When you spend as much time on Steem as we all seem to do, it is helpful to be organised. This blockchain is NOT a 'log in and you're done' kind of affair, is it? Nothing is simple. It's what I like about it - it keeps me interested - but it's definitely not easy! Being super organised helps you spend less time here - although, to be honest, it frees me up time to spend more time here on Steem.
This Christmas, I decided to streamline everything as much as possible, starting with my browser. A simple, easy system makes me so happy.
It was a perfect time to do it because I either had to give my laptop back to work when I left on leave, or buy it from them for a super cheap price (I have a Lenovo Thinkpad) and get it re-imaged courtesy of my employers. The best thing about having your laptop entirely re-imaged is having the chance to start all over again with your organisation. Sure, I could have gone back to Chrome and all my handy bookmarks, but it was kinda a mess over there and I'm sick of supporting Google.
So the first step was to download the Brave browser. So far I've found it faster than Chrome, but intuitively LIKE Chrome, so there's no real head flip while my brain learns where everything is. If you haven't installed Brave yet, you seriously should think about it. It's fast and ad free and doesn't track you. There are no annoying pop ups - any ads you watch are your choice, and you can 'tip' publishers with Brave rewards if you like. This is one of the reasons it's faster - ads make things a lot slower. I'm kicking myself I didn't do it ages ago - you can download it here.
The first extension I downloaded was Last Pass - this automatically saves all my passwords to every site I visit and it's a godsend. I keep ALL my account keys in there. If you haven't got a password manager you're crazy - go download it now - it's FREE!
Then, I downloaded KEYCHAIN. I have heard tell that some people have had problems with it - I never have. It makes it so easy to flip from front end to front end or DAPP to DAPP. If you're running more than one account on Steem it's a totally godsend. What are you waiting for? I won't go into the 'how' as Natural Medicine posted a detailed post about this last week I know you're love - thanks @metametheus for doing this! Check out the instructions here.
Next, as a Tribe owner there's lots of behind the scenes links I need, from Steemrewarding and Steemworld, to Github pages that I need to edit for www.naturalmedicine.io. That's all in a folder called 'LOTUS'. I had to transfer them all one by one over from Chrome - in fact, I'm still doing it as and when I need them, but it is giving a chance to label them neatly and correctly and order them so they are easy to find.
I then ensured my settings meant that every time I open the Brave browser, it opens up Steempeak and NaturalMedicine.io. I do all my drafting in Steempeak, but I spend a lot of time upvoting in LOTUS and checking NMIO is running okay, so it's important that I LITERALLY keep a tab on that! I also post any wellness or earth medicine related posts there.
As I'm a huge believer on supporting all Steem front ends, not just my own, I then went and bookmarked the ones I most commonly use, such as Travelfeed.io and Creativecoin.xyz and the new Talkingpoint.co. This means I can copy and paste a drafted post from Steempeak straight into the front end that my content best suits. It takes no time at all. Ooops, I forgot Steemleo. I love Steemleo, but I rarely post any finance related stuff - but they've got some awesome tutorials and a fast DEX so you might want to add them too (I am, right now...). Would you believe that Natural Medicine has now created FOUR accounts that came in via the Front End?
I also bookmarked Twitter, as I have been working hard to market Steem outside Steem. The more visible we are, the more attention we get which is all around good for us - but it's really OUR responsibility to do that. If you're writing natural healing content and have written a great post you want shared on Twitter, DM me the link to your post in DISCORD and I'll share it for you. Make sure it's quality. You can then use the tag #posh (proof of share) which may bring you more steem rewards. Read more about it here.
I bookmarked Zoho mail (used for [email protected]) and a GMAIL extension for my personal mail so everything is in plain sight.
You might have noticed that I also downloaded Ecosia, which is great for a big fat hippie like me. Browse the web and plant trees? I don't even care HOW they do it - I'm just glad they do. It's interesting getting used to it - but I'm glad I'm not subject to Google's algorithms anymore.
To Sum Up: Best Tips
- Download Brave browser
- Download Keychain extension and load it with all your keys
- Download Last Pass password manager
- Bookmark relevant front ends and use them
- Consider which search engine you're using and why
What are your favourite browser organising tips?
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcGSZxvsXD8YbSCNAo6KWc4a9RjXyRCjWupZdPXJapkXk
@naturalmedicine II Discord Invite II #naturalmedicine
I think you wrote this post specially for the Luddites amongst us. I have been wanting to do this for AGES. Q. Can you leave everything as is, download Brave and then MOVE everything around? I have burning questions about image storage too - LOL - what do you use in a google free world?
@bia.birch yeah Brave is great. I've been using it since some of the crypto news guys started recommending it. It's the future of browsing/advertising I think. I dont think we are all going to keep letting our data be sold so that we can enjoy these "free" services...at least I hope not.
As far as the keychains and password managers... I just dont trust any of it. I had a...somewhat traumatizing experience with my key to one of the wallets I was using and experienced a heartbreaking loss that definitely changed my attitude in the crypto sphere. Something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Be careful out there and keep your private keys safe! I know we all do our best with what weve got.
Oh no I am so sorry to hear that. I guess I trust Keychain because its blockchain and everything is recorded. But yeah, its hard to know who and what to trust. Pen and paper is probably most secure!!!
Loving Brave. Just got hubby to download.. now working on everyone I know.
Definitely sharing and saving this info!! Thank you for the useful information. It's something that i need to attend to as well in the new year. 🙄 😊
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You are welcome! I feel soooo much lighter now I've done it!
Excellent tips, @riverflows. Steem is a bit of a maze, with roadside attractions at every intersection. It’s very easy to get lost, or to feel like you didn’t achieve anything because you just meandered around, ogling at all the interesting content without any real direction or intent.
Thanks lovely! Yes, it's a fun maze, but it's best to have a map with you! I'm pretty happy with how I've organised it and hope it frees up a few valuable seconds of time! :P
This is a great article. I'd love to see what others use.
Thankyou! Yes, I'd love to see other people's tricks too!
you are super organized, that is very impressive. I have just recently started using steempeak lol. I haven't heard of talkingpoint I will have to investigate xxxx
YOU HAVE ONLY RECENTLY STARTED USING STEEMPEAK???? sister, where have you been!! Crazy woman!!!
Im a Brave user as well. Now, if I can only become half as organized as you, i will have made a great leap!
I literally had to sit down and organise myself! It took me all year!!! Brave's great, isn't it?