The best thing about the world wide web is that it gives us unlimited access to all kinds of information.  And though much of that data is free, not all of it is useful!  So here’s my latest short list of worthwhile resources you can use, almost all of them gratis, to help you move forward in key areas of your reinvention:

• StickK is a website that helps to set goals and hold yourself accountable for achieving them.  You choose from a list of goal categories (career is one of them), and set whether it’s a one-time or ongoing commitment. To hold yourself accountable you can “put your money where your mouth is” and assign dollar stakes for your goal.  You can also assign a “Referee” to report to each week, and get your friends involved to support you. Cost: Free!

• Strong Life Test for Women is based on the latest book by researcher Markus Buckingham of Now Discover Your Strengths. This quick quiz uncovers insights into the “role you were born to play.”  Though I haven’t read (and therefore can’t recommend) his new book Find Your Strongest Life, I found this quiz to be spot on in its pinpointing my “type.”  The downside to my pattern provided an “ouch” of recognition, and its recommendation for my smartest career move– though VERY general– was also on point.  Cost: Free!

• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is for both men and women (unlike the Strong Life Test), and is basically a short-form version of the famous Myers-Briggs profiles (if you are familiar with MBTI, this quiz gives you the middle two letters).  When you get to the landing page after taking your quiz, you’ll see there are a bunch of paid options.  Be sure to click the ‘mini-quiz’ option to see your free results.  Bonus- the quiz is offered in multiple languages. Cost: Free!

• O-Net Online is the U.S. Dept of Labor’s online occupational database.  It contains a wealth of information about nearly a thousand occupations– and not just the boring bits!  Beyond a detailed task list, you’ll learn the skills, abilities and training you need (hello, Law 5), and what kind of work styles and values are essential for success in the job.  There’s even a designation for “Bright Outlook” jobs, so you’ll know which occupations are expected to be in demand over the next ten years.  A word of advice- though you can search by regular keyword, you’ll get a much more precise result if you use the O-Net Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code.  Go here to see the SOC list.  Cost: Free!

• The Live Happy iPhone app is a positive psychology app developed in conjunction with one of the leaders of the movement, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. Based on the set of activities outlined in her book (The How of Happiness, which I have read and can recommend) that have been scientifically proven to help people become happier, the app learns about you, your personality and preferences, and recommends happiness-building activities (e.g. sending gratitude notes) you can do right from your iPhone.  Cost: Nearly free! (99 cents)

To let you all know about useful resources, I make it a point to surf career advice blogs to see what others are saying.  One blog that I particularly enjoy is The Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.  She writes about the ‘intersection of work and life’; some posts are more about her life than work (read: My First Day of Marriage Counseling ), but I find her posts on either topic to be information-packed, interesting, and thought-provoking.

One of her most popular posts is ‘10 Tips for Time Management in a Multi-tasking World’.  I particularly like her suggestion of doing the most important thing on your list first; most of choose to do the quickest items which leaves us short on time for the more critical tasks.  Read more of her time management advice here.