This is the second entry of a series I am doing about How to save time on your PC. These are a few of the ways that I try to shave off minutes or even hours of wasted time on my computer each month.
The purpose of the following is to make sure the most frequently used items take the least amount of time to open, and the least frequently used items take the most. It is a simple concept, but I have seen very few people take advantage of the tools that will help accomplish this.
3. Save time with The Quick Launch Bar
Being on my computer as much as I am, I try to speed up as many processes as I can. The quick launch bar is normally directly to the right of the START button. I use the quick launch for all of my most frequently used bookmarks and programs. The thing I love about the quick launch bar is that it requires no additional mouse clicks to reach what I am looking for. The programs listed in it are never more than one click away.
I only put very frequently used programs in there and my most frequently used web pages. Since a lot of these programs and sites may be opened multiple times a day, it is a lot quicker just clicking in the quick launch bar, rather than opening Firefox, clicking favorites, and scrolling through to find the page.
The quick launch bar is located right next to the start button on your PC. You can drag and drop programs as well as bookmarks. When you add a bookmark to the quick launch, you will notice they all have the same icon attached to them. Fear not, you can change the icon to whatever your heart desires (Right click on the current icon, click PROPERTIES, and look around and you will find the CHANGE ICON button). This will allow you to clearly differentiate between your bookmarked pages.
Obviously you can’t add hundreds of programs or bookmarks if you are trying to actually save time. Narrowing it down to the top 10 most used programs and bookmarks would be ideal. As I write this I have about 15 in my quick launch bar (so it looks like I need to practice what I am preaching) 
4. The Start Menu
Next in line is the Start Menu. I use it for my programs that I use frequently, but not enough to warrant being listed in my Quick Launch bar. These are the programs I may use a couple times a week, but not on a daily basis. Just like above, you can drag and drop programs or bookmarks into the Start Menu.
5. The StartUp folder
If you add a program or application to the STARTUP folder it will start up automatically each time you boot up your computer. This can be a blessing or a curse. I don’t have any programs on my home PC that I want loaded every time I start it up, but this works great for my work PC.
To do this drag the icon of the program or application to the START button, then hover it over ALL PROGRAMS, and then look for the STARTUP folder and drop it in there.
Next we will get into some applications that simplify my life and of course save me lots of time.
How to save time on your PC – Part One
How to save time on your PC – Part Three
How to save time on your PC – Part Four
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Great suggestions. I do what you recommend with one little twist. Instead of putting web site bookmarks in the Quick Launch Bar, I put them in the Bookmarks Toolbar in Firefox.
This way, my most frequently used web sites are linked horizontally across the top of Firefox when I’m on the Internet.
@Ryan
I knew that you could do that in Firefox, but I have never tried to use it – I think I will have to check it out – I am sure it can save me a few clicks
Thanks for the blog.
The quick launch may actually slow down your computer, depending on how many things you have on it.
AutoHotKey is an amazing little program that allows you to set keyboard shortcuts to launch programs, bookmarks, automate things on your PC, and complete auto text.
Launchy is a less tech intensive option for launching programs.
Texter and PhraseExpress help you autocomplete frequently used text.
These would be much much quicker than some of the options listed, even considering the learning curve.