From Source: Zen Habits

As someone who does most of his work on the web, I’ve developed some habits to allow me to work quickly, without distraction, so that I can get my work done easily.

When I see others browse the web, it sometimes surprises me how far behind they are, and when others see me browse the web they’re surprised at how quick I am.

I’m not bragging — I know there are web monkeys faster than me. But I thought I’d share some of my tricks for the masses, in hopes that it’ll be of some use.

First, understand that everyone has their own personal style of browsing, and I don’t think you should adopt every tip below. This is what works for me. You probably won’t like it as much.

Second, understand that my philosophy is one of minimalism: I don’t like a lot of bells, whistles or distractions, and I like fast, lightweight programs that aren’t bloated or slow. I also like to work quickly, using the keyboard mostly, so that I can get my work done without friction.

So here are my tips — some of these will be old hat for web veterans, but they bear repeating.

Listropolis' Take:

GREAT list! These tips are simple, and can be implemented immediately.

See the List

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The title might be a tad over-dramatic, but having played with Spotify for about 10 minutes, I'm convinced it's the hands-down best damn streaming music player I've ever seen - and thanks to TechCrunch and their post How To Try Spotify Immediately, No Matter Where You Live. They have a great explanation - but this little hack might not last long, so I'm just going to give you the steps to do it, and you can read about it after downloading.

Here are the steps:

Invite yourself from anywhere:
1) go to http://www.daveproxy.co.uk/
2) enter the following URL: https://www.spotify.com/en/get-started/
3) Create your account, for UK postcode - check http://www.postcodesearch.org.uk/

Now get downloading before they close this thing up. Thank me later.

If you need a little more info, just think iTunes - but all streaming. You can make playlists and drag streams into the playlist for later. Do you really need to know more?

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From TechRadar:

When it comes to the Internet, we're creatures of habit – Google for search, Hotmail for email, Twitter to stay in touch and maybe the BBC's website for news.

This means that we use only a handful of favourite sites, leaving the rest of the Internet unvisited. Let's put that right. By the time you've finished reading, we promise that your list of bookmarked sites will have ballooned and you'll be getting more from your surfing.

See the List

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From The Wojo Group:

You could write a book on website optimization, in fact people already have. But, here’s 10 really easy steps to getting your sites optimized for speed. Hopefully this will get you started and you’ll want to investigate front end optimization a little further.

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From NowPublic:

In the real world, location can be everything.  On the Internet, a website's virtual location, its URL, can be just as important.

Most URLs give you exactly what you think they will.  Money.com takes you to CNN's Money page.  If you're looking for a car, go to Cars.com.  Movies.com gives you all the information that you would could want that has to do with Hollywood.

Then there are the ones that suck -- those complete wastes of excellent domain names that take you to a blank page (or even worse, a dreaded advertising page).  Here are some URLs that SHOULD be something.  They just aren't.

See the List

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Funny, You Don't Look Like A Grandmother

From the Site:

I've been publishing Web Digest For Marketers since April 14th, 1995. It was the very first email newsletter about Internet marketing.

My staff and I have seen tectonic changes that will only accelerate. On the other hand, we've witnessed many "next big things" fizzle and die, never to be heard from again.

The 12 trends below represent what I think you need to keep an eye on in the foreseeable future. Enjoy.

See the List

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