Our world is obsessed with productivity. And why not? Productivity means being efficient with our time.
And yet, recent trends have helped buffer us—as workers and as people—from productivity corroding quality of life. Productivity can’t come at the cost of higher stress, faster burn-out, and overall displeasure.
Productivity is not limited to work, though, which helps take the pressure off. We truly want to make the best use of our time in work, in family, and with friends.
For example, you want to make the best use of time the next time you eat an ice cream cone, don’t you? That doesn’t mean rushing through it. That means blocking off the time you plan to take so you can get maximum pleasure from the treat without interruptions and knowing you have exactly the time you need.
Productivity on our computers isn’t limited to work, either. Today, much of what we do at home takes place on computers, too. Learn what 3 computer productivity tips you need to know to make better use of your time—whether you’re hard at work or planning your next family vacation.
1: Track Your Time
This isn’t limited only to how you use the computer, but it is important to get specific about how you use your computer time. This requires keeping yourself honest with basic time tracking. Usually, even with the best intentions and when we think we’re being productive, we still lose more time than we realize.
Do you tend to take breaks after doing certain things on the computer?
Do you tend to struggle with navigation on certain tasks?
How much do you flip between apps and screens?
Just like phones now have daily screen time reports, tracking your time on the computer (with something as simple as a spreadsheet) is the first step to become more productive. You’ll see opportunities that surprise you almost instantly!
2: Always Save to and Work from the Cloud
Storing your computer files (especially your text documents and spreadsheets) in the cloud and working on them directly in the cloud saves you time in multiple ways. For example:
- You no longer get lost in multiple file versions
- You can access the documents from any device
- You can share the files with others and control who can do what
- You can co-author files when sharing them, too
- You can search for and find files in a flash
- You also use less storage on your computer (which makes it faster, and makes you more productive)
3: Clean Your Computer Up
Your computer should be just as tidy as any other space you commit to keep clean. Block of time monthly to review your files and folders to delete unused content, consolidate single-floating files, and reorganize where it makes sense.
Never store extra files or apps on your desktop that don’t need to be there, either.
And don’t forget to empty the recycle bin at least daily!
Keeping your email account organized is another great way that clean-up can keep you productive.
When you’re productive on the computer, you save yourself more than time. You also save the headaches that come with messy files, slow hardware, and poorly-managed time in general.
Stay in the know on computer news for even greater productivity. This will help you find new shortcuts and learn about productivity tools as they come out. Start with this article on 5 new features with Windows 11 you’ll want to know about.