In an effort to enhance the Google experience in Firefox, CustomizeGoogle was born. It’s a free Firefox extension that adds flexibility to Google services. Customizing is as easy as opening the Add-on window, clicking on options and choosing what functions you would want to activate or deactivate. You can turn on Google Suggest, a feature that suggests words as you type them when doing a web search. Filter spam sites and exclude them from your web search.

One of my favorite things about this is that users can remove ads on several of the Google services available, such as in Gmail and Google Groups. You can also remove unwanted information such spam counters in your mail.

If privacy is an important factor for you, CustomizeGoogle can secure your Gmail and Google Calendar by switching to https. It also includes the option to use an anonymous Google cookie UID as well as prevent Google Analytics from receiving cookies that gives information on your surfing habits. If you’re a regular user of Google services, this add-on is worth checking out.

CustomizeGoogle is compatible with Firefox 1.0 to 3.0.

Screencapture by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media

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Tired of losing that e-mail containing the link to an article that piqued your interest? Weary of sorting through your bookmarks and looking for the one-time-read-only links you’d want to delete?

If you want to save yourself the trouble and still get to read that article you saw (but can’t read due to time constraints), then you might want to check out Read It Later. Read It Later is a Firefox extension that serves as a storehouse of the links you want to read later on, sans the cluttering of your bookmarks.

Since it’s just a Firefox extension, it’s straightforward to install. After installation, Read It Later shows up as a simple check mark on your location bar. You simply click the check mark if you come across an article you find interesting. You can also tag your found articles, if needed.  The link is then saved in your Reading List that you can access through the main Read It Later button.

Alternatively, your list is accessible via the Read it Later site using a unique Feed ID and Sync Password, allowing you to access your reading list using any device and any available browser. If you are going on a trip and won’t be online for a while, you can also bring your reading list with you with a single click of the Read Offline button. The only thing missing is a scheduled reminder that tells you when you should read specific, time sensitive articles.

Read It Later is compatible with Firefox 3.0.

Screencapture by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media

Found this video on YouTube today, which mentions some tips on how you can customize the Windows XP taskbar to become more productive. I actually used 2 of those techniques when I was still dependent on the taskbar, namely the use of Taskbar Shuffle and toolbars. However, since then I’ve moved on to a different way of organizing my desktop, taskbar-free. But if you can’t live without the taskbar, this video is worth a look.

The video above shows an interview of efficiency expert Julie Morgenstern saying that you shouldn’t check email in the morning. Although others have suggested this, including Tim Ferriss, I can’t say I’ve successfully tried it to the point that it was permanent.

How often do you check email? Do you find any difference in your productivity when you check your email first thing in the morning when you get to work?

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“The 4 Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss has been all over the blogosphere and mainstream media for the past year. The title sounds like a scam or a gimmick, and you half-expect that the official website will be a lengthy one-page sales letter that starts with “Dear Friend”. Thankfully, the reality is different: the official blog has an active community and has some additional ideas that aren’t discussed at length in the book.

The book captivated me, gave me a lot of dangerous ideas, and made me want to try it on my own. In this series of blog posts called “How I Got to the 9-Hour Workweek”, I tell the story of how I took some of the ideas from the book, used whatever applied, and created my own rules. If you’re a fan of the book or simply curious about it, you might be interested in my personal story. So here’s how I got to the 9-hour workweek:

Step 1: I figured out what my work was supposed to be.

This means the work that I love. I love writing, but I don’t like the marketing, client support, and other stuff that comes with it. At the same time, I don’t love all my writing jobs. I had to list the top writing gigs that I loved (regardless of pay) and I defined those as my work. The rest were nonessentials that I had to deal with indirectly.

Step 2: I became ruthless with my email.

What was the leading time sinker of my workweek? Email. It’s a time sinker because I knew that I didn’t have to spend hours a day on it, but that’s exactly what I did. I already wrote about how I conquered my email, so if you want to read about it, click here. Here are some changes I’ve made to the system since then:

The Inbox Zero approach. This is Merlin Mann’s baby (you know, that guy from 43 Folders). To learn more about inbox zero, click here.

Using Gmail as my sole interface. This only applies to 2 major email accounts that I use for people who are trying to contact me personally - not my company or my business partner, etc. The company-related emails are still handled by a virtual assistant.

Why Gmail? Because the search feature is kickass, and it’s web-based. I had to reformat my computer two-times recently, and restoring the Outlook stuff was a bit stressful. I realized that I needed email that I can access from anywhere at anytime and still have the same, comfortable interface. Switching between Outlook and my webmail (whenever I wasn’t at my home computer) drove me nuts.

