Common wisdom has it that Apple is prettier.

Not just the computer, the operating system with scrolling images to browse, that sort of thing.

I found a nice add-on to Mozilla Firefox. It can liven up a Windows user’s visual browsing experience. Or a Mac’s too since it’s fully compatible.

The meat is coming up in just a moment after the intro… ever lose that great website you were looking at before which had the answer to your problem? Or a better way of doing something? And of the six different ones your reviewed, this is the one you’re going with? And now you’re looking through your browser’s history log trying to find the right site mixed in with dozens of similar sounding names? Well stay tuned because a major NASDAQ traded software company may be introducing the answer…

It’s from Intuit Software, the makers of TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Quicken for personal finance among other well known titles. They also have a range of enterprise software solutions and companies

One of their initiatives I learned about today is Intuit innovation lab (iLab). This is where they roll out “roughcuts” — early versions of software they think solves a problem.

See ThumbStrips in action.

It works like this. You browse… and it creates thumbnail images of the pages you were on in a hideable bottom bar. Click a button on your browser and you can visually see all the sites you visited.

For people like me who simplify things — no more than necessary! — and take an easy step to reduce a headache down the road, this type of getting input from the community to build better software appeals. To me, developing an answer to a problem I’d had 50 times and offering it to me is much appreciated.

→ DOWNLOAD LINK FOR THUMBSTRIPS ←

It’s now available as a Firefox add-on for PC or Mac and has passed the author nomination and editor review process at the Mozilla Foundation; it’s now approved there for public distribution.

HERE’S THE UPDATE I REFERRED TO: Mozilla declared ThumbStrips to be a Recommended Add-on for Firefox.

Firefox? It’s the better web browser.

For most people. Internet Explorer is useful in a closed corporate intranet where certain proprietary applications can only be operated in IE; however, Firefox is so customizable, so effective to set up for productivity, and so much more secure that it has actually been recommended for use by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, I think you should test drive it if you haven’t already.

To get you started if you choose to try out this innovative Firefox add-on from Intuit, I’ve created three films for you titled, naturally enough:

* Included in this ThumbStrips package is the site I reviewed in the previous post.

6-Step Directions:

1. Right click on Productivity, Growth and/or Sales link(s) above and save the *.film file to your computer. (Using Firefox this is “Save Link As…”)
2. With your Firefox browser and the ThumbStrips toolbar open, click:
   “configure > My ThumbStrips… > Load from disk…”
3. Browse to the correct file and open it.
4. The thumbnails will all appear.
5. Don’t forget to make this list your own! Click:
   “configure > Save/Share…”
6. You’ll see the “Save to My ThumbStrips” radio button will be selected. Give your file a name and click “OK”

You can add new sites, delete sites you don’t get value from, etc. Some extra capabilities include you can start or stop “recording” new thumbnails anytime. And adding sites to a “block this site” list. All that means is it won’t create a thumbnail for that site. You might want to block your own website, for example, since you already know where it is.

Ready to get started and find those sites you loved, but never thought to bookmark at the time?

Make sure you have Firefox. Then install ThumbStrips.

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© 2007-2008 Christoph Dollis Enterprises. Moral Rights Asserted.

They each have their place.

Yes, when you cut out things you don’t need to do this is a good thing. However, if you’re over your teenage years you might have actually figured out what you like to do. So rather than have someone tell you you should shut off your high-def TV and wake up an hour earlier, wouldn’t it be nice to get some of the things done you have to do anyway in a fun stress-free way so you can turn on the game or pick up your favourite magazine?

So that’s why these past few months I’ve gotten into learning about personal productivity.

Here’s a terrible secret…

… I used to be the most disorganized person on the planet. I’d have big ideas and managing the details could be overwhelming.

Have you ever looked at your email inbox or your workload or your calendar and said to yourself, “How can I get this done?”

“Without being totally stressed out?”

I don’t have all the answers. The site I’m going to introduce is based on a “Four-hour workweek” in concept and theory. Even if this is possible, I like working too much to want to be that hard core (soft core?) about it that I’m putting in 48 min. a day.

But… it’s these types of personal hacks that simplify your life so you can read, learn, and grow in addition to just work and produce. Because isn’t it really the synergy between these two ends that lead to your greater results and happiness over time?

life sutra — the 4-hour workweek journal was started by Brick Andrews, a friendly guy to have a mini-conversation with me in his comments, and also to share his ideas about living a good life. At the same time, he gets a social and public reason to refocus his mind on these important ideas. Kind of like why I’m writing my website.

He’s based his concept on a book “The 4-Hour Workweek” by a man named Timothy Ferris which you can order here through Brick’s online Amazon store.

Obviously this book takes a different approach from Getting Things Done®, my personal productivity “go to” resource of choice.

GTD is based on capturing everything so nothing falls through the cracks. Near as I can figure 4-Hour is based more on doing only what is essential and not sweating the rest. I think that’s difficult to implement in sales because if you work an average — say — 45-hour workweek to be productive as a sales pro, what 41-hours of activity can you cut out and still wow! your clients, allow for your own professional growth, and collect purchase orders, cheques, and financing arrangements?

But hey. I think it can be done for someone in a different profession. However, like a doctor, if you enjoy what you do you want to work it.

So why not drop by Brick’s contribution to advancing the cause of life-work balance, maybe order that book or GTD, and see which approach might help you best avoid stressing over what you want to do, but haven’t done yet?

Brick gave me a great idea I really appreciate: Just using one email inbox and having everything filter to it. From all your accounts.

I didn’t use Google’s GMail like he does. In fact, I don’t even really like GMail and am not sure why everyone does. Yet the idea’s sound and I’m using it with my web hosting company’s huge email inbox.

So if you send me an email to either my business or personal accounts, it shows up and I filter it through the GTD system as appropriate:

… without fiddling with two accounts. And I can send email from either email address using just one inbox yet it appears to come from whatever of my accounts I want it to.

Brick’s idea also helped with contact backup.

He uses GMail contacts. Yet he doesn’t really like them and neither do I. So I use Thunderbird, my IMAP email client’s native address book, and sync it with Plaxo, which works beautifully online. I also sync my Thunderbird Lightning Calendar with GCal from Google and from there sync that with Plaxo. Data accessibility, backup, and redundancy are important.

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ChristophDollis.com Sales Pro
The place to come for more appointments, more people in the door, and more sales!(sm)
© 2007-2008 Christoph Dollis Enterprises. Moral Rights Asserted.

Marc’s site, Office Zealot, and specifically the GTD Zone was one of the first Getting Things Done® sites I added to the Productivity category of my “blue ribbon Favourites” in the right-hand sidebar. Only yesterday I decided to get as many feeds delivered to me as possible rather than visiting all these great sites so I signed up for his site’s XML feed… and learned a few minutes ago of his untimely death due to a heart attack.

I wish the best and most peaceful future possible for Marc’s soul and I also wish his friends and family strength during this difficult time. Please realize Marc lived his life in such a way he helped people whom he didn’t even know existed like myself.

That says something about the man.

Home | Blog | Link to This Post | Contact Christoph | Refer-a-friend | Privacy | About | Add Your Opinion!

Want more on these topics? Browse the archive of posts filed under: Favourite Sites, GTD / Productivity.

ChristophDollis.com Sales Pro
The place to come for more appointments, more people in the door, and more sales!(sm)
© 2007-2008 Christoph Dollis Enterprises. Moral Rights Asserted.