Staying productive can be a challenge for anyone, so I thought I’d share three free applications which I’ve come to rely on each day.
Hamster:
Hamster is a time management program which can record your activity and help you stay on top of your work goals. Before I had this program I had only a rough idea how many hours I worked each week, and now I know exactly how many I work and am given a statistical overview of how I’m spending my time. If you struggle with time management, than give this application a try.
Don’t use Linux as your OS of choice? Than check out this lifehacker article on time tracking applications available for different operating systems.
Redshift:
Redshift is my go to program for keeping eye strain to a minimum. It’s easy to use and it makes your screen much easier to look at by providing a filter on your screen to minimize eye strain. If you’re constantly using eye drops when you use a computer, perhaps you should give Redshift a try.
Vim:
Sometimes you simply need a text editor to get some work done. If you’re tired of your default text editor and want something that provides additional functionality (eg. colour themes, line numbering, set tab spacing, etc), than perhaps an upgrade is required. Although the time benefits a new text editor can provide may be minimal initially (in fact be prepared for a small time investment when learning VI commands), over time these small time savings will add up.
Don’t like Vi? Perhaps Emacs may be a better fit for you.