Upon realizing that my Google Reader was getting out of control, I did a severe crackdown over the weekend. For the approximately 75% of you that do not embrace your Google Reader or other RSS feed reader, they basically allow you to plug in a web address (not all addresses, but many) and then, while you are off writing, or working, or playing, they collect all the new posts that cropped up on that site while you were gone. This makes it a breeze to come back and read all your regular blogs, news outlets and even Craigslist categories without missing a thing.  (Try it now by jetting over to Google Reader and entering the address http://blog.jennescalona.com. Hah! I almost got you, didn’t I?)

After the crackdown (complete with extreme prejudice), I still found myself with many sites that I couldn’t bear to let go of. So, I present to you a new segment called Worthy Wednesdays. Worthy Wednesday’s are simple – I’ll explain why I find a site Google Reader-Worthy, and hopefully introduce readers to a useful site in the process.

Today’s site: Lifehacker.com

The best websites have common sense names that quickly shout out what they’re all about, and LifeHacker is no exception. The site provides us commoners with 30-40 daily “tips and downloads for getting things done.” They have a host of dedicated writers, and filter posts into categories for easy navigation. This is hand if you, say, are not technologically cool enough to have any need for posts about the latest Linux upgrades.

The important thing about Lifehacker is that it is not always technical. Yes, the site talks about software applications (often free!) that make your life a little easier, but it also offers “hacks” about saving money, gardening, do-it-yourself projects, and my favorite, decluttering your life. 

Here are just a few ways I’ve benefitted from LifeHacker.com in the past few months:

The Trusted Trio Email System – For anyone whose email inbox fills up faster than the never ending soup bowl at Oliver Garden, the Trusted Trio system will absolutely free you.  No longer will you dread logging into your inbox and facing all the looming email. Trust me. Trust the Trio.

Alarm Clock – This little application uses next to no drive space on my crammed-full laptop,  and allows me to set up daily, weekly, and monthly alarms. Right now, I’m using it to remind myself to check my email only every two hours, and to remember my monthly computer maintenance routine of running CCleaner, AdAware, etc.

Manic Time – This computer time tracking device is a real eye opener about the ways you spend your time on the computer.  It shows you when and how long you spend in certain applications, and can be a wakeup call if you tend to procrastinate.  ManicTime offers the handy added bonus of, when my husband complains that I’m working fourteen hour days, allowing me to consult the application and saucily rebut, “Thirteen and a half hour days, Buster!”

Those are just three examples of the many, many ways that an RSS subscription to Lifehacker.com has helped me hack on through life  a little better. Give it a look. Or better yet, recognize its Google Reader-Worthiness.