.. well, technically 11, but they are housed under the same ‘umbrellas’… :)

Continuing with my theme of 8 and ‘08, I’ve been giving some thought to paring down the number of different types of software I’m using and concentrate on maximizing my productivity with the 8 (or 11) tools I can’t do without. I’ll of course experiment with others and add new ones as the year progresses, but incorporating new tools without sacrificing my time or concentration (and therefore decreasing my adoption rate) should become easier if I’m streamlined to start.

The eight:

1. Desktop email and calendar (work) - Outlook

I tried Thunderbird, but for keeping me on track in my office life, the classic email client still does it for me.

2. Blog publishing & platform - Windows Live Writer & Wordpress

After reading Mitch Joel’s review of WLW a while ago I decided to check it out… I’m a big fan: easy to use, integrates seamlessly, ability to embed anything with one click, and you can post offline.

3. Mobile - Blackberry (no iPhone yet in Canada!)

Yes, I’m a crackberry addict… I’m trying to wean myself of the addiction of the flashing red light. ;) But it is essential when you’re on the go and need to send business emails (or SMS status updates).

[not really an 'online' tool per se, but it helps me connect to the online and wireless world, so I'm including it]

4. Data Backups - Mozy

Just started using this service, it’s an online remote storage solution for your documents, pictures, music… with automatic backups I don’t have to worry about remembering.

5. Collaboration - BaseCamp & Box.net

I like BaseCamp for project collaboration and use Box.net to share and store large files online.

6. Catch-all email, chat and search (personal) - Gmail

I’m a fan of Gmail and most Google products, but I do limit Gmail to personal and not business use… I’m not comfortable with one company having *that* much information!

7. Organization/ Tasks - Remember The Milk

I was pointed to this online To Do List by my good friend, and an outstanding project manager, Mark a couple of months ago.. although I still love my pen and paper, it’s the only to-do list tool online that I’ve been able to stick with over the long term.

8. Information Aggregation - Netvibes & Google Reader

Netvibes is fantastic for keeping me updated on the universe I choose to, and allows me to segregate my interests on different tabs. Weather, Twitter, News, Blogs, Gmail, Flickr, etc. widgets act as my own portal. Of course, with all that info, Netvibes can be heavy loading and isn’t altogether the best suited to consume large quantities of RSS feeds quickly, which is where Reader comes into my daily use.

+++++++

I’m thinking this could be a meme, so I’ll start one! The catch is that it’s voluntary participation vs. the obligatory tag :)

So, what are your 8 essential online / connectivity tools (so far)?

[photo credit: Dan Shouse via Flickr]