Web Tools to Deal with To-do Lists and Slow-loading Websites

Entrepreneurs and small business owners generally have so much to get done in a day, it can simply feel overwhelming. That’s why I love to find and share little-known Web tools and resources to help you get more done. This time, we’ve found two free Web tools I think you’ll really like. Check them out, and let me know what you think about them in the comments below.

LazyMeter

This free Web tool is called LazyMeter.com, and I have to say that I love the name of this site. LazyMeter, it’s just what I need. Here’s what it does. You probably have to-do lists that you don’t get done; lists that just keep growing, right?

 Well LazyMeter puts your to-do lists under control for you. Now don’t be afraid to admit if you’re kind of old school. By that I mean you’ve finally transitioned from sticky notes to a white board But, come on; it’s time to go electronic, and this site makes it painless.

As it says on the website, “is your life overwhelming? Do you struggle to remember everything that needs to get done? Do you wish there was a better way? Try LazyMeter. When you log in, you only see what you need to think about today.”

What’s cool about the list of tasks on Lazymeter is if you click the pause button for any given task, it simply moves the task to the next day. Well that’s perfect; it’s the procrastinator’s friend. I registered on the site, and as far as I can tell it’s absolutely 100 percent free.

The site also offer a number of short videos that you can watch to help you understand the product more, but frankly, you don’t need them. It’s that simple. And you can also use LazyMeter from your mobile device. LazyMeter.com, it’s the new to-do list.

Loads.In

I have a question for you. How fast or slow does your website load? Now, a lot of people don’t know the answer to that question, and perhaps that’s because there’s a belief that with broadband speeds available we don’t need to worry.

Well believe it or not, there are still plenty of people who don’t have high-speed Internet access. My brother-in-law is one of them. And even the ones who do have broadband access tend to be impatient. That’s where Loads.In can help you. And as you can see, the website is spelled l-o-a-d-s.i-n.

It’s a simple site with a simple function. Enter your domain name, and it will tell you how long your site takes to load. The results show you visual screen-grabs with the progression of the page load. After your first evaluation, you can then change the test parameters to load the site from a different country from a specific browser.

When you click on “waterfall chart” on the right-hand side of the page, you’ll see all the different elements your website was called upon to load, and that can be very helpful to locate any roadblocks that are slowing down your site. You’ll also see any major errors listed in a little box at the top of the screen. It’s not uncommon, for example, to see java script errors.

So, even if you’re not a geek, it’s still helpful to understand how long it takes your website to load. Even if you don’t understand the results, if you discover that your site is taking more than about 6 seconds to load, you can at least seek help to fix your slow-loading website.

Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical small business marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses “get more done and have more fun.”