As a sometimes stressed small business owner, I appreciate little things that save time and make my tasks less difficult. Here’s a little list:

1. Recent Documents Lists
   In the olden days of a few months ago, I opened a client’s document by going to My Documents, then Avenue Z, then Projects, then to the right client project folder, then perhaps into another folder or two beyond that. Now I regularly rely on the Recent Documents list from both the Start Menu and in the left-hand column of Explorer windows. It takes the computer a couple of seconds to populate the lists, but I can usually either go straight to the right document or at least into a very close folder with one click instead of six or seven.
2. Avery Write On Tabs
   I take notes in steno pads when I meet via phone with clients. For each meeting, stick a colored label on the steno pad so I can flip back to that meeting with ease.
3. The Rules Wizard in MS Outlook
   For a while I kept all my emails in my Inbox and manually sorted them into client folders when I got time. I never got time. So instead I started creating rules when emails came in. For instance, each time an email from an employee at Company Y comes in, it automatically goes into the Company Y folder. And instead of living in the Inbox like I used to as a default view, I hang out in the Unread Mail box, which shows me the new emails even though they’re no longer in the Inbox.
4. Two Screens
   I have a laptop computer and a flat-panel monitor. I just recently started changing the display settings so that each screen shows something different. Now I can have a client’s website open on one screen and a rough draft of the new website copy on the other.
5. A Programmable Keyboard
   When I set up my home office, I invested in a nice wireless keyboard and mouse set for about $80. The keyboard has programmable buttons, and I’ve set up several of my often-used programs to start with one push. I also programmed a button to open my Avenue Z Projects folder so I can get to all client folders at once without having to fish.