#14

There are several online productivity tools I have been employing for quite some time (though I never thought to label them as such!), so I will keep this entry fairly concise while listing and describing how I use them.

1. While I still do not love Gmail as an email application, there are a couple of its (well, Google's) features that I do enjoy quite a lot: Google Docs and Google Calendar.  I previously mentioned Google Docs as an application I've used frequently in collaborative settings, specifically for class group presentations or assignments that have necessitated more than one person having access in order to edit/add content.  The spreadsheet tool has been quite useful during past holiday shopping seasons -- I have been known to use this in order to keep track of gifts purchased, gifts intended to purchase, where to purchase them, who the gifts are for, the best prices available, and other miscellaneous gifts for backup use.  This is nice because, again, I can access the document from any computer with internet access (this would be infinitely more nice if I had a smartphone!), and update and edit it as I progress.  It helps that the tools possess the expected Google slickness we've all come to know and appreciate.  The calendar is what one would expect it to be, but is very user-friendly and easily accessible -- I don't use it all the time, but it's a handy way to keep track of appointments, work, assignment due dates, events, trips, etc.
2. TinyURL is another tool mentioned by NEFLIN that I have used for some time.  There are oftentimes laboriously long URLs present after one has been digging deeper and deeper into a website (they get especially long and convoluted in product searches on Amazon and other retail sites), so TinyURL can be used to convert them to a short, concise little piece of code that can be conveniently included in an email text or website as a link that won't take up an entire paragraph and throw off all your tabs.
3. An online to-do list called Todoist has been recommended to me by my wife.  It seems to be useful in that you can prioritize tasks at hand, sort by date and category (personal, professional, kids, etc.) -- but I've honestly only given it a cursory glance and found it a bit confusing to get underway.  I trust my wife, though, when it comes to things like this, so I will keep toying with it and may try to utilize it in the near future if my life gets more complicated as I expect it will!