Xpenser + Jott = Expense Reporting Made Easy

Let’s be honest, filling out expense reports is horrible.  They are a necessary evil, often put off until the last possible minute.  When I finally get around to filling mine out, I usually find myself removing a mountain of crumpled receipts from my “George Costanza like” wallet and then trying in vein to make sense of it all.  Hours later I finally get the whole mess put in order, plugged into a spreadsheet, copied, and submitted - cursing all the while as I vow never to put this off until the last minute again.  Of course I do put it off, and monthly the process is repeated.

I believe that I have found the answer in the form of xpenser.com

Xpenser.com is a web based tool that allows you to easily track your expenses.  It features a very simple interface, and a few very powerful features.  There are four fields for entry of expenses - Type, Amount, Notes, and Date.  It is clean and easy.  It will convert miles into dollars automatically and the information can be downloaded in numerous spreadsheet formats.  For me, it took all of about 2 seconds for me to see the value of this tool, and hence it was added immediately to my firefox toolbar. It will email or text updates, and you can enter to it via email, text, twitter or directly through the site itself.   It could not be more easy… or could it?

As it turns out, xpenser.com integrates with another one of my favorite web based tools jott.com.  Thus, when it comes to expense reports you can now literally just phone it in.  Call Jott (number 9 on my speed dial), say the name of your expense, the amount, and any notes, and you are done.  Jott will plug everything into xpenser and send you a confirmation verifying your entry.  This is a great way to make windshield time more valueable - calling in the day’s expenses and mileage as you make the drive home.

This combination of free, web based tools is a simple way to make your life easier.   Give xpenser and jott a try and let me know what you think.

Xpenser - Mobile Expense Tracking and Reporting

Accessing the Web at Work: Stick It to the Man

I was telling my friend, the kid, about my new site last week, and he informed me that his company is now filtering out most of the good things found on the web. Thus, it was going to be tough for him to check in regularly. “How dare they?” I responded. I told him that there were countless ways to get past his company’s “Nick Burns” IT Police. I also mentioned that I had success using Google Mobile as a proxy to bypass company restrictions, and that I would send him some other solutions too. So to help my friend enjoy the net, I set off in search of ways to beat the IT Police. I quickly found this great article by Lifehacker’s Gina Trapani, Geek to Live: Survive IT Lockdown. So if you are tired of being restricted to “work related” i.e. boring, web sites by your company, check it out. Use these tools at your own risk, and happy surfing.

Improve Your Productivity with Toodledo

I am a huge fan of David Allen and his GTD (Getting Things Done) system. Sadly, in the 2 years since I first read his book I have spent countless hours looking for a tool to help me keep track of all the various things I want to accomplish. Not really what he, or I, had in mind for productivity. From pocket Moleskine notebooks and cahiers, to excel, to google docs, to Outlook, to Outlook 2007, then Remember the Milk, pocket mod, hipster GTD and blah blah blah. Finally, I found a tool that works for me. Toodledo.com This web based tool allows for the normal to do lists, contexts, gcal integration, email reminders, integrates with jott.com, and will even print out a pocket to do list. The feature I like most is the ability to filter and sort based on multiple variables. So for example, it is very easy to view only the calls I need to make to specific clients on a given day. I can see family members that require email. You get the idea. If you are looking to get more organized in 2008, give toodledo a try. What are your methods for organizing life?

Toodledo :: A to-do list to organize your tasks