I have trouble sleeping. This is an ongoing problem since my teens, and I will wake up many times during the night. Once I am awake, I have trouble falling back asleep.

This affects every area of my life. When I’m tired I can’t concentrate, I lack motivation, and I’m short-tempered. Pile up a few sleepless nights and I have physical consequences.

I don’t like the side effects of pharma remedies. Naps make it worse. I fall asleep hard, and wake up groggy and feeling hungover, way past the time I should have woken up.

A few years ago I learned about Pzizz. Using a combination of binaural beats, spoken work and soft music, the software produces MP3 tracks to help power nap.

I was skeptical. But I was also desperate. I bought it, fully prepared to use the generous money back guarantee. I generated my first 20 minute nap, and tried it out on a weekend, with an alarm clock as my backup. I was surprised to find that I fell asleep easily, woke up when I was supposed to and felt wonderful afterward. I next purchased the night-time module to generate tracks to go to sleep with. It worked as well.

I am a very satisfied Pzizz customer. If you want to check out the products, click on the link in the sidebar of this article. They are well worth the price, even if you don’t have trouble sleeping, but especially if you do.

Note to iPod Touch/iPhone users: Pzizz has also released applications to generate naps on the go. These work very well, without the hassle of having to generate a nap and transfer the resulting MP3.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Pzizz. I joined the affiliate program because I believe in, and use, the product.

Photo by liquene

I dislike wasted effort. And since I spend most of my days (and nights) on a computer, typing the same thing over and over again is wasted effort.

I’ve had long experience with text replacers over the past five years. I started with ShortKeys, tinkered with AutoHotkey, and looked at many others over the years. Most didn’t even last a full day on my computer. AutoHotkey was too much like work (literally, since I’m a programmer). And ShortKeys has no shortage of quirks.

Enter Breevy. It’s a program that has taken the best of the programs without any annoyances.

The Basics of Breevy

Breevy is an auto-text expander. It not only allows you to expand text as you type, but you can also launch programs and websites using it.

The program itself is written in a non-Microsoft dependent format. This means when Microsoft randomly forces an update of your operating system on you, it is not likely to break because of a dependency on Microsoft code. It is also very light on memory (3748K on my machine), registering at less than half what ShortKeys takes up (12,740K).

The Breevy Interface

The left side of the Breevy screen contains a list of folders. These folders can be used to group your abbreviations together — something I find very handy. I have split mine into work, email, HTML and others. You can change folders by clicking on the folder, or see everything by clicking on the top level. You can even nest folders more than one level, allowing for a great deal of organization.

The right side of the screen contains the list of abbreviations in the folder. You can change how they are sorted, making it very easy to find the one you are looking for.

Clicking on an abbreviation brings up the modification area at the bottom of the screen. You can set your abbreviation key, the case-sensitivity, replacement text, and the description. All of these columns show in the abbreviation area and can be sorted by.

Breevy Abbreviation Options

One of the strengths of Breevy is the ability to control, by abbreviation, the case-sensitivity of the output, and when the text is replaced.

Case Sensitivity

Each abbreviation comes with three casing options: case insensitive, case sensitive, and “adapt replacement case to case of typed abbreviation.”

The first option allows you to use your abbreviations regardless of case. For instance, if you had an abbreviation called “l8r” that expanded to “later”, you could type any one of L8R, L8r, l8R, l8r to have it expand.

The case sensitive option allows you to have multiple expansions for a given set of letters. Thus, you could have replacements called L8R and l8r expand to two different things.

Feature alert: Breevy is smart enough to catch possibly conflicts between case-sensitive and case-insensitive abbreviations, and warns you that there might be a possible conflict.

The third feature, which I’ve never seen in a text expander before, adjusts the text to match the case you typed in. So if you have an abbreviation “cc” that expands to “camel case”, you would get the following:

• cc — camel case
• CC — CAMEL CASE
• Cc — Camel case

Text Replacement Options

Most text replacers allow for a global text replacement option. You need to trigger the replacer by either prefixing or suffixing the text you type in with a sequence of characters. Breevy allows you to set this by abbreviation. You can have the text trigger immediately when you type in a sequence, when you press a “word-ending character” (fully customizable in the settings) or by pressing a trigger key after the sequence.

Having the text replace when you have matched the sequence is great when you have special characters. For instance, when I type in “/H1″, I want the expander to put out HTML H1 codes. This customization means I can put in a prefix of my own without worrying I will accidentally insert them into a letter.

