Save time at the office with time-saving Apps like Jing, Cloud Up, Join Me and Text Expander.
Everybody loves a good solid tech tip. My favorites are the time savers. I have combed through and found my top 5 guaranteed time savers that I hope earn you back some of that precious time that we all have too little of.
Jing
Jing is probably the most used tool on my computer. Jing is a simple, free download for MAC or PC that allows you to share images and short videos of your computer screen. With Jing, you can capture or record and then instantly share with a quick link or saved file. I use it for capturing errors, recording training videos and taking quick screen grabs of data for client review.
For those who aren’t interested in downloading a program to take screenshots, howtotakeascreenshot.org gives you step by step instructions for taking screenshots without any extra tools. While not always as quick, easy and fun as Jing, for those who don’t take many screenshots this is a great resource to bookmark.
CloudUp
CloudUp allows you to upload files and documents for easy sharing across IM, email, social media, etc. With CloupUp, I can upload large files and email a quick link to a client instead of trying to FTP or share the files over dropbox. This is a free App for up to 1000 items with almost 200GB of storage. (Anyone else sensing a theme in this list?)
TextExpander
I assure you, I am not exaggerating when I say I can’t do my job without TextExpander. As the Client Services Manager, I write a lot of emails and text expander allows me to create short snippets that expand into styled or un-styled text of virtually any length. I have expanders for my signature, form emails, bits of code and various other bits of information that I tend to send over and over again. According to my text expander settings, I have saved over 77 hours of typing just by using this App. Unfortunately, this App does come at a price. While everything else on this list is free, Text Expander is a $35 program. However, a similar App with fewer features but a much friendlier price of $5 is aText. I encourage you to try one of these out. Both have free demos and in no time, you will wonder how you ever worked without it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Shortcuts are simple but oh so helpful. Here are a few of my top picks.
Command+A
Selects All. Most effective when used with Command + C and Command + V. Select, copy and paste in seconds.
Command+Shift+V
Inconsistent formatting can be a thing of the past. This shortcut pastes text and matches the style of the document or email you are working in. While virtually unknown to me a year ago, now I use this shortcut daily to remove weird fonts, colors and styles from copied text and match that text to my own formatting guidelines. (Windows Users: CTRL+Shift+V)
Command+Down Arrow
Forget Scrolling to the bottom of a text document of web page. Use this shortcut to instantly skip to the bottom. (Windows Users: CTRL+Down Arrow)
Command+T
Open a new tab in your browser window (Windows Users: CTRL+T)
Function+Delete
If you have ever transitioned from a Windows machine to a Mac, this may be one of the few keyboard buttons you missed. Worry no more my friends.This shortcut forward deletes text.
Join Me
Join.Me is an instant screen sharing service that makes client training or showing off a new online project a breeze. It is a user friendly program that makes meetings easy with no traveling or conference room scheduling necessary. After a quick download, the screen sharer, gives a 9 digit code to the person(s) they want to share their screen with.
The person(s) then enter the code at join.me and then they are instantly able to view the sharer’s screen. Connect to audio and then you are set. Best of all, it is free! You can’t beat that.
