by Gina Trapani

Getting organized, focused and productive doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. We've reviewed thousands of time-saving applications and gadgets here at Lifehacker over the past year and a half, but a handful really shine when it comes down to getting your stuff done, and most of them are simple, widely available, free or almost free. Here are my top 10 picks for best free and cheap productivity tools, in no particular order.


1. Pen and paper

Whether you're an index-card carrying Hipster PDAer or if you simply prefer a paper planner over a Blackberry, the plain fact is writing things down in the moment is the key to capturing your ideas and moving forward on them. Keep pens and pads all over the house, in the car and in your bag so you can snag that fleeting thought, get it off your mind and move forward on it later. (Cheap, no computer required)


2. Plain text

In an age when storing your information on someone else's web site or in someone else's software can have dire consequences in the event of a crash, software upgrade or broken internet connection, lots of lifehackers are going retro with plain text. Keep a personal todo.txt, grocery list, bigideas.txt, or expense log using a simple text editor available anywhere, online or off. (Free, computer required)

You're building a library of data and documents on your hard drive at a faster rate than any other generation. Rather than wasting your time meticulously filing it all into a complicated folder system, Google Desktop lets you guiltlessly pile, not file, because one well-constructed query can retrieve whatever you're looking for in a flash. Works especially well with the contents of your .txt files (see #2.) Mac users, you've got Spotlight. (Free, Windows only.)


Script any block of text or sequence of keystrokes with AutoHotkey to perform repetitive tasks at the press of a button. It takes some time to write your AHK scripts, but once they're set up, you'll whiz through canned email responses, eradicate common spelling errors automatically, and drop pieces of frequently used text - like blog post HTML snippets or message signatures - faster than ever. Mac users, TextExpander will do a lot of what AutoHotkey does on OS X. (Free, Windows only.)


Quicksilver's tag line is "act without doing," and once you've begun using this application launcher and total Mac commander, you'll understand what that means. Append to text files (see #2) without opening an editor, email documents, launch web sites and much much more with Quicksilver and its bevy of app-specific plugins. Sorry Windows users, there just isn't a QS counterpart for you worth mentioning, though some have settled for AppRocket. (Free, Mac OS X only.)


You can drop some serious cash on a fancy ring binder planner that includes a calendar, to do list and other forms for organizing your stuff. But when you do, you're committing to the brand and forms offered by one system and one company. The D*I*Y Planner web site, however, offers an extensive library of PDF templates for refilling that can't-live-without paper planner with just your printer and hole punch. Whether David Allen or Stephen Covey's your guru, if you're into Mind Mapping, book journaling, or storyboarding, the D*I*Y planner has something for you. (Cheap, paper/ink/printer required.)


Tons of space, powerful search, great spam filtering, keyboard shortcuts, labels and advanced filtering all make Gmail the choice for keeping any public, high-traffic email account under control every day. While I still love and use Thunderbird for my personal mail, I'd still be digging out of messages from Lifehacker readers sent last April if it wasn't for Gmail. (Free.)


8. Your cell phone

That little device you have "just to make phone calls" probably does a hell of a lot more than you think. Getting information via SMS on the go - or even just emailing yourself a URL, book recommendation or killer idea - is possible with most modern mobile phones. A camera phone isn't just for taking embarrassing snaps of your buddy wearing a tutu; you can also use it to develop your digital photographic memory. See also previously-published Power texting tips for more on putting your cell phone to work for you. (Cost depends on your model and plan.)


9. A filing cabinet

This one's the most expensive on the list, but a well-maintained filing cabinet is the key to tracking and finding important paperwork in your life. There aren't a lot of shortcuts here - get yourself a sturdy, attractive filing cabinet, a label maker and extra folders which make filing easy and fun. See more the Extreme makeover, filing cabinet edition for more on setting up your perfect filing system. (Cost varies.)


10. An inbox and "next actions" tray

If incoming and in-progress paperwork are still piling up on your desk even after your filing cabinet is set up, get yourself a simple set of at least 2 paper trays. One will be your inbox - for anything incoming you haven't had a chance to look at yet, like mail - the second will be items you need to move forward on a project ("next actions," for your GTD'ers.) A clear workspace (and a clear mind) is one of the best productivity tools you can have, so make spaces for that stuff that's piling up into distracting clutter. (Get one for as little as 3 bucks.)


This list could've been pages longer, as tons of little tools help me get through my work day. What would your top 10 look like? Let us know in the comments or send us an email to tips at lifehacker.com.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, likes writing top 10 lists. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.