Awesome tips, SgtRyan, as we do these exact same things ourselves. Right down to the notepad "to do" list. The moment any thought comes into your head of something you need to do that day, you need to instinctively type it down, and move on.
I sometimes multi-task 3-4 things at the same time, and if not for my spreadsheets I'd be screwed. I am a bit over the top in terms of documenting everything, but it pays itself back in spades when something comes up that requires it.
The shared folder is critical too. We spend too much time hunting around for common files/folders that we access all the time. Set up an MS-DOS shortcut on your desktop. Set up Dos-Here so you can right click any folder and instantly drop to a dos prompt.
Spreadsheets should have all network income in one color for each month, and as checks come in, you change the color so you know that payment has been received. This helps you track what hasnt arrived yet, etc. And of course have columns for when check was received, cashed, cleared if you want to be super anal.
My spreadsheet has about 20 tabs all of which are used daily. I get frustrated at times trying to find the right tab and I often find myself clicking the wrong tabs in a frenzy trying to find the right one. I probably waste a total of 5 mins per day doing this, I see no way around it. I have colored tabs, I label each tab so it says specifically what that spreadsheet is for, but sometimes your brain just goes into overload when you're multi-tasking.
I find the biggest issue IM's. Juggling conversations can be a real challenge when programming, or doing 2-3 projects at the same time. I used to adopt a mentality of "invisible until core work is done" but then you miss out on a lot of potential and important conversations that needed to be had. Some people will let IMs sit and blink on their taskbar for hours and just ignore it. Thats good discipline, and I wish I could be like that, but I often find it annoys me and I dont like to keep people waiting too long. Thats a character and work flaw I fail at.
I'm not a password freak. I keep all pw's in a simple notepad file, an icon to it right on my taskbar. It's opened at least 5-10 times per day. If I had to type in a long encrypted pw ito access my pw's I'd go crazy.
Regarding the OPs issue with WordPress and autp updates, you just need an automated FTP script which you need to pre-program to do those menial tasks, tons of them out there. But do you really need to update each person when WP decides it has a new version?
One of the biggest time savers for us was using AdLinkr. It auto deploys links. What took our webmaster 3-4 hours per day to do (deploying hundreds of offers and links across multiple networks) now is done in 5 mins flat. THAT is pure productivity enhancement.
What you need to do is document yourself in a typical day and mentally makes notes of what tasks you are doing that are repetitive. There is always a solution out there that will shorten that.