Having a replacement trigger on a word-ending character is the type of thing you see in replacers within word processors. This fixes errors as you type. Great for common typos.

Having the trigger key (customizable) allows you to use a key to force the program to put the text in. I find this is good for codes I may want to put in that may actually be words that stand on their own.

Breevy Features

Here are the things I really like about Breevy:

• Folders for organization. As mentioned above, this is an important feature for me. My ShortKeys list had 500+ entries in it. I rarely found anything. Breevy has allowed me to split out the abbreviations into functional areas.
• Program launch. Although I use Launchy, it was difficult for me to get specific websites set up to launch on command. Breevy does it with little effort.
• Imports Word Autocorrections. Yes, it will import the entire Word autocorrection file in, giving you the same sort of spelling replacement in other programs.
• Include clipboard. You can tell the abbreviation to include the contents of the clipboard in the replacement. This is great if you routinely wrap clipboard text with something else (in my case, with HTML).
• Special symbols. Breevy can handle special symbols, like © and non-English letters, like umlauts and accents.
• One screen editing. I really dislike programs that have screens everywhere for editing. Breevy’s interface is one-stop shopping, all on screen. The screen also doesn’t vanish when you switch to another program, like ShortKeys does.
• Cursor positioning. You can include the cursor position in your replacement text. This allows you to put your cursor at the place you would start typing without having to move the arrows or mouse.
• Variable date insertion. You can use Breevy to insert dates and date parts into your text. For example, for my work comments, I have it put the date in a YYYYMMDD format. Breevy handles this with no problems.

What is Breevy Missing?

I haven’t abandoned ShortKeys completely. That is because ShortKeys allows me to access Alt, Control, Home, End, and the arrow keys. This allows me to move around on the screen. For instance, one frequent replacement I do is on the fourth line from the top of the screen in a document.

The good news is when I asked the developer about this, he indicated it would be forthcoming in a future release.

Conclusion

I am really impressed with Breevy. I have put it to use and really tested it in my everyday working. It is as flexible as I could possibly wish, and really works quickly, with no noticeable lags or system loads. I also couldn’t get the thing to crash, and I tried.

Since buying Breevy entitles you to lifetime free upgrades as well as protection by a 30-day money-back guarantee, I suggest you give it a try. You will be very surprised how much it improves your time on the computer.

Special Offer for Simple Productivity Blog Readers

16 Software has generously offered a limited time 25% off discount on their product for readers of Simple Productivity Blog. To take advantage of this offer, you can use the direct link, or use the coupon code of SIMPLEPRODUCTIVITY. This offer will be valid from 15 Feb 2010 to 21 Feb 2010.

Disclosure:

Note: I was provided with a free full working copy of Breevy to evaluate and write this review from. I have no other affiliation with 16 Software.

In today’s world, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t have a cell phone such as an Android based phone, or even an iPhone. If you don’t have one today, you’re really missing out! I have an Android, as well have played around with an iPhone, and I wanted to show you the applications that I use on my phone that help me boost my productivity, when I’m working with my small business.

If you’re interested in the following apps, you can either download them on your Android, through the “Market” app, or if you have the iPhone, you can download them via your phone, or through iTunes.

• SugarSync (iPhone + Android): I love this application, and it’s by far my favorite. What you will do is sync up your phone with your computer, and it will automatically send files from your computer straight to your phone. It’s great to have my computer in two places!
• Documents to Go (iPhone + Android): Want to read your Microsoft Office documents on the go? This simple $3 application will allow you do just that. You can read Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
• Scan2PDF (iPhone + Android): Let’s say that you want to scan something, and convert it into a PDF file. With this application, you will simply take a picture of the document, and the application will do all the dirty work for you, and send the file to you in a PDF format.
• GDocs (Android): Like Microsoft Office, Google has its own version, where you can edit documents, spreadsheets, and more. You can upload them straight to Google Docs via your account.
• ServerUP (Android): If you run a web business, and you want to know if your website is up, and running, ServerUP will monitor your websites. When your websites are down, the application will notify you on the phone.
• AK Notepad (Android): Ever have an idea, or maybe you wanted to write something down really quick? AK Notepad allows you to jot down notes anytime you want to write something down.
• Nimbuzz (iPhone + Android): Do you have an instant messenger user name on a few platforms such as AIM, and Yahoo!? Well, now you can stay connected 24/7 with your phone. This application will combine your accounts all into one messenger for your phone, making it easy to chat with anyone all in one place.
• Jott (iPhone): Jott is a great program. What you can do is talk into the phone jotting down notes by voice. Jott will then transcribe your voice into actual notes. It’s very accurate, and highly rated on the app store!

