FACT: Each one of us only has so much time in one day.

The other day I heard that over the course of an average lifetime an individual will spend six months waiting on red lights.  That’s crazy!  So, while we aren’t waiting on red lights lets make the most of each day, okay?

I figured that I would write a post on some of my favorite time saving/life altering websites/apps.  So here goes.

Favorite Websites

Grooveshark:  I love grooveshark.  I can’t say that it has replaced my use of itunes, but it has come pretty close to it!  Grooveshark is a website where you can search for and listen to music.  When you create an account (which you don’t have to in order to use the site) you can save playlists.  This is a key feature for me.  I listen to music all the time.  I listen to music according to what kind of mood I am in or what task is at hand.  Creating playlists scratches my itch for mood/task oriented music.  Another sweet deal with grooveshark is that you don’t have to pay for it!  It’s free.  So, if you are looking to check out an artist but don’t want to pay for the album yet, then this is the ticket for you.  Jump on search for whoever and let the music play.  I’ve found several new artists that I like through grooveshark.  Since it is an internet based site I can be on my laptop at starbucks and listen to the playlists I’ve created, or on any other computer, so long as it has internet access, and listen to my playlists.  I love it.

YouVersion:  If you haven’t found YouVersion.com yet than shame on you!  This is a fabulous site.  There are tons of different Bible versions just a click away over at YouVersion.com.  One of the things that I like is that I can copy and paste Biblical text right over from their either into blog posts, papers, or youth group lessons.  It is quick, and I can change the version to check out parallel passages with the click of a button.  The site has far more capabilities than I use right now, but it is a kickin site.  Check it out!

DropBox: This is a sweet little run around to the always-annoying thumb drive.  I probably own two or three of those little memory sticks, but to be honest I only know where one of them is, and it is never where I am.  So, DropBox has solved my problems with that.  It is a free service that allows you to sync files between computers.  Right now I have dropbox installed on my laptop, my home desktop and my ipad.  It allows you to access your files from where ever you are.  It keeps the files synced and up to date.  As being a guy that is on the run and grabbing stuff here and there, I am glad to know that I can keep it all in one place and not worry about it.

Evernote: I use evernote to gather and file ideas.  If I have an idea flowing I need to write it down.  If I don’t it will be gone!  I can’t tell you how many of those “GREAT” ideas I’ve had that are now lost somewhere in my brain.  Evernote easily grabs ideas, websites, images, and anything else you feed it and saves it into notebooks.  This is also synced across platforms and kept online too.  Check it out.

Favorite Apps

Budget:  Okay, don’t judge the program by the website.  I know the site may look cheesy, but this thing is a huge timesaver!  Tiffany and I have been working the famous “Dave Ramsey Envelope System” for a while now and it has been helping us out incredibly.  This is a little piece of software that has saved us time and effort.  You don’t have to trick it to do anything.  It is made for those of us who use the envelope system.  All I can say is that it is worth the investment.

Cramberry:  This is a neat little app for the ipad or iphone.  It is a note card study tool.  I like it because I can create different sets of cards and review them in different ways.  It brings the cards up and allows you to tell you if you got the answer right or wrong.  The cards that you have gotten wrong show up more consistently than the ones that you already know.  It is a fun little timesaver.

Flipboard:  This is a sweet little app that combines all of your feeds into a magazine format.  When you fire up the app you are presented with a few different options.  You have your facebook feed, twitter feed, and any other feed you may choose to subscribe to.  It is a fun format and pretty well done.  I keep my facebook, twitter feeds, usa today, and culture feeds right here in this app.

Mindnode:  I’m not a huge fan of mind mapping, but when I do want to map out some thoughts and ideas this is a pretty easy mind mapping app.  It is free, so don’t expect a ton of bells and whistles.  However, that is one of the reasons why I like this program.  It is simple and clean.  It does what it is supposed to.

Like I said, we each only have a certain amount of time in our lives.  Make the most of it!  I hope that maybe something here will help you do that.  I’d love to know what some of your favorite sites/apps are!

~Peter