Free Software Linux

Podcaster Brian Ibbott has turned out Coverville, a 40-minute podcast of cover songs and commentary, three times a week since September 2004, with only a few misses here and there. Ibbott works...

Yesterday, I sent a quick email to let people know what time I was arriving on site. It was something simple like: "Brad will be there at 9:30AM. Thanks! EOM". Within seconds a reply came back "What...

Productivity writer and Inbox Zero advocate Merlin Mann shares some of his recent updates to his talk about email-wrangling, including a bit of advanced common sense about why stashing away your...

Flickr user Gabriel Radic has an elegantly simple solution for organizing icon clutter. His "Layered Desktop" background, free to download in high resolutions, divides your computer space into four...

Technology is turning us all into a bunch of time-wasters according to The Observer, which reports that the beep of an email alert alone is costing the US economy $70 billion per year. Wonder what...

Blogger Erin Doland wanted to cut down work time on the computer over the weekend without going cold turkey, so she did it by limiting herself to only as much time as her laptop battery lasted. The...

Jotting a simple list is a great way to brainstorm, but when you want to visualize, organize, and untangle a deep set of ideas, you want a mind map. Web-based mind mapping tool MindMeister offers a...

Ira Glass, host of National Public Radio's This American Life, knows a thing or two about turning the creative process into a polished, finished product—but he also remembers turning out work...

Everyone hates the dreaded "Where do you see yourself in five years?" question, but it's a lot easier to answer when you've got written goals and a plan to achieve them. CEO Michael Hyatt blogs about...

Editor: Welcome guest writer Clay Collins, author of The Alternative Productivity Manifesto. Let's face it: if you've spent much time in the productivity blogosphere, then 100 more motivation hacks,...

Windows only: Free, open-source application Types is a lightweight, user-friendly tool for editing default applications, icons, and context menu options for filetypes in Windows. You can already...

Productivity blogger Andre Kibbe knows that he gets distracted early and often by hang-ups, inconveniences, and a school of distractions just waiting to take him away from his tasks. He recommends a...

Windows only: Freeware application FusionDesk Starter is a full-featured task management application with an emphasis on author David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology. FusionDesk sports an...

Contrary to the conventional wisdom that a word processor can’t help you to become a better writer, you can use OpenOffice.org Writer with the Writer's Tools extension to improve your writing skills and make the writing process more efficient.

Windows only: Freeware application Trayconizer turns any application into a system tray application in just a few steps. Unlike other previously mentioned minimize-to-system-tray apps like TrayIt or...