Although the rise of digital and technology combined may have you believe that every modern workplace is the personification of productivity, it seems that old problems still persist in the new circumstances. But, now we have the technological means to keep those issues at bay, or at least keep them under excellent control when it’s impossible to completely eliminate them.
From time management, eliminating distractions, to avoiding time-wasters such as scrolling your Facebook feed, rest assured that there’s a tech invention waiting to come to your rescue. Here’s a handy list that can help you create your own arsenal of techy helpers for improved performance at work!
Table of Contents
1. Time-tracking tricks
For as long as we cannot afford a Time-Turner used by Hermione Granger, we need to settle for effective apps and software solutions specifically designed to help you get an in-depth insight into how you utilize your time and how to make yourself more effective.
Handling sales initiatives, creating reports, invoicing, and all the way to managing your in-house calendar and client communication, the app is simple but detailed enough to suit a one-man operation as well as a corporation with countless employees.
2. Don’t fear automation
It has become not just an option, but a necessity to eliminate as many daily chores as possible from your calendar, in order to be more productive in areas that make the greatest impact on your business. If you keep wasting time on dozens of grunt-work assignments while your main project is on hold, then you can clearly delegate some of your work to an automated system.
Minor tasks such as certain types of email responses, updating your schedule, and paying bills can take a great portion of your time in a day unless you actually hand them over to an automation app, which will allow you to focus on the important tasks that matter.
3. Escape the noise
If you work in an office with a multitude of coworkers shuffling around, making phone calls, stopping by your office to pick up supplies, or your window has a view of the local construction site, then you know all about noise pollution or just plain old annoyance. On your best days, you’re probably able to ignore them for a solid part of the day. However, when you’re under pressure or working on a tight deadline, you’ll most likely need a sidekick to create some Zen.
Using noise canceling headphones and listening to productivity-boosting music will allow you to focus on the task at hand, and reduce the impact of the unwanted racket in your workplace.
4. Fever, anyone?
Even environmental factors that we tend to ignore can have an effect on how well you do your job on any given day. Have you ever been able to do your best work when you’re simmering in a 30°C office or scraping icicles off your beard on a cold winter day?
But you also rarely reach for the AC remote or the thermostat when the room temperature is only slightly under or above the perfect range conducive to productivity because you can hardly notice the difference, while your brain surely does. Since the perfect temperature is around 22°C, why not introduce a smart thermostat that will regulate your room temperature for you.
5. Double trouble
Everyone who has ever worked with creating lengthy reports, crafting presentations based on research and multiple sources of information knows that the process can take quite some time when you need to shift your focus among a plethora of different documents and tabs. And even if you were Speedy Gonzales himself, you couldn’t possibly read and write in parallel and save yourself the trouble of all the clicking back and forth.
But when you use dual monitors, you can open up as many documents as you need to cite and read on one side, while your other monitor serves for typing out the report, the memo or the presentation. It may take some getting used to, but it will be worth the effort once you notice how much faster you finish your work!
6. Simplified task management
If your traditional to-do list is failing you when you need it most, then it’s high time you introduced an app that will help you streamline your daily tasks, boost your ability to keep an eye on your progress, and finally, always stay accountable for your daily performance.
When you have a clear overview of your day and your entire week with a handy app such as Asana, you will learn to manage your milestones with greater efficiency, delegate whenever necessary, and in time get a better grip of your workflow in order to get more done in less time.
