My Secret Timesaver

A lot of people ask me how I have time to keep up with this blog in addition to work, family, and church.  I will admit that trying to keep up with all the news in EdTech and still keep my blog up and running takes a lot of effort - not to mention the Techy Coach page on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.  No matter how much I do, I still feel like I have a lot on my plate and I am burning the candle at both ends.

My Secret Tool is "IFTTT" 

IFTTT, or "If This Then That" is a site that allows you to create "Recipes" or workflows to make your life easier.  For instance,  you can set up a recipe to alert you by email if a new post is added to your favorite RSS Feed.  A list of Recipes based on this scenario here.  

It doesn't stop there.  There are literally thousands of ways you can use IF to make your life easier, as there are hundreds of services you can link to  your IF account.

How do I use IF?

As I have several outlets for the Techy Coach online, I use IF to:

• Pin new YouTube  tutorial videos to my Pinterest Page.
• Post new blog articles to LinkedIn
• Post new blog articles to Facebook
• Post new blog articles to Twitter
• Tweet new Tutorial Videos to Twitter   
• Post new blog articles to Pinterest

How can you use IF?

Outside of the simple ways I use it, IF can be used to do thousands of other tasks.  For instance, users can create a recipe to:

• Lower the thermostat at home if the temperature drops below a certain level outside.  
• Notify your neighbor if your smoke alarm goes off.
• Log FitBit Activity in a Google Doc

The possibilities are huge since there are so many services available through IF.  You can create your own recipes, or you can  browse lists of recipes published by other users and then make them your own.  

I highly recommend this service, as it has saved me a ton of time posting, tweeting, and pinning!