6 Computer Productivity Hacks You Need in Your Life

guest post Oct 30, 2017

As you complete the list of tasks you have for your day, you may start to lose momentum and your attention span will begin to decrease. You might even find yourself checking social media or looking at the latest news stories rather than concentrating on your work.

If your concentration decreases, so will your productivity.

Luckily there are always ways to keep on track and increase your productivity. Here are 6 of the best computer productivity hacks you need in your life.

1.    Declutter Your Desktop

Have you ever wasted time navigating through your desktop and folders looking for a document?

Clutter on your computer is one of the most significant factors that will result in substantially lower productivity. Allocate some time to go through your folders and desktop to categories and sort your documents.

Once you have sorted your desktop, endeavour to keep it clean and precise moving forward. Yes, it may take a few extra seconds to move a document to the correct folder. But it will make an enormous difference if you need to find that document down the track.

2.    Get IT Support

There’s no doubt we have all experienced problems with our computers that we just can’t find the answer for no matter how much we look. That’s where IT support really shines. By having IT support, you will have quick access to a knowledgeable and efficient IT specialist to help solve any problems you encounter.

Considering you will no longer spend hours searching the web for a solution, this will increase your productivity extensively. No matter the problem, IT support specialist will be able to run you through the steps you need to take to get back to work sooner.

3.    Create and Follow a Schedule

Using a schedule will allow you to allocate time to each task you have. By assigning a time limit to each task, you’ll be more inclined to complete the work efficiently and on time.

Tackle the Hardest Tasks First

If you have a harder task, get it out of the road first. Your productivity will likely decrease as the day goes on. If you are stuck at the end of the day with your hardest task, you’ll feel drained and likely find it much harder to complete.

Turn Off Notifications

We can often get distracted by notifications from social media, emails and such which will kill your productivity. Turn your notifications off and schedule times throughout the day to check and respond to emails.

4.    Move to The Cloud

Cloud storage is fast becoming a technological tool many businesses are turning to for increased productivity and efficiency. Accessing documents and data from the cloud is so quick, easy and efficient which allows you to get on with work. Cloud storage also allows you the ability to access documents and data no matter where you are if you have an internet connection.

5.    Embrace Chrome Add-ons

One of the best things about using Chrome as your browser is the extensive range of add-ons you can install for free.

Some of the most popular add-ons include:

Grammarly

Grammarly is a great free add-on which will provide a comprehensive spellcheck for all emails and content you write on the web. This will reduce your need to constantly check your spelling and sentence structure.

LastPass

This is both a great security and productivity tool. LastPass remembered all your passwords and logins for online websites and protects it with one master password. This will reduce the time it takes you to remember or find passwords for different websites you may require logins for.

6.    Track Your Time

Keeping track of your time will ensure you stay within the time limits set in the schedule you create. By limiting your time for each task you’ll be able to gauge your productivity and understand where your time is being spent. Some great ways to track time is by using a CRM system like Microsoft Dynamics 365. This allows you to clock your time and allocated it to each task.

Your productivity will be largely affected by your own personal concentration and attention span. Work or ways to better improve your own time management and scheduling skills. Good personal skills will reflect in stronger productivity and less stress.

 

*** This Guest Post was from Alex Hamilton ***

Alex Hamilton is a Blogger and Content Creator based in Perth, Western Australia.

He’s often writing about small business software and productivity hacks on behalf of Office Solutions IT.

 You can catch him on Google+ or LinkedIn.