My 5 favourite home business tools are listed below but there is one thing you really need - something I came across by accident after setting up a new computer in my office - a second screen. Trust me, with two open screens my productivity shot through the roof, less 'tab snapping' and great for having a 'resource' screen and a 'working' screen. Try it.
OK, so here they are, if you have any suggestions or if you've found a better option let me know in the comments.
1. Lastpass - I love this one. All those passwords you've got written down can now be kept in one place. Unlike microsoft explorers password storer this one holds your passwords on a secure server that you access with just one master password. After logging in it fills all those user/pass forms in for you automatically. It even stores profiles that you can use to fill in your address and credit card numbers. This one alone must save me an hour a week - highly recommended.
2. Ping - If you're still adding the updates to your blog on all the social network sites by hand then you need this badly. Ping.fm takes your blogs feed (or any feed) and then passes it on to over 30 different social sites making sure you get the best exposure. It takes a while to set up the accounts but once done you will literally save days in the month.
3. only2clicks - I'm sure this probably says a lot about my personality type but I really hate bookmarks. A dropdown where you have to search for the site you need or the group that it's in - hurts my eyes and my brain. The solution for me was only2clicks - a bookmarking site that stores your saved pages as screenshots under relevant tabs. It just produces a much nicer experience for me and I find I can navigate a great deal faster.
5. RSS - We've all heard of RSS and you may have clicked that link a few times to see what happens. But it seems that few people in the non-webby business world have actually grasped the power of it. It is the perfect method to consume focused information. If you have a company in the widget industry you can go to every top website or blog in that industry and grab their RSS. Those RSS's are then put into your favourite reader and you have the most comprehensive and cutting edge newspaper in the world. Every day when you boot up the computer you will have all the latest news from your business world at your finger tips.
For the nuts and bolts of RSS take a look at the video below and don't forget to sign up to mine.
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Those are my 5 favourites, if you have any further suggestions then please comment so we can share them.
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