Products

The products listed here are available from Red Tuxedo, including the new iPEP, Swift files, recommended books, and the Thesis theme for WP that provides formatting and SEO for this site.
Free products–small tools I’ve developed for my and my clients’ use.
Productivity tools and applications
Business tools and applications

Free Downloads

Productive Environment Scorecard

A series of questions about how you manage your work and information to help identify specific strengths as well as areas that could be improved. Red_Tuxedo_Scorecard_for_Individuals

Life Map (blank)

A printable copy of a Life Map that can help clarify the programs and projects that have your attention. When you have a clear picture of your life and its commitments, it can be much easier to understand what the appropriate “next actions” are.
Life Map

To Do list spreadsheets

These are basic MS Excel spreadsheets set up as a to-do list, a not-now list, and an instruction sheet. This worksheet is for people using Office 2007:
To_Do_List (2007)
This worksheet is for people using Office 2003:
To_Do_List (2003)

Productivity Tools

Productive Environment Platform (iPEP)

Red Tuxedo has been using the new iPEP to organize our ideas, information, files, and everything else we can think of since the application was released to the Productive Environment Specialist team early in 2009.   It’s a file index.  It’s a note-taking application.   It’s a contact management system.  It’s running in the background all day long and supports everything that happens here.

Get your own iPEP.

Swift File

The SwiftFile is an answer to lost notices, reminders, tickets, passes, and any other paper that should be handled on a certain date.  The SwiftFile contains 31 custom-designed folders for each day of the month and 12 taller folders for each month of the year. Each Daily folder is always visible – never hidden behind another folder. The Monthly folders are taller than the daily folders and these too are always clearly in view.

Swift File folders

By using SwiftFile for five minutes or less per day, you’ll be able to organize every piece of paper that has kept you away from the things you really value. Your SwiftFile purchase also includes access to our Swiftfile User Resource website. Listen to a free teleclass with Barbara Hemphill describing how she uses the Swiftfile to keep her life and business running smoothly. Also receive additional tips on how to use Swiftfile to stay organized and productive for the rest of your life!

tickler file

iMindMap mind mapping software

I use iMindMap from Tony Buzan to make my own LifeMaps.

Email Triage, from Charlie Gilkey at Productive Flourishing

Charlie’s words:  Email Triage is a process for sorting through your Inbox and determining what needs to be deleted, what needs to be archived, and, finally, what needs your attention. Just as medical professionals need to determine who needs their attention based upon the severity of their condition, we need to determine what email messages need our attention based on the kind of messages they are.

Karen’s review:  The product is both a workbook and an MP3 file you can play while you sort out an overwhelming in-box.  I listen every now and then, when my in-box gets away from me.

Click here to view more information about Email Triage, 10.00.

Premium Planners, from Charlie Gilkey at Productive Flourishing

Charlie’s words:  I loved the idea of paper planners. I really did. But I never could get one that fit me…so I started making my own. I started sharing them with my friends and readers, and along the way experimented, revised, added, deleted, and developed a final(ish) product that helps creative people focus on doing what matters when it needs to be done instead of merely helping them cross stuff off on a list.

And while the planners were helpful, they were never quite complete and they were limited to being available once a month. That’s where the Premium Planners come in.

The last two pieces came together in the exclusive Annual Strategic Planner and the Monthly Objective Planner, and seeing how those two planners fit in allowed me to lay out everything in its logical order. The Premium Planners include optimized versions of the (free) Action Planners and the Freelancer Workweek, as well as the exclusive Annual Strategic Planner and Quarterly Objective Planner.

Karen’s words:  I moved away from commercially available planners in 2004 and never looked back.  My system worked very well when I needed to keep up with a corporate and personal workload; it staggered under the planning needed to manage and grow my own business.  I looked at Charlie’s free planners (available by the month) and purchased the annual package when I realized I needed a larger view.

My INFP nature is deeply resistant to long-range commitment and planning, and these planners haven’t helped that issue much.  However, people who are not INFP, and who may be looking for a structure to organize their thoughts and creative goals for a coming year, will probably find these planners very helpful.  At $22, the planners are priced less than almost any planner available at an office supply store, and they’re way more versatile than most.  They’re certainly worth testing out for yourself.

Click here to view more information about the Premium Planners from Productive Flourishing, 22.00.

Business Tools

I use these tools and applications to keep Red Tuxedo running.

Thesis for WordPress

This website uses the WordPress engine together with the Thesis theme from DIYThemes.com.  Setting up the initial site layout was a small headache, albeit much much less than trying to maintain a flat-file system with CSS and HTML.  Thesis is a little easier to use if you know HTML, but you can get most of your work done without any coding at all.  I will be moving two other sites I maintain into this engine before the end of Q110.

Aweber email sign-up and list management

Aweber is the easiest and most straightforward email list manager I found. It took me less than 45 minutes and absolutely no headaches to sign up with them and then generate an email sign-up form for this site. (I found one cheaper system which would have taken twice as long to set up and guaranteed a bad case of tech-rage in the process.) Friends in business who do a lot more email marketing than I ever intend to tell me that Aweber has the best delivery rates (avoiding spam filters). Rates are based on the total number of names in your list; however, you can aggregate across different “from” addresses so one Aweber account can serve several websites.