to break the Internet-zone-out affliction that can eat hours of the day.

Lovely Charts

I've recently fallen in love (again) with flow charts. A flow chart is one of the most basic and helpful resources on the planet. It allows you to visually map out a process, which can help you find inefficiencies or simply organize and define a complicated process. LovelyCharts is a wonderful, free web-based tool that allows you to create nice looking flow charts using an easy drag-and-drop interface. You can also export your charts as JPEG or PNG files in the size you specify. The free account allows you to save only a single chart; however, the reasonably priced professional account allows for more and also provides some additional collaboration features and support. Happy charting!

OA Retro: Another charting tool I love...Mind Maps!

How to Map a Project: If you're just getting started with a big project, you may feel completely overwhelmed and not quite sure where to begin. A map is a great place to start! Learn how to use this helpful tool to track tasks, visualize large-scale concepts, and organize multiple layers of planning. And be sure to check out our sample map to get you inspired.