What tools make your writing life easier?

I am a complete gadget hound. I understand that this makes me a bit of a geek, but I just don't care.  I get excited about the latest and greatest inventions that will make our lives easier, or at least make those dull chores more interesting.

My Blackberry lets me check job boards and emails,  and Tweet on the move.  My solar powered charger means that my cell phone never runs out of juice.  I had to invest in an extra multi-socket USB port to house my heated coffee mug coaster and electric hand warmer mits to keep me working in winter.  And I don't think I could get through a productive days writing without my personal soundtrack playing through my iPod.

And my obsession doesn't stop with 'real life', 3D gadgets, oh no.  My virtual world is filled with gadgets too.

My computer is modded to the hilt with cool tools to speed along my work, as well as some pretty nifty gadgets I have loaded purely to feed my addiction.   My start menu is stuffed with little bits of software to help me in my daily writing and my Vista sidebar is well stocked with gadgets such as a time clock to punch into different client projects, a to do list and a note pad to keep pasted info while I work.

While some of these tools admittedly are more for show than efficiency (arguable, I don't need to turn my desktop into a 3D cube and work on different tasks on each side, but it sure does look cool) there are some gadgets that have seriously clocked up my productivity.

In particular, using Firefox along with special Add Ons has made my online work much faster and more efficient.  Searching, researching, clipping info, bookmarking sites and posting to my blogs and Twitter account can all be done quickly and easily with just a few mouse clicks.

The übercool Copyblogger has posted on this very topic recently, linking to a list of the top tools for creative people.

To their useful list, I would also add FastFox typing expander.  This handy program automatically expands your own custom shorthand. Image quickly typing a few letters, such as 'sig', and have your full name, email, phone and website details appear as if by magic.

QueryTracker is also an invaluable tool for tracking my queries and clients.  Having a single, organized space to store agent contact details, query letters and reminders saves me countless hours of hunting through files and scattered pieces of paper.

While it is true that there are many gadgets, gizmos and pieces of software that just complicate your work process and clutter up your desk space, find a tool that makes your life easier and increases productivity can be a real boon.  It is worth taking a bit of time to find out what tools other writers have found useful.

Once you have found a writing tool to help you, explore all of its features and capabilities to make sure your use it to its full potential.

What tools make your writing life easier?