Productivity blogs (which can change your life)-1

Hi all,

As makers of a platform that increases productivity, we’re big fans of other products and resources that help individuals in the same way. Last week, we shared our 10 favorite new productivity apps from 2013, and now as we kick off the year, we’re sharing a sample of our team’s productivity reading list.

For each outlet, we’ve dug up three popular posts from last year based on social media sharing numbers—a “shares” tally from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. To find this number, we relied on Moz’s Open Site Explorer and the more simpler ShareTally, two great tools that help reveal a site’s traffic and social virality. Each description also features the publishing frequency of the blog, a number garnered from Michael Shipley’s RSS Feed Analyzer.

1. Buffer is big on life hacks and social media tips

Buffer blogs about productivity, life hacks, writing, user experience, customer happiness and business. The three-year-old startup might be better known for its social media sharing tool, but it’s quickly building up a reputation for its writing, too. — 3-4 posts per week

• 10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science - 61,795 shares
• Why Facebook is blue: The science of colors in marketing - 13,481 shares
• 10 Surprising social media statistics that might make you rethink your social strategy - 8,414 shares

2. Lifehacker is a fire hose of tips and tricks

Lifehacker shares tips, tricks and downloads for getting things done. This blog is the granddaddy of the group, getting its start in January 2005, and earning loads of accolades since, including TIME’s "25 Sites We Can't Live Without" in 2006. — 1 post per hour

• How Long to Nap for the Biggest Brain Benefits - 62,793 shares
• I've Been Using Evernote All Wrong. Here's Why It's Actually Amazing - 6,285 shares
• The 50 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For - 4,699 shares

3. Marc and Angel Hack Life lends practical tips, personal experience

Marc and Angel Hack Life offers inspirational advice and practical tips for life. The husband-and-wife blogging duo, who have been at it since 2006, also share opinions on noteworthy events and people in and around their lives. — 3 posts per week

• 10 Choices You Will Regret in 10 Years - 39,766 shares
• 9 Things Happy, Successful People Choose to Ignore - 4,667 shares
• 10 Things You Should Never Say About Yourself - 4,423 shares

4. Lifehack focuses on getting things done efficiently and effectively

Lifehack offers advice, resources, tips and tricks to help you get things done more efficiently and effectively. Like similarly named blog Lifehacker, Lifehack is a veteran at dispersing such tips, too, getting its start the same year, 2005. — 1 post per hour

• 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do - 190,934 shares
• 25 Killer Websites that Make You Cleverer - 26,966 shares
• You Can Easily Learn 100 TED Talks Lessons In 5 Minutes Which Most People Need 70 Hours For - 9,665 shares

5. 99U empowers you to execute ideas

99U offers insights on creativity and productivity. The blog is a product of online portfolio site Behance, which calls the online publication the “missing curriculum” for making ideas happen. — 1 post per day

• The 5 Most Dangerous Creativity Killers - 6,331 shares
• Get Over Yourself: How Your Ego Sabotages Your Creativity - 4,324 shares
• 7 Ways to Boost Your Creativity - 3,539 shares