Face it: Google runs your life. The search giant turned web ecosystem owns your email, calendar, and even your voicemails. Your most important data lives on Google’s servers. What you may not realize is that, despite the quality of Google’s products, someone else is doing it better—and placing all your eggs in Google’s basket isn’t necessarily the best thing. Here’s a look at alternative services you can use in place of Google’s webapps.

Photo remixed from originals by Jan Kranendonk (Shutterstock) and Alfonso de Tomas (Shutterstock).

You might want to move away from Google entirely, whether you’re tired of things like the Google Plus-ification of your search results or the fact that Google’s mining ridiculous amounts of data and selling you to advertisers, or maybe you’re just plain tired of Google creating services it doesn’t actually improve over time. You may scoff at the idea of using Bing or other less popular competitors, but they’re quite good—sometimes even better—than Google. We’ve just become too entrenched to notice.

If you want to take a serious look at the alternatives, we did some digging and a lot of experimentation to find the best alternatives to Google’s most popular services (and we alsoasked you guys to share your favorites). Most of these services are still from big companies, like Microsoft or Yahoo!, but we’ve tried to include a few services off the beaten path as well. The fact of the matter is just that the highest quality services around are going to be from the companies with the most resources. Below, we’ve listed the best Google alternatives in each category, as well as a few runners-up we think are worth checking out.

CONTINUED at Lifehacker.

*Taken from Lifehacker. Written by Adam Dachis.

We’re eager to be employed, especially in today’s job market, but some jobs turn out to have major problems that make our lives miserable—and make us want to quit. That said, quitting isn’t always the answer. Here’s what you can do to try and resolve those problems before jumping ship.

A user over on StackExchange took a job that turned out to be terrible and wants out. Some people recommended methods for quitting, but others recommended other strategies first. One of the best answers came from StackExchange user Patrick. He gave some suggestions specific to type of job in question (programming), so here is a more generalized version:

• Talk to your boss about the problems at hand.
• Tell your boss how you’d like to see those problems resolved.
• Ask your boss what it will take to get to that resolution.
• If the answers do not make the situation better, then it’s probably time to consider finding another job.

These suggestions really apply to any job you might want to quit, but are particularly relevant when you’ve just gotten there. Perhaps the problems you’re seeing aren’t as big as you think they are and you could be happy at the job if you just worked through it. Often times people tend to see life as a set of circumstances that just are what they are, and the only thing that can be done is to try out a different set of circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances can be labeled good or bad, but much of the time the issues they present can be resolved by simply making an effort to solve the problem. If it doesn’t work out, you can always leave. If you’ve just started the job, however, you should give your boss plenty of notice and work with him or her to make the transition as seamless as possible.

I made a mistake accepting this job | StackExchange

*Taken from Lifehacker. Written by Melanie Pinola.

Do you have what it takes to become a CEO? The New York Times interviewed top executives to find the 5 qualities most common to them and what they look for in new leaders.

From his interviews with over 70 chief executives and leaders, New York Times columnist Adam Bryant identified the “X factors” for leading an organization—qualities that can determine who gets promoted to that corner office.

All of the 5 essential traits can be developed, he writes, and “will lift the trajectory of your career and speed your progress.” Here they are in a nutshell:

• Passionate curiosity: Relentless questioning and being infectiously fascinated with everything around you, human nature in particular
• Battle-hardened confidence: Overcoming—and even relishing—adversity. CEOs most often ask job candidates how they’ve dealt with failure in the past.
• Team smarts: More than just being a team player, understanding how teams work and getting the most out of the team (in sports terms, being a playmaker)
• A simple mindset: Being concise, simple, and clear in your communications
• Fearlessness: Comfort with the unknown and taking calculated, informed risks; also, seeing opportunities and being proactive about positive change

Those are the basic qualities that top executives have learned and cultivated over decades of rising to success. For their full lessons and insights, hit up the article linked below. Do you see yourself as a leader with these traits? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Photo byAlex E. Proimos

Distilling the Wisdom of C.E.O.’s | The New York Times