Step away from your inbox! Don’t think you can? Well, this simple service called AwayFind will allow you to do just that.

One of the reasons you feel the need to check email email every 20 seconds is the fear that there might be something urgent sitting in your inbox. If you are serious about being more productive with email, you'll need to eliminate the urgency from your inbox. If you’re not sure where or how to begin, AwayFind provides the means.

Once you create an account at AwayFind.com, they'll place a link to your AwayFind contact form in your email signature or auto response message. When someone completes the contact form, you'll receive a text message or you can elect to route messages for delegating to others based on the category selected.

Read about some of the common and creative uses for AwayFind here & here. If that’s not enough, at the end of the process you also get a few helpful bonuses in the form of video tips, a downloadable "Guide to NOT Checking Email" and specific instructions for how to turn off notifications within YOUR email application.

I met Jared Goralnick, the creator of AwayFind, at a local DC event and he invited me to try out the next version, AwayFind 2.0- Orchant, currently in beta, by invite.  He was also kind enough to provide a link good for 10 invites . You should definitely check out Jared's blog at http://www.technotheory.com/- he definitely GETS how to be productive using technology.

A short and sweet post about software services and tech tools…

Who: Free Online OCR

What: Online conversion service from image or pdf to text

Where: http://NewOCR.com/

How Much: Currently free

Why: I serve on the chapter board of my professional association and had a PDF that required updating but did not have a copy of the text version of the file...and I will do just about anything to avoid retyping a document.  Of course, I only support using this tool for good and not evil- it should be used on documents that you own the copyright to.  It's quick and easy to convert a document:

1. Browse to attach file

2. Select the language

3. Select whether to rotate the document

4. Click 'send file'

Viola! Within seconds, you'll have access to download the file as a text file or Word document!

For converting other types of document check out this Tech Toolkit tip.

I hear from people all the time about how they want to use technology to be more organized. You want to know which software to use to track day-to-day life through email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes...among others, but these are the top 5. You've tried and tossed in the towel because it’s just too cumbersome… and sometimes you keep trying and before you know it you're spending so much time trying to create the system you forgot the purpose of creating it in the first place. You want a system rooted in technology but keep reverting back to paper.

Here are the three keys to creating a system that works. My three-pronged approach may seem quite obvious on the surface. However, when I work with clients who are struggling with their system they're always missing one of these key components.  The ideal digital organization system requires software solutions for your desktop, the internet, and a mobile device.

Desktop software on a laptop or desktop computer will allow you to store, retrieve and work with information quickly (generally speaking, netbooks don't currently provide enough processing power) and without access to the internet.

Recommended Solution: Microsoft Outlook (yes, currently only for PC users but Microsoft is releasing MS Outlook 2010 for the Mac) or Apple Mail for Mac; Evernote Desktop for Notes

Internet solutions or Software as a service (SaaS) will allow you to access your information if you don't have access to your desktop in an emergency or if you are a frequent traveler.

Recommended Solution: Google Apps including Gmail (I recommend using IMAP to send and receive email), Calendar and Contacts; Google Sync for synchronization with Outlook; ToodleDo for tasks plus ToodleDo Sync to sync with Outlook or iCal subscription for the Mac; Evernote for Notes

A mobile device is the third prong and often where most systems fall apart.  The ideal handheld mobile device will allow you to quickly and easily capture information. If you're serious about using technology to keep you organized it's necessary to invest in a tool that you WILL use to enter information into when you are away from your computer. If you aren't disciplined enough or hate your device, you simply won't do it and your system will fall apart.

Recommended Solution: iPhone or iPodTouch using native functionality to sync email, contacts and calendar with Google; ToodleDo App for tasks; Evernote App for Notes. Please Note: The iPodTouch will not allow you full time connectivity, however, it provides the ability for you to enter information when you are on the go.

Finally, if you aren't willing or are unable to implement this 3-pronged approach, I recommend establishing a hybrid paper/digital information organization system, which can work but requires some discipline…and that's a topic for another day.  As I always say, if your system is working for you then don't change it. But most likely you're reading this because you have some questions about how to use technology to manage your day-to-day information. I invite you to ask your questions in the comments section.

I was reminded of the Jing project by my VA friend, Lisa Wells recently. Since I already use TechSmith's Camtasia Studio (which allows you to record, edit, create audio and video productions), I initially hadn't seen the value in using a program with fewer features. Boy, was I wrong! Camtasia Studio is a fantastic, feature-rich suite of products but it's an investment and not intended for the novice.

Jing (http://jingproject.com) is a screen and video capture tool that is easy to install and super-easy to use. It's available for both PC and Mac users. And I am in awe of the supreme simplicity TechSmith has injected into this software.

The 'sun' controls are cute, simple and unobtrusive (see top left). You have three options: Capture, History and More.

'Capture' allows you to select a window, a section of a window or customize selection to a desired area for screen or video capture. Next, you're prompted with image, video, redo or cancel options. If you go pro, you have the additional option of capturing video via a webcam.

If you want to capture an image from your screen, you have a few simple, annotating tools at your disposal including: text, arrows, frames and highlighting. If you choose video, you can pause/resume, choose to record sound or not, restart and cancel. Selecting 'stop' automatically provides you with a preview of your video, which you can then upload to a free Screencast (http://screencast.com) account, save to a drive, or edit in Camtasia. They do restrict you to five minutes of video whether you stay with the free version or go pro.

The 'History' option provides access to just that- the history of what you've done in Jing. Under the 'More' option, you can create a 'hotkey' (or keyboard shortcut) for capture, edit the video format (with pro option only) and edit account info. You also have the option to create a new button to customize sharing on your Screencast account.

They've kept the pricing simple, too. Free for the basic version and Pro Features are available for $14.95 per year (which they so aptly point out equates to 28.8 cents per week).

This is one program you just have to download! You can use it to capture screen or video for creating products to sell, sharing information in blog posts, doing demo's for clients, or even providing technology lessons for your less tech-savvy family & friends. Possibilities are endless- tell us what you would use it for…