Gone are the days when your personal time management and productivity tools have to be ruled by corporate guidelines or the limitations of your chosen computer. We live in a time when free, safe and supported software you can run within your Web browser may often be better for your personal organization needs than programs you had to run on your desktop and pay for just a few years ago. No matter what part of your life you’re looking to streamline, there are now likely several choices for free and inexpensive tools to assist you. Below are four options that range in price from free to $24/month that can help you reclaim minutes and hours of unproductive time and bring better balance and harmony to your day.

1. RescueTime – Where does it all go? Ever suddenly snap into consciousness after an afternoon fully absorbed in free roaming the Internet from link to link to link? From the website: “RescueTime sits in the background and measures which application, web site or (optionally) document is actively being used. What and when you track time is up to you. You can pause tracking, set up automated scheduling, or selectively delete tracked data.” It’s a desktop-based application for both Mac and Windows that allows you to automatically track your time spent on various projects and activities, and even set it up to help you commit to spending a certain amount of uninterrupted time with the task at hand. There’s a free version and a $6-$9 version for individuals. And no one says you have to show the reports to your boss at work ;).
2. Backpack – This web-based application is a sleek, minimalistic Swiss Army knife for your personal and professional organization needs. It has a simple, sharable to-do list app for getting tasks out of your head and into a safe, unified location; a milestone calendar that you can integrate into the calendar of your choice; a place to create and organize pages of information; the ability to store files; and shared writing spaces for collaborative work. The $24/month basic version is a perfect place to hold on to anything and everything that’s currently clogging notebooks, post-it notes, hazy memories, scrawled scraps of paper and napkin backs. And you can invite others to share parts of it with you – that could be a family member, a friend or a collaborator. Note: If you’re looking for something cheaper or free but still would like a great and simple task management app, take a look at the five apps chosen by the readers of Lifehacker.com.
3. Mail To The Future – Have you ever wanted to leave a note for the future version of yourself who will be waking up in the morning and likely forgetting to take out the trash and the recycling? Mail To The Future allows you to do just that, via email. You can compose emails and set them to be sent to you (or anyone else) at a specific day and time in the future. Now that email is retrievable on most phones, it makes for a great self-reminder system when strings on your finger, rubber bands on your wrist or post-its by the mirror aren’t cutting it.
4. Google’s Apps – If you haven’t looked at Google’s tool set in a while, it’s worth another visit. Gmail alone has grown into a powerhouse productivity application that lets you manage to-dos, read news from Web sites, text and video chat, send SMS messages, create documents and manage your calendar, all in the same place. With the addition of the free Rapportive Gmail Plug-in, you can also get a heads-up display of current info about the people you are communicating with. Google Calendar has undergone countless iterative improvements and now speaks the language of just about every other calendar around via the also free Google Sync Services platform. Google Voice, now out of invitation-only mode and free for everyone, performs countless acts of magic to save you time and energy in managing your phone communications. You can get it to send you a (wonky but usually useful) automated transcription of your voicemails and the audio itself via a playable mp3 ss_File. It can serve as your administrative assistant/gatekeeper, alerting you who is calling before you pick up and allowing you to decide whether to answer the phone, defer it to voicemail or simply hang up. You can even set preferences to handle each incoming phone number differently.

Have you found any particularly outstanding Web-based tools for juggling all of the components of your life? Or do you prefer good old-fashioned paper and pen? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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10 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes or Less

1. Take a walk
   While the cardio benefits of walking are generally most significant on walks of at least 30 minutes, a short walk around the block is a great opportunity to remove yourself from a stressful environment at home or at work. By taking the time to work your muscles (which often hold stress) and focus your thoughts, even a quick stroll around the block has recuperative benefits.
2. Make a cup of tea
   A 2009 study out of the UK demonstrated that the simple act of making tea is, in itself, linked to decreases in stress. The ritual is a chance to step away from your work, your computer and your concerns, if only for a few moments. If you’re not usually a tea drinker, then think of this as an opportunity to explore the many available varieties of tea. When you’ve found a variety you like, store it in an airtight container to maintain its fresh, clear flavor.
3. Clean out your inbox
   The glaring count of unread email messages can be a source of anxiety for many people — a constant reminder of work not completed or tasks requiring attention. A few minutes spent responding to, processing or even deleting old, unread messages can have a significant effect on your mindset. Start with the oldest messages, as those will often be the least relevant (and therefore easiest to process or delete quickly), and don’t feel the need to accomplish an entire clean-out in one 10 minute session.
4. Make a list of goals
   Take a few moments to write down a short list of three to five goals for yourself. Try to focus them around a particular element of your life — work, family, household or financial, for example. Attempt to concentrate your goals on what you hope to achieve, not the tasks necessary to get there.
5. Clear off a small piece of your workspace
   A clean, functional workspace can improve both your state of mind and your efficiency. Rather than attempting to clean the entirety of your desk, focus on one drawer or space at a time. Empty the contents and ask yourself of each item “Is this integral to the work I am doing?” If not, consider filing it away or storing it elsewhere.
6. Call an old friend
   A recent study at the University of North Carolina linked connections with good friends to a decrease in blood pressure and stress (and the Mayo clinic agrees). Reaching out to a good friend — even if only to make arrangements to speak at more length sometime soon — can both reduce stress and provide a reminder of your personal priorities.
7. Create a weekly meal plan
   
   Photo uploaded to Flickr by stevendepolo, some
   rights reserved

   The dangers of eating in response to stress are well-documented, but taking a quick break to plan your meals for the next week has the advantage of both clearing your mind and adding structure and organization to your eating and shopping routines. Studies consistently demonstrate that people who plan their meals ahead make healthier eating choices, which can lead to a decrease in stress.

