Many of us are working from home a lot more these days, whether we are employees or small business owners. There are plenty of advantages – but a lot of distractions, too. With this in mind, we thought we would reveal some of the best tips out there to speed up your work processes, remove distractions, and get more done. Here are a few essential bits of tech that can supercharge your productivity while working from home.
A good alarm clock
Working from home means, you miss out on the travel most people do to get to work. So, use this time to your advantage. The earlier you start, the more you will finish each day – and you can also enjoy a little more time off in the evening. A good alarm clock is essential, here. Not one that you can just turn off straight away and go back to sleep.
A great calendar app
When you work from home, it can be easy to slip into bad habits. All the little distractions soon add up, and they can have an enormous impact on your productivity. Instead, create a to-do list in your calendar app of choice, and set alarms to remind you of meetings or important events. Try and stick to it as much as possible, and work between tight time frames. It will make a difference.
A faster computer
To work fast, you need your tools to work correctly. I upgraded my Mac the other week, and I can’t tell you how much quicker I am getting through work at the moment. As Core Technical Solutions said to me, ‘ a little RAM for a lot more wham.’ So repair or upgrade your PC or workstation, and look after it. Once your system starts to slow, so will your output. And, you will avoid many of the frustrations that arise from working on a creaking old PC.
Faster broadband
Most home workers use the Internet these days, but Internet speeds can vary wildly. It’s worth investing in a high-speed package and ensuring you are getting that speed at all times. It can make such a difference to your workflow when you can open up web pages in an instant. Sure, broadband speeds can vary wildly throughout an average day. But the faster your speed, the more work you will get through on an Internet connection.
Anti-social media apps
OK, so social media can be a great thing – and an excellent tool for business. But, it also sucks you into a bit of a time vacuum. Try and avoid using your personal account as much as possible while working – until you finish your tasks. There are plenty of apps out there you can use for this precise purpose. I like Focus Booster as it uses the Pomodoro technique. It shuts everything out for 25 minutes at a time. You then get a five-minute break, and go straight into the next session, and so on.
Do you have any more tips or knowledge of tech for improving productivity at home? Let me know about them in the comments section below!
