5 Productivity Tools To Boost Creativity
Posted June 10, 2011 in Productivity
This is quite a tricky post. Recently I realized that there are a few tools I use that not only save me a ton of time, but also make me more creative. By sticking to their simple and efficient functionality I have started to create more content in ways I haven’t imagined before.
Here is a list of these five “creative” productivity tools for you.
#1 Screenr – Super Simple Screencasting
Screenr is the simplest screencasting tool I have used yet. It is different than other well-known options like Jing or Camtasia. There is no need to download or to sign up for anything. Hit sign in with Twitter or Facebook and that’s it.
Why can Screenr make you more productive?
Screenr makes the process of creating a screencast so simple that I have switched to explaining something with video way more often. Using video saves me a ton of time and is great fun since most of my online conversations were in written form previously.
Why can Screenr make you more creative?
Screenr has definitely made me more creative. For example, I’ve started to reply to some emails with a Screenr video instead of typing an answer. This tool not only allows you explain in pictures, but it’s a nice surprise for the recipient to hear your voice.
#2 Buffer – More Efficient Tweeting
Buffer is a Twitter App that allows you to tweet more frequently without the pain of overwhelming your followers with too many tweets. Just throw a few tweets in your Buffer and the App schedules them for you throughout the day.
Why can Buffer make you more productive?
Buffer allows you to add lots of Tweets into the Buffer without fiddling with individually scheduling each one. It also comes with a browser extension that works on any page and even inside Google Reader. Every morning I would fill up my Buffer with all the great articles I would read–simple and a big time saver.
Why can Buffer make you more creative?
Not only does Buffer save me a lot of time, but it has actually transformed the way I use Twitter. It also allows you to highlight certain lines in an article and then hit the Buffer icon. It automatically turns it into my tweet and allows me to create more genuine and creative tweets.
#3 Ge.tt – File Sharing
Ge.tt basically does what it says. You upload a few files into the cloud and then share them easily with a link across multiple social networks or via email.
Why can Ge.tt make you more productive?
Sharing files via email attachments can really turn out to be quite time-consuming, especially when you want to share files with multiple people. Here is where Ge.tt comes in super handy and allows you to simplify this process sharing files instantly with one click.
Why can Ge.tt make you more creative?
Ge.tt has made me more creative in an interesting way. I realized that some of the files I uploaded might be useful for more people than just the ones I initially wanted to share them with. Since the link is already on Ge.tt, I often end up giving it to more people than I would have otherwise.
#4 Rapportive – Know more about your email contacts
Rapportive is a tool I only discovered recently, yet it has already become a real favorite of mine. It allows you to see full information about your email contacts across multiple social networks inside of Gmail.
Why can Rapportive make you more productive?
Whenever you receive an email you see the sender’s details with all their social network information. Rapportive lets me get in touch with them on Twitter, connect on Linkedin or Facebook without the hassle of searching for them on those social networks.
Why can Rapportive make you more creative?
The great thing about Rapportive is that I immediately see what my contacts are up to on Twitter. I can tailor emails towards what they are talking about and create references to what others are up to–things that I wouldn’t normally know about.
#5 Tungle – Scheduling Meetings the Smart Way
You have probably come across Tungle already, but it is easy to forget how useful it can be. It helps me to be more efficient in so many ways that I wanted to share my experience with it in this post.
Why can Tungle make you more productive?
I have to confess I only recently switched from Doodle to Tungle and it made a big difference. I can give others an opportunity to simply take a look at my weekly schedule so they can pick the best suitable time. It saves me the hassle of sending emails back and forth and gives them more freedom to see all free spots in my schedule instead of being limited to the few suggested times that I would email to them.
Why can Tungle make you more creative?
Tungle was quite a game changer for me. This tool allowed me to be more open for others since I could easily share my schedule with lots of people. I definitely think this tool made more creative as it resulted in meetings.
You upload a few files into the cloud and then share them easily with a link across multiple social networks or via email. They are amongst the many file sharing sites you can find across the web.
Your Turn
How about you? Are there any apps that make you more productive and also more creative too? I would love to discuss it in the comments below.
Related posts:
- Using Templates And Drafts To Boost Your Productivity
- 10 Productivity Tools for Computer Addicts
- 7 Productivity Tools I Couldn’t Live Without
- Creativity Truths Every Freelancer Should Know
- 5 Creativity Killers And How To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing Again
About the author: Leo Widrich is a Twitter addict with a healthy interest in all things productivity and efficiency. You might have already noticed ;). Hit him up at @LeoWid or read his Twitter Tips here.
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31 Comments
Brian Willingham
June 10th, 2011 at 8:56 amWow…I was able to set up a screencast in under five minutes with Screenr. Easily the simplest tool I have seen for screencasting.
Leo Widrich
June 10th, 2011 at 9:00 amHi Brian,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, indeed, Screenr is a fabulous tool and very powerful. Me too, I am using it all the time, because it is so slick and fast :)
Phil @ Startup Resources
June 10th, 2011 at 9:44 amI wish I knew about Screenr the other day I download CAM studio and spent hr’s figuring out the right codec to use. What amount of FPS (Frames Per Second) do you get with Screenr?