Phones are definitely not what they were a few years ago. Today, you can do just about everything you can do on a computer, and more. Yes, you can still make phone calls, but you can do so much more for your business. It’s a great way to stay connected, no matter where you are with your business.

Photo by edans

I have been using Launchy for many months. It’s a great little application and saves me time every single time I use my computer.

Intro to Launchy

Launchy is an application launcher. It will automatically figure out what applications are on your computer and with a (configurable) keyboard action, will allow you to start them.

Launchy is open source, and it is free.

Configuring Launchy

Launchy has many features:

• Configurable launch sequence. You can choose the keys that you want to use to bring up the Launchy screen. It is a full keyboard complement.
• Configurable suggestion list. The GUI can be set to show as many or as few options as you wish.
• USB mode. The program can be run from a USB drive, making it a great launcher for portable applications.
• Configurable catalog. You can set and exclude files from the catalog of files it will launch. For example, I added a couple of directories off my thumb drive, and the directory that contains my self-programmed utilities.
• Plugins. Launchy allows you to start websites with configurable search strings with the plugin Weby. Runny allows you to run items like the command prompt. There are many plugins available.

Launchy really does make working easier. My hands never have to leave the keyboard to start another application, and I find myself using the mouse much less.

Photo by stringflickr

OK, this subject is a strange one, but knowing the weather — at least the big events — is crucial to my feeling of comfort. Perhaps it comes from growing up in a place where sudden storms leveled a town, where the tornado sirens went off twice a day for testing (noon and 5 p.m.), and where blinding snow and dangerous windchills would broadside us during the winter.

Even though where I live now sees the weather coming, I still like to know. Even if it is just a warning that it will be raining and the people on the interstate will start driving like the road is covered with black ice.

I looked at three weather applications: the built-in application, Accuweather, and Weatherbug.

Built In Weather

The built in application had very nice graphics. It is easy to configure, but the screen shows current weather and a line each for the next seven days with the day, a weather icon, and the high and low temperatures.

There are no severe weather alerts, and no details.

Accuweather

I liked the free Accuweather application for a while. But it really gave me trouble navigating around, and the alerts were often delayed (as were the weather conditions). Most of the people who like it really love it, but I just found the inaccuracies too great.

WeatherBug

I’ve had the Weather Bug application on my desktop for years. I did pay for this application, and I like not having any ads. The interface is easy to use, and gives me all the information.

What Is Lacking

What I would really like to have in a weather application is push alerts – the data source pushing out alerts to my Touch instead of waiting for me to check. The Accuweather application supposedly has it, but it didn’t work for me. According to their support team, Weatherbug is going to have this feature some time this spring.

There are other weather applications out there, but I was reluctant to buy-and-try. Does anyone have any favorites they would recommend?

Photo by phatman

I’m now a few months into the Grand iPod Touch experiment, and I’m settling into my new system. I’ve discovered workable solutions (for me) to the fundamentals of a productivity system. Here is what I’m using to date:

Calendar

I’ve set up the Touch to sync with my Google Calendar. Since I also have my Google calendar sync with my Palm desktop (I will NOT use Outlook!), I have a three point entry to one repository. I can enter data in the Palm desktop, right into Google calendar, or on the Touch, and it appears on the other two. I like this flexibility because I have access no matter where I am.

Tasks

I am still using Remember The Milk (pro) to manage my tasks. I have a three point entry here as well; I can enter through the web interface, the Touch app, or by sending email.

I particularly like the email access because I can forward emails I need to take action on and have them appear in my task list, with all details attached.

I have also worked out a way to push everything from Bonsai to RTM via Excel and email that allows me to simplify my project planning.

Email

For a long time I was using the native Touch email application to get into my Gmail. It caused some difficulty because it didn’t really move messages to the Trash when I deleted them, so I was doing a lot of cleanup. I found the Google Gmail mobile site, though, and switched. (This runs through the Safari application on the Touch).

This application gives me full access to all the features of Gmail in a well-designed screen.

