Starting 2013 The Right Way

The end of the world never came, so here we are back to the grind at the start of what we’d like to hope will be another great year.One of the biggest issues with the new year is getting back into work mode. Everybody suffers from this (you’re lying if you deny it) including ourselves, so we’ve decided to pass along a few tools that will help ease the blow and keep your productivity optimized. We’ve gathered a compilation of some of our favourite extensions for our favourite browser: Google Chrome.Not a Chrome user? You should be. Here’s a few Chrome extensions and apps to take some of the pain out of your first days back at work.Short Link Getter: Does it drive you insane when a colleague passes a link along that’s about as long as the first chapter of Lord of the Rings? Fear no more. The Short Link Getter is the perfect tool to add to your browser to have a short URL for whatever page you’re on with the click of a button. No more are the days of copying, pasting into a shortener, re-copying your tiny URL, and sending it off. Just click, copy, and paste.Google Mail Checker and YouSendIt For Webmail: Like us, many use GMail to keep our e-mail in order; personal or professional. With these two plugins, GMail just got even better. Receive instant inbox updates right to your toolbar with the Google Mail Checker, preventing having to incessantly check your inbox to see if you’ve got mail. Now, you just know. Have trouble sending large files through GMail? Just download the YouSendIt for Webmail extension and watch your fears melt away. Easily attach large files right to your GMail to share them with colleagues and friends alike with the click of a button. No more need 3rd party sites/programs or “WHY WON’T THIS SEND? BE SMALLER!” moments, just a simplified process.Highlight to Search: One of the smaller aggravations encountered around many offices is the highlight, copy, paste, and search process, which can be tedious when doing ample research. This extension allows for a quick and easy process. Just highlight the keyword, click, and Google it. It’s that easy.TooManyTabs and Page Snooze: A predominant issue when conducting research is the eventual maelstrom of ‘tabs’ that consumes the top of your browser. Ever wished for a way to save some of these for later, or to organize them is an efficient way? These two extensions allow you to do just that. Organize and categorize your tabs with TooManyTabs, or simply put them to sleep for up to two weeks with Page Snooze. Happy tabbing!Speed Dial: If you’re a frequent flyer to a set of specific sites, this is your dream. Speed Dial allows users to customize their ‘new tab’ to have a set grid of sites ready to go at the click of a mouse rather than a) remembering them all, and b) typing them in one after the other. Getting to your sources is now a total breeze.Adblock for Youtube™: Last but not least, we present you the most handy gadget of the bunch. Not because it improves productivity, but because it’s the internet’s Advil when it comes to the ever-annoying ads that YouTube displays before, during, and after their videos. Now you can get back to how it used to be and skip all that garbage with the Adblock for Youtube™ extension.Now, get out there, download Google Chrome, and start your year off the right way: as easy as possible.Have some personal favourites that we missed? Be sure to share them in the comments below. image courtesy of Lisa Brewster