Gottliebsen, Bartholomeusz: KGB INTERROGATION: John Stewart Gottliebsen: NAB will shock Wall Street …again Gottliebsen: Gillard’s hidden IR nasties RICH PICKINGS: What does Buffett know? WEEKEND ECONOMIST: Stimulating growth Slate.com A few months ago, I downloaded RescueTime, a hardworking little program that monitors everything I do on my computer.

Its ostensible purpose is productivity: By cataloging my pursuits how much time I spend on every application, how long I linger at every Web site RescueTime aims to shame me into procrastinating less. During the last three months, for instance, I’ve logged 34 hours on Slate. Thirty-four hours! Not that Slate isn’t fun, but I could have read Anna Karenina in that time. Curses! So far, RescueTime hasn’t increased my productivity one iota, but its reports are still illuminating.

Since July 21, when I installed the app, I’ve spent 727 hours on my desktop computer. That’s 30 full days out of just 87 one-third of my life whiled away at the screen. It’s a wonder that I haven’t developed pressure sores. What I’ve found most fascinating is the rundown of which programs I use most often. It’s a huge list, actually, and one that I thought might be fun to share.

Here’s what I’m betting: Lots of people have questions about the best way to go about managing their e-mail, organising their appointments, searching for files on their computer, or any number of other common tasks. I have questions for Slate’s readers, too: Am I using the right apps? Is there something better? Here, then, is the software I use most often, along with brief explanations for why I prefer a particular program. Maybe you’ll learn something.