If time is money, then the reverse must also be true, right? I’m always on the lookout for tools to help me get stuff done more quickly and efficiently. Without further ado, below are 5 that can help for the best price possible – FREE!
#1 Magical Auto Text Expander
Long a fan of creating customizable email templates using Gmail’s Canned Responses, I’ve recently jumped ship in favor of Magical’s Auto Text Expander.
By letting you create shortcuts of common replies, Magical lets you populate a response anywhere in a matter of seconds – from an email to a LinkedIn DM.
Magical is available via a Google Chrome extension – which means whatever your email tool (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) or operating system (Windows, Mac) it works!
You can find Magical in the Chrome extension store, hit “Add to Chrome” and you’re all set. The site will walk your through setting up shortcuts of your own.
JOB SEARCH USE: Use Magical to queue up customizable outreach to your network and recruiters.
#2 Unroll.me
If you’re like me – you get tons of junk mail and likely don’t really recall adding your name to the list. If your email inbox is in need of a serious decluttering, you’ll want to check this tool out.
Unroll.me lets you 1) unsubscribe to any list you’d like 2)has a roll-up feature that allows you to read email subscriptions at a time that works for you.
Seriously this is the greatest thing that has happened to since my inbox since – well – forever!
JOB SEARCH USE: None that I can think of – but who doesn’t like a decluttered email inbox?
#3 Boomerang
Boomerang for email, IMHO, may quite possibly be my favorite email productivity tool available on the market. Just like Gmail, you can hit snooze or schedule emails to be sent at a later date.
The added features, though, are what make me a huge fan of Boomerang. It can:
- Schedule reminders to yourself with notes – invaluable when it comes to following up on important messages when you don’t hear back or you’re afraid you’ll forget.
- Provide intel on message opening, read receipts and let you know if your email got viewed via mobile or desktop.
When it comes to focused productivity, Boomerang lets you hit Pause on your inbox, notify people of it (or not), and block off times when you don’t want to be disturbed.
Boomerang works on all email clients including Gmail and Outlook, and on Androids and iPhones.
JOB SEARCH USE: By letting you keep on top of one of the harder parts of job search – building and nurturing your professional network – the notes and read receipt feature are super valuable.
#4 LastPass
LastPass saves your passwords and gives you secure access to them from any device – laptop, desktop, tablets and phones.
JOB SEARCH USE: No doubt as part of your job search you have accounts for everything from job boards to LinkedIn. Access them in a matter of seconds without having to remember your passwords with LastPass.
#5 YouTube Yoga
Finding exercise you can do on the fly is a great thing. Yoga is my go-to on-the-fly workout. Not only does yoga help with building strength, flexibility and getting rid of creaky joints – it also does wonders for reducing stress, relieving anxiety, depression and insomnia according to the American Psychology Association.
While I love yoga for all these reasons, another thing to love about it is you can practice pretty much any place with enough room to lay out a towel or unroll a mat.
My go-to source for yoga is YouTube. They’ve got videos for everyone from a total newbie to someone who’s more advanced, with workouts as short as 7 minutes and as long as 90.
I probably do yoga 3X a week – and depending on my mood or body ache search accordingly. Recent searches include:
- Yoga for backache
- Yoga for core
- Yoga to wakeup
- Yoga for runners
I’ve included screenshots of two of my favorite YouTube Yogis – Yoga with Tim and Yoga with Adriene.
JOB SEARCH USE: Job search by its very nature is often filled with ups and downs that can cause stress. Yoga kills 2 birds with one stone by helping you to feel strongly both physically and mentally.
