FOR THE NOVICE
Switch to Gmail
We know, we know. There are a lot of great e-mail services out there, but there are few that are as user-friendly and integrate as seamlessly into your daily life as Gmail does. Gmail batches threads of e-mail so that all those reply-all responses are together in one spot. The search function is a lifesaver, and you can easily archive e-mails that you don't want to delete but don't want to stare at in your inbox. If you're concerned about the hassle of changing your e-mail address, fret not. You can simply forward all incoming mail from old e-mail addresses to your new Gmail account.
Get Firefox (or at Least Update Your Old Browser)
Chances are you spend most of your computer time on the Internet, so the most basic thing you should do is to get away from a clunky old browser. There's a lot of debate over which browser is the best, but we find Firefox 3.5 to be a great all-around browser. It's easy to use, loads quickly, and doesn't crash often, even if you have a ton of tabs open. If you're so inclined, Google Chrome and even Internet Explorer 8 are good options, too. The point is that using a browser from two years ago that lumbers along and can't load complex sites is a waste of your limited time.
Make E-mailing Photos Easier
We love being able to share pictures of the kids with friends and family, but sometimes attaching lots of large images to an e-mail can be time-consuming. Plus, it's not exactly ideal for your friends and family who would like to, well, view those photos. They take forever to download and are inconvenient to look at. Instead, create a zip folder. Here's how:
On a PC: Highlight the pictures you want to send, right click, go to "Send To," then click on "Compressed [Zipped] Folder."
On a Mac: Highlight the pictures you want to send, right click, and then click on "Compress Files." If your mouse doesn't have a right click or you are working on a laptop, press control and then click.
Delete, Delete, Delete
Set aside a few minutes a day to manage your e-mail box. You'll save yourself time in the long run. Unsubscribe from mailing lists, newsletters, and advertising that you don't find essential. Respond to e-mails as soon as possible, archive e-mails containing information you may need at some point in the distant future, and delete the rest. That's right: Click on "Delete." There is never any need to have 1,562 e-mails in your inbox.
FOR THE MEDIUM SKILLED
Set Up a Portable Reminder System
There are several great task-reminder programs that can help you stay organized. Remember the Milk and Google Tasks are two of our favorites. Both programs can sync up with your e-mail accounts, Blackberry or iPhone, and Google Calendar.
Use an Online Document-Sharing Program
E-mailing documents—like that list of soccer snacks or the monthly household budget—back and forth between people can be annoying and confusing. After all, who knows which version is the most up to date? There are several programs that can host your documents online. Several people from many different locations can edit and access the same document in real time. Google Documents is free and has a ton of great templates like spreadsheets to plan budgets, compare mortgage rates, and calculate how long it will take to pay off your credit card. Microsoft Office Live is also easy to use and integrates easily into all of your Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
FOR THE TECHIE
Create Filters in Your E-mail
Responding to e-mails can be a daunting task when you log in and see 98 new messages. Define filters so that, for example, all of your electronic bank statements are sent immediately to a Finances folder or your electronic travel confirmations are sent to your Travel folder. In most e-mail programs, all you have to do is define the address that the mail is coming from. Tackle each folder separately so that you're not going back and forth between To Do and Must Remember.
Create Canned Responses
Think of how much time you'd save if, rather than writing the same answer to the same question over and over, you could just click one button and send out a complete response. Well, if you've taken our advice and switched to Gmail, its supersimple to generate and send out canned responses. Trust us, this will make coordinating that bake sale a lot easier.
Set Up RSS Feeds in My Yahoo!, iGoogle, or Google Reader
Keeping up with your favorite blogs and news sources can be a huge drain on your time, but My Yahoo!, iGoogle and Google Reader allow you to get the latest updates in one spot. Both programs are quick to set up and allow you to keep an eye on all the news and information you want and need, without dedicating a lot of time to it.