8. Take a shower
   While medical studies have connected the steam from a hot shower to benefits that range from detoxification to reduced anxiety, the most obvious benefit of breaking up your day with a quick shower might simply be the opportunity to step out of a stressful environment and collect your thoughts for a few moments. Some large employers even have on-site exercise and shower facilities, which can provide quick respite from a day of hectic meetings.
9. Write a note
   If 10 minutes is just not enough time for a call to a friend, consider writing them a quick note. In a world in which we’re constantly connected by email, phone and social networks, a handwritten note is a stand-out expression of care and consideration. The very act of sitting and putting your thoughts on paper has the benefit of focusing your mind on the task at hand, and away from the sources of stress in your life.
10. Stretch
    Slow, focused stretching has been shown to reduce anxiety and can be performed nearly anywhere. A short session of stretching should focus on only a few muscle groups and should be centered on gradual repetition of the same muscles. Don’t forget to breathe — holding your breath elevates your heart rate and can add to the very anxiety you’re trying to alleviate.

Morning Glory: How to Become an Early Bird

Most of us can manage the rise. The shine, on the other hand, is a little harder to pull off.But there’s good news for those of us who wish we could get out of unhealthy relationships with our snooze buttons: It is possible to rewire our body clocks and become, if not one of those people who spring from bed already in song and full makeup, then a near approximation thereof.

Some of what determines whether we’re night owls or larks is genetic. In 2003, researchers at the University of Surrey isolated a gene that appears to regulate our internal clocks, determining our preference for morning or night. But experts — like those at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — also say that changing behavior can transform almost anyone into a morning person.

Yes, anyone. So put down that double espresso and read on for some tips on squeezing more precious time out of your AM schedule. After all, other research has revealed that morning people are more proactive throughout the day than people who like the night life, baby.

Start the night before.

There’s no way you can emulate Julie Andrews in the morning if you’re up all night watching reruns of The Golden Girls. Help ensure a good night’s sleep with some time-tested tricks: avoid alcohol and caffeine after 3 PM; keep the lights low; don’t exercise right before bed; drink a cup of chamomile tea or try one of these other natural sleep aids; don’t eat large meals late at night; and go to bed at the same time every night.

Invest in a kinder, gentler alarm clock.

Forget seizing the day, if the sound of your alarm clock rivals a nails-on-chalkboard situation, the only thing you’ll be seizing is the cord out of the wall. Not an ideal way to start your new role as Official Morning Person. Consider, instead, an alarm clock that simulates dawn — or one that vibrates you awake. There’s even one that rouses you with yummy smells! Waking up to your favorite music is another way to ease the transition; we like “The Littlest Birds” by The Be Good Tanyas or “5 Years Time” by Noah and the Whale. Or queue up chirping birds or ocean surf, if that’s more your thing.

Step away from the snooze button!

One thing your lovely new alarm clock could do without: a snooze button. You’re better off setting your alarm for the time you really need to get up — you’ll get higher quality sleep that way, say scientists at the Sleep Disorders Centre at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. Don’t trust yourself? Put the alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off, increasing your chances of remaining upright.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

We all know that drinking a cup of coffee can wake you up, but research suggests that even just a whiff of the fresh-brewed dark roast may reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain. Most coffeemakers come with timers these days; set yours the night before and wake yourself with some early-morning aromatherapy. Even better: give yourself something to really look forward to and treat yourself to some gourmet coffee.

Decorate with daisies.

Researchers at Harvard University found that “non-morning people” felt happier and more energetic after looking at flowers first thing in the morning. Yes, that’s right: buying some gorgeous fresh flowers for your bedside table is the right thing to do for your health and wellbeing. Harvard said so.

Up, sunnyside.

Daylight tells your body to stop secreting melatonin — the hormone that makes you sleepy — so stop closing your curtains or blinds at night. The morning sun will help promote wakefulness. Don’t have eastern exposure? Enjoy your coffee and newspaper on your front steps, or go for a 20-minute walk around your neighborhood. Do it every day for a couple of weeks, and you’ll train your body clock to shift its wake-up time.

Give yourself enough time.

Grouchiness is guaranteed if you only give yourself 15 minutes to shower, dress, eat, pack your bag and get out of the house. Set your alarm early enough to allow you to get ready at a leisurely pace — and even do a couple of things you’d look forward to, like read the paper, check in on your favorite blogs or savor a delicious breakfast.

Be consistent.

Choose a wake-up time — but no more than two hours earlier than usual, say experts at Kettering Sleep Disorders Center at Kettering Memorial Hospital in Dayton, Ohio — and honor it seven days a week. That’s right: Saturday and Sunday, too. The consistency will change your body’s rhythm, and it may take two or three weeks to reprogram your system.

Already there? (Perhaps you’re reading this at, say, 6 AM?) We’d love to know your secrets: What helps you shine in the morning?