"I've completed five Pomodoros so far today." The status from a friend on Facebook stopped me cold. Not because I didn't know what Pomodoros are, but because I never figured my programmer friend would ever use them. Timers are one of my best friends when it comes to keeping on track. In fact, as I write this article, I am using the Instant Boss timer to keep me on track.

"Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound"...Superman is untiring and unceasing in his efforts to get things done. He changes roles quickly (in a phone booth), and zips out at top speed to get to the places he needs to be. No matter how many people seem to need his atttention he is available. But there is another type of superhero lurking around the corner.

It always amazes me when I manage to trip myself up in the productivity realm. Usually it's because I let things get away from me by ignoring them, or because I've taken on too much. That's not a good thing to do for more than a day, if your goal is to get things done. Here is how to get going again when you are stopped.

Have you ever gotten so far behind in something that it would be easier to start over than to catch up? Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and start over. Here's how to do it.

"The best laid plans of mice and men Go often awry". Isn't that the truth? So often you make plans on what you will accomplish (your task list), perhaps even setting aside blocks of time (your calendar), just to see it get blown to bits by an unexpected occurence. It happens, and that is life. But that doesn't mean you can't recover from it quickly and get back on track.

One of the best ways to increase your productivity skills in software is to learn the shortcuts. While menus make it easy to find the features you are looking for, shortcuts take you there immediately - without having to lift your hands from the keyboard. But learning the shortcuts for new software can be hard, and can interrupt workflow if you have to move your eyes from the screen to a place where you have them written down. Enter the DIY cheat sheet wallpaper.