“83 percent of American adults own some kind of cell phone and…a lot of people find it difficult to switch off once they’re at home.”

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So, you know I’m all for passwords, but I recently learned that changing them frequently is a bit of a waste. You actually need a group of tools to keep your e-stuff safe. You can read more about that here.

…and, you can watch this cool video by Lorie Marrero of Clutter Diet about how to better organize the passwords you do have.

Get the Internet Password Organizer

Are you getting enough sleep so you can be truly productive and less stressed? Are you aiming for a specific number of hours? 7? 8? 10? Not something you normally think about?

That’s ok, SleepTiming will help (thanks Lifehacker for the skinny on this app). Enter a few pieces of info (like how long it normally takes you to fall asleep and length of your sleep cycle) and SleepTiming will tell you what time to go to bed so you can wake up feeling refreshed. 

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“We feel most refreshed waking up at the top of the cycle, whereas if the alarm clock wakes us up from deep sleep, we may feel groggy and not well rested, no matter how long we slept.”

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It also has a “going to sleep now?” function that will tell you what time to set your alarm so you can wake up with a full dose of fabulosity. Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you. 

I’m taking a sabbatical and have lined up a few posts ahead of time. I’ll also be re-sharing some of my fave OTR articles and introducing you to new guest authors as well as other interesting info while I’m away. Enjoy! 

It sucks when hackers decide to muck up your website. It’s happened to me and OTR friend and Evernote Ambassador, Brandie Kajino, wasn’t immune to their attacks, either. She recently shared a few things she learned from the experience.

1. Hackers can happen to anyone. I’m assured it’s not anything I did, nor could I have done much more to prevent it. Someone with evil intent wanted to, and succeeded, in getting in and wreaking havoc on my websites.

3. Smart people make bad choices sometimes. I am awed at the talent these hackers exhibit. Seriously. Several uber-smart techie people I know were also hacked in this same way. ALL small business owners.

  Read Brandie’s Full Story

Check out the rest of what Brandie had to say and read the comments (give your two cents, if you’d like). One reader gave a very in-depth reply with tips on how to stop hackers from getting in the back door. Here’s one of them:

“Passwords are of course very important. I suggest using either 1Password (my personal favorite) or Last Pass (which I haven’t used but many people like) to create and store really secure passwords.”

If your site has ever been man handled by a hacker, I’d love to hear what you did about it.

How do you feel about letting your kids play with your tech gadgets…aside from the fact that they may break them? Think it’s a good idea? When we use technology – the latest website, app, or tool – we’re usually trying to be productive or trying to find a way to make life easier…and we’re probably trying to have a bit of fun, too. 

So, since children are miniature versions of ourselves, should we allow them to play with tech toys? Productivity for them might mean learning a new song or the alphabet or how to count. And, when you have gadgets made specifically for them, like the VINCI Tablet and Leapfrog games, should we stifle that productivity? 

Or, are we protecting them from being caught up too soon in a world that’s unable to unplug? …unable to leave home without their iPad…or have a relaxing vacation without checking e-mail? Both VINCI and LeapFrog have gadgets geared toward children 0-36 months. 0 years. Is that too early??

And, should we be concerned about invisible, harmful tech rays that shoot of out these products? Ok, so I’m being a little dramatic, but are there really harmful effects? We keep hearing how cell phones expose us to radiation – so much so, that many people are now plugging in a corded handset to their mobiles to be on the safe side. Overly cautious?

What do you think? Too much fuss? Or, is there a real concern for children using tech?

Today, I learned about GetHuman.com from my colleague, Kim Oser. It’s a site that gives you all the info you need to find a real, live human at the specific company you’re trying to reach.

“The GetHuman™ movement has been created from the voices of millions of consumers who want to be treated with dignity when they contact a company for customer support.”

The site also offers tips and short cuts (e.g., press # to bypass greeting, press 3 to pay your bill), a directory of numbers, and Twitter handles for companies that offer support via Twitter. You can also create your own list of frequently called companies and access those numbers whenever you want. That should save a bit of time and frustration, yes?

Another thing you get to do – write reviews of your experience when you ultimately make contact. That way, you pay it forward to the next guy.

The only drawback is that there are ads sprinkled  through your search results, so it looks a little cluttered. But, GetHuman is a free service, so you’ll just have to make nice with the ads. The iPhone app is free, too.

Give GetHuman a try and let me know what you think.

I just discovered a FREE service that rewards you for making smart financial decisions. It’s called SaveUp and it’s not like your typical rewards program that gives you points or stuff when you buy things.

Here’s the down and dirty – each time you pay down debt or save money, you get credits that you can use “for the chance at cash or prizes,” according SaveUp’s website. So, if you’re trying to control the clutter and hack away at the money you owe other people, this might just work for you.

I recently started a secret Facebook group (yes, I have secrets) and love that I can communicate with the members of that group using my Facebook mobile app. Very convenient when I’m out and about.

It’s a great way to connect with a select number of people and can work really well for business groups and teams. But, if you’d rather not go the FB route, check out the free app, GroupMe.

The folks at GroupMe are spreading the love and have an app for iPhone, Android, Windows 7, and BlackBerry.

The app lets you connect with people already in your phone’s address book. Simply add specific people to the groups you create. When you contact them, they will immediately get any messages you send. You can even ring them up for conference calls (every group gets their own unique phone number).

Seems like a great way for people working on a project to keep in the loop and stay on top of things. Have your tried this app? Tell us what you think.

Business plans are fun, aren’t they? Such interesting reading. Engaging. And, the best part is, they never need updating. The preceding statement is, of course, completely slathered in sarcasm.

…but…

You know I love Instapaper. In fact, I now use it exclusively to save articles I want to read later. If you get your news and resources online, this is an amazing tool to have. In case I couldn’t convince you last time, here’s a feature that might persuade you to give it a go.

See that button that says “Read Later?” All you have to do is drag it to your bookmarks toolbar and click on it each time you come across an article you want to check out later. Instapaper will automatically add it to your account.

Could it get any simpler than that? Yes, it can. You can install it on your iPhone so you can save articles when you’re phone-browsing (is that a word??). And, yes, it will sync with the web-based app.

Ready to give it a shot?