Work environment, how you manage your time and your general wellness are some of the factors that affect your productivity. To stay productive during the day, you need to ensure that you are managing your time well, have a conducive environment to work and that you are healthy and happy. You may have a lot to do in a day, especially if you are working from home and have to take care of your family and work at the same time. It may sound like a hard task to accomplish, but with the right tech tools, you can stay productive without a struggle. If you are feeling like your productivity is diminishing, use the following tech tools for a boost.
1. Tools to help you stay focused
Browsing the internet can be one of the biggest work distractions. A five minute scroll on Facebook can have you checking a series of other sites. Before you know it, a big chunk of time that could have been used constructively goes wasted. You can limit the time you visit your most frequented sites using tech tools to block them when you are working.
- Freedom allows you to enter the time you will take for a task, then blocks the internet for that period of time.
- Focus Me allows you to have access to the apps, websites, or programs that you need for a specific task, blocking out the rest.
2. Tools to reduce distractions
Talking of distractions, workplaces are filled with them. From noisy printers and colleagues to phones ringing, such noises can easily distract your focus. Thanks to innovation, you can use a pair of noise-canceling headphones to keep noise at bay. These headphones play white music that can help you concentrate on the task at hand.
3. Time tracking tools
Time spent on a project is often mistaken with time spent at the desk. If you were honest about the time spent on a project, you would realize that a significant amount of your time is wasted on staring at your screen, using social media, or making calls that could actually wait. Tracking your time helps you identify the time of day that you are most productive. You can assign difficult tasks to that time. It also helps you see where your time went, instead of estimating at the end of the day.
- Toggl allows you to accurately track the time spent on a project. You can also track multiple projects or subdivide a project into small doable tasks.
- Timely integrates with your calendar to help you schedule tasks and allows you to allocate time to a project which you can then compare with the actual time it took.
4. Tools to release stress and fatigue
You might think that putting more hours on a project will make you productive. However, working long hours without a break can greatly affect performance. It is important to take regular breaks to rest your mind, back and eyes. There are tools that can help make the most of those breaks.
- Calm guides you through a video on how to gently stretch your body to release stress and rejuvenate. It also has meditation and breathing exercises that are good for the mind.
5. Tools to help you stay connected
Collaboration within teams is essential in completing tasks and for everyone to stay on the same page. Furthermore, staying connected works well in reducing loneliness, especially if you work remotely. Isolation can derail your productivity. You need to have a connection tool that can work well regardless of where you choose to work from.
For instance, if you stay in Los Angeles, you can decide to work from home or in a coworking space in Los Angeles. Either way, the tool should help you stay connected with colleagues, share files and spreadsheets as well as chat during happy hours.
- Slack allows real-time chatting, sharing documents, and video conferencing. It has a search option where you can look up previously discussed topics. The app also has push notifications to ensure you are in line with others.
6. Tools for working faster
Any tool that can help reduce the amount of time spent on little tasks goes a long way in increasing productivity. You will have much more time to handle larger projects.
- Textexpander keeps memory texts that you frequently send for quicker texting. You just need a few clicks to have the whole text typed out.
7. Planning tools
One way to measure productivity is to determine how much time it takes for you to complete various tasks. Planning your day well can help you tackle important tasks first, keep deadlines, and accomplish a lot in a day.
- Todoist simplifies your task management by organizing your tasks according to their deadlines. In this way, you can easily tell which project to work on, the next one in line, and keep track of upcoming deadlines.
Conclusion
Many people struggle with staying productive during a workday. Accomplishing tasks in a timely manner and delivering quality work, however, doesn’t have to be complicated. Leverage available tools to help you through your day and ensure that you are staying productive.
