Web Development Magazine

Productivity 101

Expediting your workflow is every web developer’s goal at some point or another.. Whether it’s on the backburner right now for you or not, I’m here to help you jump-start your process. Finding that one method or application is like the search for the Holy Grail… I’m going to try to dull the pain just a bit.

Now, I have a Mac… What this means for this article is that I’ll be focusing primarily on Mac methods and applications. Unfortunately for you Windows users, I’m not sure how much help you’ll find here… You might be able to find alternatives for some of the things I list, but you will benefit much more if you have a Mac.
Now let’s get started.

Droplr

There’s never been an easier way to share files and text with others. Droplr seamlessly integrates into your system and will quickly become a regular part of your workflow, and you will love it.
Quickly share screenshots, image files, notes (which you can format as markdown, code, or plain text), and other files. (I’ve tested with music files… I assume that video files and other small files will work fine.) You get 1GB of storage for free on the service, plus another 1GB if you tweet a message for them after installation and setup. With custom global keyboard shortcuts, it becomes incredibly easy to get used to using the service.
When you upload a file, the URL (which uses a short drp.ly domain) gets auto-copied to your clipboard.
The service is very similar to the currently-in-beta Cloud.app.

TinyGrab

Maybe all you need is screenshot sharing… Not all that fancy file hosting and note-taking that Droplr gives you. If that’s the case, TinyGrab will be a good app for you.
Fortunately, this one’s available for Windows, too, so if you use a Windows operating system, even your workflow has now improved. Greatly.
While it may not seem like much, this kind of functionality becomes a necessity incredibly quickly. I could not live without instant screenshot sharing… It’s much more convenient than capturing, going to an image host, browsing for the file, uploading it, copying the link, and pasting the link.
Reading that must have been boring… Doing it is no better. Now you can capture, and paste. That’s it.
Every second of your time is important… Why waste it?

Things

Task management. I cannot think of anything more important. Luckily, award-winning Things, from Cultured Code, has you covered. Beautifully.
This app is really an eye-grabber… It has an amazingly lickable interface that makes me melt in my seat. Luckily, what it has in looks, it doubles in functionality. While fancy applications can help you expedite the action of doing, this app helps you focus on doing.
It’s got a somewhat hefty price tag of $50, but it’s worth every penny.

The End

These three applications will help you more than almost anything else with your hectic workflow. You’ll be a developing machine once you learn to integrate these into your life. Which shouldn’t take long. They’re all amazing.