Minimized rules. My email rules are now for archiving purposes only - like I label all PayPal notices as “paypal” if I want to read all the PayPal payments I received for a certain time period. Plus, some rules direct non-essential emails straight to the archive instead of my inbox, so I won’t feel pressured to read them ASAP.

These were the first steps I took.  Of course, there’s more.

Watch out for part 2 of this series, where I’ll talk about how I applied the 80/20 principle and used outsourcing.

 Photo Credit: Image by Rendy Aryanto  and lusi from sxc.hu

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You’ve installed them all - Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Google Talk, etc. Now, if you’re very popular (or you just have annoying contacts) you find that you get interrupted by instant messages constantly. Some of the messages are essential, while others can wait. How do you filter out the distractions while remaining accessible for emergencies?

Take advantage of selective invisible or stealth modes.  Most instant messengers allow you to selectively block contacts from seeing you. Use this feature as much as possible. While you’re working, temporarily block out your annoying cousin, while remaining visible to your boss who might need you.

Use status messages wisely.   While you can be invisible to people who have nothing to do with your work, the few people you’re visible to might abuse their “power”.  You’re busy working on something, but since your colleague Joe can see you’re online, he’ll message you about the latest office gossip.  You want to be there for Joe because of a project you’re working on together, but you don’t want to be disturbed for something unimportant.  This is where status messages come in.

If there’s an icon for “busy” or “do not disturb”, use it.  Also, modify your status message to say something like “Working on Project X, please send ONLY relevant mssgs. For other queries, please email.” - or whatever applies.

Use an all-in-one messaging system.  It’s a bit confusing (and too colorful) to use so many messaging programs at once.  Use programs that allow you to access all your isntant messaging accounts from one interface.  Examples of such programs: Pidgin, Miranda IM, and Trillian.

Remove unnecessary notifications.  When someone sends you an instant message, the most common notification is that the conversation window flashes on top, the task bar lights up like a Christmas tree (or menorah, take your pick), and a chime plays.  You don’t need all that.  Limit it to the bare minimum setting you can find, and remove the option to have the conversation window come up on top of your other windows.  You should be the one in control of when you will read/access your instant messages, not the sender.  Look for the “Preferences” or “Options” menu in your instant messenger to tinker with these settings.

Train people to use email.   Sometimes, an entire chat will eat up your time.  If that happens, cut it short and tell the other person to just email you about it.  That way, you can respond properly without letting the conversation interrupt your work.  Tell people that this will help you focus your undivided attention on them.  After all, it’s much better than shifting from work to chatting and back again.

I’ve used these tips with success for the past few months.  Are there any special techniques you use to limit instant messaging distractions?  Share them with us in the comments.

Photo Credit: Image by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media

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I don’t know what happened.  I thought I had it under control.

For over a month now, I’ve been relatively email spam-free.  I only got roughly 1 or 2 spam messages in my inbox per week.

The last two days were different.  When I woke up the other morning, I had over 150 messages.  That’s rare in itself.  What’s worse is that roughly 140 of them were spam.

And this hasn’t stopped.

Is this what the Gods of Email Spam give me because I’ve been too boastful about how I tamed email overload? They’re up there, those spam gods, saying “There! Knocked you down a peg or two!” and laughing.  I can hear them.

I’m going to see if I have some more tricks up my sleeve.  I’ll report my progress here.  I’m taking on those Gods of Email Spam!

You want to download an exclusive report or document, but to get to it you need to send in your email address. You know what’s going to happen - these people are going to send you some “newsletters” or, well, spam. If you absolutely need access to something but don’t want to be riddled with unsolicited emails as a result, you can get a throwaway email address from Mailinator.

Here’s how it works:

How do I create an account at Mailinator? It’s simple, you just send email to it. Temporary accounts are created when email arrives for them. First, you give out the mailinator email address you created, and then you check it. It’s that simple.

What email address should I use? Anything you want! You can be bipper@mailinator.com, pinkystinky@mailinator.com, or if you’re a 16-25 year old male you can be bigdaddy@mailinator.com. Just make sure your “anything” is followed by @mailinator.comWhat can I do with the email address? Give it out. Use it in webforms. Post it on forums. Use it any time you need an email address, but don’t want to be slowed down by the sign-up process or spammed for eternity.

Source: Mailinator Official Website

However, make sure that passwords or other sensitive data won’t be sent to your Mailinator address, since almost anyone else can check it. Just use it if you want to access bonus material from a website, or you satisfy that obnoxious man at the bar who keeps asking for your contact info.