Latest in productivity tips

Evernote is one of the ultimate tools in productivity, and with a wide variety of multiplatform apps, there's no limit to the way that you can use the service. We're big fans of Evernote here at MakeUseOf, for lots of reasons, so we've written a list of 10 unique ways you can use the service - with some tips and tricks you might not have thought of.
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In an interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he no plans for developing an iPad that transforms into a laptop. But that certainly doesn't keep many iPad users from using the device as a notebook computer. A friend of mine told me he actually prefers his iPad 3 over his laptop. Due to the abundant productivity tools in the Mac App Store, and the various keyboard accessories for the iPad, the device can definitely be used as a laptop.
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Ah, the humble keyboard key. Each computer user has over a hundred of them at his disposal, but most of us don’t give them a moment’s thought (except, maybe, to hunt-and-peck if you’re not a touch typist). Using the keyboard almost exclusively is one of the hallmarks of the skilled computer user, but even the nerdiest of users is usually limited to just typing and using hotkey combinations. But what if there was another way to use your keyboard?
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Learning how to touch type could mean the difference between 10 words a minute to more than 40. That could also mean the difference between adding half a day to your productivity. Or, more than that if you can clock 100 words per minute as most professional typists do. That’s why I sincerely believe that touch typing along with speed reading is one of the sacred arts of the digital age.
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The right-click menu is a favorite nook and I sometimes prefer it to application launchers because it is a faster way to connect the source document to the target folder or the application. For the sake of productivity, it is therefore the ‘right-way’. That is why, one of the first things that I do after a fresh install (or on a new computer) is taking a look at the right-click menu.
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What about resolutions that geeks in particular should consider? Tech enthusiasts tend to have different priorities than other people – watching less TV, for example, may not be applicable if you’ve already replaced it with YouTube and video games. Here are five resolution ideas that even the most hardcore geek should consider.
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Since Outlook is about as common as Word and Excel on most work computers around the world, I'd like to share with you a few tips about how you can use the really cool Journal tool in Microsoft Outlook to track your day - including every task, every email, every phonecall and everything that you do throughout the day. This is a one-click time management system that pretty much beats most anything else that you might download for free.
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My original horror story when first upgrading to Windows 8 was having no idea how to comfortably launch applications anymore. By default, there is no Quick Launch toolbar and the Start Menu has been gutted to the point where it's almost foreign. Thanks to some third-party tweaks and advice, both issues aren't very hard to fix. Even if you prefer the new style Windows has taken on in the latest version of their OS, let it be known that there are applications out there that can ease the pain of launching your most commonly-used files, folders, and applications.
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In a recent poll we held here at MakeUseOf, we found that over 75% of you already use Gmail’s new compose. By reading that poll’s comments, I’ve also gathered that while many of you are using the new compose, there are things many of you find annoying. The most common complaint, and one which I agree with wholeheartedly, is the increased amount of clicking, hovering and clicking this new interface requires.
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You took one look at the headline and thought "this guy is crazy", right? That's pretty much what I thought at first, but as the week progressed I found myself struggling with apps, multi-tasking and spending too much money in cafes (and I only went once!). What's worse is that this article was my idea. Anyone else could have taken it, but it fell to me. Perhaps the rest of the team were trying to tell me something; perhaps I should have heard the alarm bells ringing?
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If you’re like me, you spend a good portion of the day typing on your computer -- whether it’s responding to emails, writing up papers, researching on the Internet, or just chatting with your friends through instant messenger. Typing, typing, typing. And eventually, typing can become a repetitive process. We can fix that. PhraseExpander Professional by Nagarsoft is available for $139.95 USD on Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8. It’s available for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. For you, however, we’ve got a great offer that you just can’t pass up: we’re giving away 25 copies of PhraseExpander Professional worth a total of $3,500 for FREE!
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Nowadays, my cellphone performs a more essential role to me as a PDA than a communications device. When I'm heading out, my smartphone manages my appointments (synchronised with Google Calendar), ensures I've got access to essential documents (through Google Docs and Dropbox), and gives me access to the Internet as an inexhaustible pool of reference material.
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Distraction-free editors are all the rage these days, and I’m fully aboard the train as a raving fan. I love the fact that these editors block out everything else on the computer so that you can write in peace. There’s a lot that could be said regarding our culture, that we need distraction-free programs in order to concentrate, but that’s for another article entirely. In terms of software programs, there are a bunch of different distraction-free editors you can pick from.
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Over the years, Microsoft Word has become one of the best word processors in the world. I'm sure there are people out there that disagree - particularly Linux or Mac folks who would really rather not give Microsoft so much credit. But, lets face it, Microsoft has established a very large foothold in this area, and they've evolved Microsoft Word over the years to the point where it is extremely efficient and easy to use.
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The clipboard is one of the invisible but most used features of our Windows computers. But satisfied with the way it handles any copy-paste operations, we let it be…rarely fiddling with it to change its default operation. Come to think of it, it is a bit strange because copy-paste operations take place throughout the day, almost as an unconscious behavior, and always repeatedly. It may make sense to use a clipboard manager which will at least cut the repetitions of CTRL+C and CTRL+V.
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