We are living at a time when the internet is so present in our lives it controls them. It distracts us from what we’re supposed to be doing making it hard to even work at all.
But it’s not all bad.
If we’re going to be so attached to the internet, we might as well take advantage of its vast capabilities to make our online and offline lives easier. From home décor, to translating and even helping you sell your car, these online services could transform your life and get you back on track, when you used to control your life.
#1. ManualsLib
Most products, such as appliances, come with a manual. However, when you don’t need to keep going back to the manual, it’s easy to lose it. That’s when you need ManualsLib. The resource features about 450,000 PDF manuals for different products and has an easy-to-use search function to find the manuals.
The best thing about it is that, unlike many other PDF manuals, ManualsLib is free and doesn’t require you to create an account in order to access the files. It also allows you to store the manual in a reader to avoid the download clutter.
#2. Print Friendly & PDF
Printing web pages can be a real hassle. Most pages contain ads, banners and other graphics that don’t always translate well into the printed page. Luckily, you can preview before printing. However, you’re still most likely not going to like what you see.
Print Friendly & PDF is a free Chrome extension that saves you all this by stripping out all the clutter on the page including ads and banners. It then formats the page to prepare for optimal printing. You then have an option to remove any other individual elements you don’t want in the page. It also lets you print the document into a PDF instead of paper.
#3. Nitro Cloud
Nitro Cloud is a web-based service that lets you convert PDF files into Word documents and other Microsoft Office files formats such as Excel and PowerPoint.
Through your online account, Nitro Cloud lets you easily upload, convert and share the PDFs. You can also sign and share the PDFs.
Previously, Nitro Cloud had a free version but now it just has the paid version with a 14-day free trial. The paid plan starts at $14.99/mo, billed annually or 19.99/mo, billed monthly.
#4. Google Translate
Google Translate is Google’s free multilingual service that instantly translates words, phrases and entire web pages between English and more than 100 other languages.
It has a minimalist user interface that makes it easy to use. You can copy and paste the content you want to translate and paste it into the text box. It also has a speech recognition function that lets you enter the text by speaking. If you’re dealing with languages that are better manually written out, you can do that too, easily.
#5. Beep UAE
Selling a car has never been easier. With the internet, all you have to do is make a few smart decisions, create an advertisement and you’re ready to present your car to countless potential buyers.
However, if you don’t have the time to go through the process, you can contact a service provider who will do all the work for you. A reputable provider will give free evaluation and inspection as well as tell you what to expect for the car.
No matter the type of car you want to sell, go out there and find a service provider in your area.
#6. Homestyler 3D Floor Planner
The makers of AutoCAD, the professional computer design software, Autodesk, have another web app that could take the work off your hands in case you ever need to remodel your home: Homestyler 3D Floor Planner.
As a homeowner, it helps you visualize an outcome of the remodel. It features an interactive design that guides you in designing the layout for each of the rooms without having to go through the trial and error associated with home remodelling.
#7. Toggl
Time is still the most essential yet scarce resource you have. It helps when you have a tracker to help you stay within schedule.
Toggl is a web-based modern time-tracker that lets you track your time on multiple projects across a variety of platforms. Be it mobile or desktop, you don’t risk losing track of time because you were using a different device.
It has Android and iOS apps and reports in summary and detail so you know how you’re spending your time.
#8. Feedly
Feedly understands that you have very little time and energy to spare to surfing the web for relevant news. That is why the cloud-based news aggregator allows you to create a list of topics and then brings only the relevant news to you through the Android or iOS apps.
It has an open and beautiful design that has allowed third-party apps and extensions to sync with its backend so you have multiple functions working on just one app.
#9. Trello
When you’re working with more than one team on a range of projects, being organized is a task by itself. Trello is a web-based project management tool that makes it easy and fun to collaborate with members across different projects.
The dashboard is designed in such a way that in just a few clicks, you can get a perspective on all your projects, both at work and at home. Trello has both Android and iOS apps.
#10. LastPass
With the many passwords you have for various platforms, forgetting is easy. Worse, you may be tempted to use the same password for different platforms.
LastPass saves and manages your passwords in an encrypted vault and lets you access them anytime through the website. But while the vault is stored online, all the passwords are encrypted and decrypted at the local computer. This reduces the chances of your passwords being compromised on the internet.
With your permission, LastPass can also create a complex password for any platform you want. With such a tool, all you need to remember is one password.
This list is definitely not exhaustive. But it’s a start. Some of the simple things your take for granted can ruin your day. You’ll be surprised how frustrating it can be when you can’t find a reliable program to convert your PDF documents to Word. So, take charge with the simple stuff first and advance with time.