I actually have to be connected via Wifi to use this, but this is of little matter. For those rare times when I want to send and email and don’t have a Wifi connection, I can still use the native app.

Contacts

Google Contacts are a subset of email, and I use the native Touch application to manage them. My contacts, like my calendar, sync from my Palm desktop, so I have a copy in three places. Using Google Contacts also gives me the ability to auto-add people I have emailed. This had been a problem in my previous systems.

Notes

I don’t keep too much reference material on my portable devices – just useful information I may need on the go, like equipment modes, birthdays and clothing sizes. Since I wanted multiple points of entry on this as well, I chose Awesome Note for its ability to sync to Google Docs.

The sync process on this is manual, but since this information hardly ever changes it suits me well.

I’m always on the lookout for other productivity improvements using the Touch. I’m evaluating a few other applications right now, but the system seems to be working pretty well using Google applications.

Does anyone have any must-have iPod Touch/iPhone productivity applications?

Photo by Yodel Anecdotal

I switched to Firefox almost as soon as it came out. While I work with Microsoft products for a living, I hated working with IE6. Firefox gave me so much more… tabbed browsing, and the ability to expand functionality with extensions! Oh my, the extensions!!!!

Don’t you hate it when something that works well for a long time stops?

But it was bound to happen. Firefox slowed down. To the point where I couldn’t use it at home anymore. I would click on a site, and it would be slow to load. And then any time I was typing anything — search, URL or whatever — there was a significant lag, and sometimes my typing didn’t always show up completely.

Back to Basics

Mozilla recommends that the first thing you do is remove all extensions.

Remove my extensions? Are they nuts? My extensions make Firefox easy for me to incorporate in what I do. Still, I had to do something, so I opened up the screen to see what I could remove. Surely there were things I wasn’t using.

What I Found

If there ever was an area that needed decluttering, it was my Firefox extensions. I never realized how much stuff had accumulated. 3 different managers for GMail, tools for dissecting and reassembling web pages, and some extensions that I don’t even remember why I installed.

So out they came.

But It’s Still Slow!

The Great Shoveling of Extensions had no effect. So I had to go further. I knew it couldn’t be all the extensions, more likely the problem was in one or two of them.

So I made a list of the ones I had to have. Then I removed everything.

Zippy!

Firefox came back to a quick little browser. So I started re-adding the extensions one by one.

Problem Child Found

It turns out that the problem child was the Google toolbar. So while I miss having my Google bookmarks right there, I am currently working without the extension. And Firefox is still zipping along.

Please note this doesn’t mean it is a problem everywhere – I’m still using the toolbar at work with no problems. Go figure.

Photo by fczuardi

I’ve always been skeptical of online money management tools. I couldn’t figure out what they would get me that I didn’t have already.

And honestly, most online tools I had looked at before either only did accounts for a specific institution, or were a vehicle to sell me things. What I wanted was everything in one place, and that happened on my husband’s computer in a set of spreadsheets.

Mint came onto my radar with an article from Lifehacker (see Mint is the Most Popular Web-Based Personal Finance App), and then an article from Gina Trapani (see Why I Stopped Being Paranoid and Started Using Mint). Both made me think that Mint was different.

So, tired of not really understanding where our finances stood, I signed up for Mint over my last break from work. It was free, and asked only for my username/passwords – so I felt comfortable that no transactions would take place. Then I watched the magic as it pulled in my bank data.

The thing I’m really impressed with is the iPhone/iPod Touch application. I have the summaries of Mint with me at all times. The application from my bank has a flaw where it doesn’t include pending transactions on one screen, but does on another, and the balances never match. Mint doesn’t have that problem.

We’ve used Microsoft Money for years, but the budgeting module is just painful. Mint allows me to classify transactions quickly and sets up initial budgets as well.

I also set up some notifications. Since I am no longer salaried, I worry that a glitch somewhere in the manual time sheet process will mess up my paycheck. So I set up a notification to let me know when the transaction occurred. It was good to be able to say “I want to know” and have the application take it from there, rather than me having to remember to look later.

So far, I’ve been impressed with what Mint is doing for me. If you haven’t looked at it, take a gander. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Please note I have not been compensated in any way to make this review.

Another note: my husband is excellent at managing money and finances. But his near-fatal accident two years ago has me skittish when I don’t understand a critical process enough to be able to step in.