Leo Widrich
June 10th, 2011 at 9:50 am@Phil
Hi Phil, oh no. Same here, tried many others and fiddled with all the settings, but none was a straight forward and web based (!) as screenr.
Sure, I am not quite sure what the FPS is, but they give you a crappy version immediately and then allow you to publish a higher quality version which takes longer and is actually really good material.
Hope that helps, thanks for your comment. :)
Michelle Mista
June 10th, 2011 at 2:50 pmWow — I’ve really gotta thank you for posting up the link to Screenr! I’ve been working on getting my site together and was looking desperately for screencast tools. You’ve saved me a ton of effort, thanks! Love the Buffer app, too.
Stephanie
June 10th, 2011 at 6:29 pmThanks Leo for this interesting round-up! This is the first time I’ve heard of Screenr and Buffer. If all goes well with the former, I might make the switch!
For now, I use the free version of CloudApp for file sharing, Wunderlist for task management and Seesmic Web for social media. They help me write creatively and keep me productive all day long. :)
TLC
June 10th, 2011 at 8:29 pmGreat post! I already know clients who would like to use these tools, and I’ll recommend them. Thanks!
Marcus Schaller
June 10th, 2011 at 9:19 pmThis is awesome Leo. Can’t wait to try out Screenr!
Leo Widrich
June 11th, 2011 at 5:10 am@Michelle,
Thanks for stopping by. Awesome, glad to hear that you Screenr will save you a ton of time. Perfect, that you like Buffer too is great, hope it makes your tweeting efforts easier.
@Stephanie
Great to hear that there are new things I bring to your attention with Screenr and Buffer. Yes, that’s a good combination with Seesmic, Wunderlist and Cloudapp. For Twitter, I think Buffer is a great add-on to Seesmic and not an “instead of” tool.
@TLC
Fantastic, very glad that you can already use them to recommend further. Thanks for your comment. :)
@Marcus
Great Marcus, yes Screenr rocks, hope you will like it. :)
Anand Mistry
June 11th, 2011 at 8:36 amI am not freelancer. But, I am working as a webmaster in web development company. I see 35 tools as well as these 5 great tools.
I can also use these tools during my daily stuff. I suppose to use it for my daily life.
I hope it will help me to raise my productivity. Thanks!!
Roger
June 12th, 2011 at 10:40 amWith free Ge.tt, files expire after 90 days. With free DropBox.com, files never expire.
With free Ge.tt, files cannot exceed 2GB, With free Ge.tt, files may exceed 2GB.
With free Ge.tt, I have to log into the site and upload. With free DropBox, if I want, I can also download an app allowing me to drag and drop only on my PC; then it will automatically synchronize those files with DropBox online.
Roger
June 12th, 2011 at 10:47 amBuffer is okay, but better is… Amplify.com, which allows you to schedule a post for a future date – And that post can also be automatically sent to:
Facebook
Twitter
Google Buzz
Posterous
Tumblr
Wordpress
Blogger
Flickr
Ping.fm
Plurk
FreindFeed
Diigo
Delicious
Clipmarks
Your own self hosted WordPress
You can enable bit.ly and even have Amplify use your own private Google Analytics code so you can track activities.
Kathy
June 12th, 2011 at 1:23 pmThanks for the great suggestions. Love the tips!
David
June 13th, 2011 at 10:06 pmGreat article. Particularly enjoyed being exposed to Screenr. I like Jing for some very specific reasons, but I walked away very impressed with Screenr too. In the end I decided to write up a post on the two which you guys might enjoy. http://www.gadarian.com/2011/06/13/video-capture-software-review-jing-and-screenr/.
Jessica
June 21st, 2011 at 4:19 amI just started using Jing for my screen capture tool. I’m happy with it. Though someone just recommended Gyazo, he said it beats Jing on simplicity but I have yet to find out.
Sam Kidd
July 18th, 2011 at 11:58 amScreener is nice but I have to say Screenflow is amazing. I use this to piece together demo videos. It’s really nice and easy to use, plus there is a nice hook straight into your Youtube channel as well for publishing.
Lisa Pater
August 25th, 2011 at 8:13 amI also wish, I knew about Screenr before I used Camtasia.
Thanks for Buffer. I didn’t know there is such a tool, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for.
As for file storage, I may recommend dropbox – simple and convenient (I have even two accounts – an official one and a second one for my personal files I want to share with my friends).
Olivier
November 20th, 2011 at 2:00 pmGreat articles
Our company is using Getprojectlog for tracking time and sending invoices. It’s free and easy to use.
Kumar
August 10th, 2012 at 2:21 pmIs Screenr something similar to Webex? Or some kinda remote access software?
Iphone app design
September 17th, 2012 at 11:13 pmIt also comes with a browser extension that works on any page and even inside Google Reader.
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