Here’s what I deploy with nearly every single site and why:

Structure

Type: Module/Extension Combo
Price: $65
Creator: ME! + Travis Schmisser

I love Structure. I love love love it. I can build out big sites with fully dynamic navigation really fast. And on top of that, the interface is super client friendly. Drag and drop page re-order, dynamic and static content all in one hierarchical view… Very slick.

It basically replaces the Pages module with loads of more options by taking control of the URL structure, letting you build out static sites almost like a sitemap. One main weblog and a default template for static pages with the ability to change that out on a per page level. This lets you have a handful of the templates control the whole site.

Edit: Since this article, i have tag teamed with Travis Schmeisser to take this module commercial and keep it moving. Huzzah!

LG Better Meta

Type: Extension
Price: $39.95
Creator: Leevi Graham

This bad larry from Leevi Graham kicks some serious EE butt. Is SEO important to you? (If your answer is no, we should probably talk) Then you need this extension. It lets you manage all the meta content on each and every page, using the latest in DC Meta type standards. Oh and it generates your XML sitemap. Twofer! You can control a number aspects of the sitemap, including frequency, robot controls, etc. If you haven’t tried it yet, do it now. He just needs to make the sitemap portion of this one compatible with Structure and I’ll be a really happy guy.

LG Site Name

Type: Extension
Price: Free
Creator: Leevi Graham

Ever want to customize the header in your control panel? Maybe put the client (or your for that matter) logo in there? Done. This extension is a breeze to work with, letting you insert your own HTML and/or CSS into the header. And it’s Multi Site Manager compatible too. We’re currently using this for a multi-country site in MSM to let the user know which country they’re editing. We’ve got flags up in there and everything. Pretty cool. Also from Leevi Graham.

Get it now.

Search Marker

Type: Plugin
Price: Free
Creator: utilitEEs

This is little bugger is super useful. It lets you highlight the search keyword in your results page. It just throws a tag around it and lets you style at will. It changed my life. Kind of.

TruncHTML

Type: Plugin
Price: Free
Creator: utilitEEs

You may have used Word Wrap or even Word Wrap Plus, but they do lack one thing. They can cut your HTML off, breaking your site or at least your styling. This free plugin from utilitEEs takes care of that. Limit the number of words or characters and make sure those tags close, perfect for automatic excerpts or summaries.

FreeForm

Type: Module
Price: Free
Creator: Solspace

Contact forms. Resume submissions. Surveys. Just about any type of form you can think of, this module nails it. Just a simple tag pair very similar to {exp:weblog:entries}, you put in the input fields, it takes care of the rest. It emails the contents of the submissions to whoever you want, saves everything in a db and takes very little time to set up. The info can even be pulled back dynamically in your templates if you need to. I’ve used it to personalize a thank you page and serve up a pdf based off a drop-down selection. In no time. The one downside there is that the entry id ends up in the URL structure.

There are talks of a Pro version coming up with even more features, so I’m excited about that. I hope it includes customized data exports. The standard tab delimited export usually isn’t enough when working with corporate IT departments and their bizarre data parsing requirements…

LG Add CP Tabs

Type: Extension
Price: Free
Creator: Leevi Graham

If you’re handing off a site to a client who will be adding a number of admins or members with control panel access, this one is a must. I seriously don’t know why this function isn’t built it. It lets you set the default tabs and links for a given member group which will be applied every time you add a new member. So if you’ve been teaching clients how to set up the needed tabs… you’ve been missing out. And wasting time.

Editor

Type: Extension
Price: Free
Creator: Brandon Kelly

Ever see Ryan Irelan’s screencast on setting up a control panel for client access? Well this replicates the “Edit Page” button on the site, with some extra flair. For everyone else, this adds an Edit icon next to your content on the front end of your site while you’re logged in. One click -> right into the edit page. Piece of cake. Done and done.

You can even hack the css in the extension to customize the position and style. Note: it uses an icon with a low opacity, so sometimes it’s tough to see on a light colored site. A quick tweak and you’re back in business.

LG Addon Updater

Type: Extension
Price: Free
Creator: Leevi Graham

This one is a gimme if you’re running a number of addons. It’s becoming the defacto method for notifying users of an available update, as well it should be. It’s simple and straightforward and just plain works. Throw this puppy in each and every time.

For what it’s worth there are a many, many more awesome addons so I’ll be featuring some of those in the future. These are the ones i pretty much can’t build without, but addons such as Playa, Data Matrix, and the others may come in handy as well.

So there you have it it. My secrets. What do you use?

I’m not saying I’m a pro at at — in fact I’m nearly burnt out the state of catatonic coma. However, I’ve been able to last longer on this stint that ever before, and I owe it to a few strategies i’ve been employing:

1. Stay up late, don’t get up early. Some people like getting up early to get a jump start on their deliverables, but this only gets me into trouble. When you think something is going to take 3 hours and it takes 7, there’s no buffer in the morning. At least you can work into the night and get it DONE. Try and leave/stop working early the next day if that was your big push.
2. Don’t drink TOO much coffee. It’s tempting to keep pounding the Joe but eventually it catches up to you. Last week I started shaking and had a tough time staying sitting and staring at my MacBook Pro. Mix it up. Drink a coffee in the morning, water in the afternoon mixed up with juice or a soda. Keep protein intake up. Have a beer to cut the stress in the late-afternoon/evening. Sustainable energy — not bursts.
3. Bounce between types of tasks. Coding ExpressionEngine for 4 hours? Switch to some design if you can for a break. It’s better than bugging out and work is still getting done. Obviously this doesn’t work too well when you have but one project, but hey — that’s not my problem.
4. Watch movies. Pull up a movie on Hulu in your second monitor or on the tv if there’s one nearby. This doesn’t work for everyone but it helps keep me from overloading with the task and hand and gives a nice diversion now and then when there’s a good part. Plus, it’s better than episodes of tv shows as you can’t quite tell how fast time is moving.
5. Listen to abstract music. Artists like Lemon Jelly or Deep Forest that are mellow/relaxing yet have a cool energy to them help smooth the passage of time without getting you repeating the chorus every 45 seconds. Like number 4, it passes the time outside your conciousness.
6. When all else fails, quit your job. Just kidding. I think. Maybe buy this shirt instead.