Byte-sized bites of technology
With social media today, it is very easy to lose focus on the work at hand and get distracted. If you're like me, you probably have Facebook open along with Twitter waiting to catch the latest update. LeechBlock is a simple productivity tool: an extension for the Firefox web browser designed to block those time-wasting sites.
If you're regularly blogging, or even just writing, it is important to maximise your speed of typing. Learning touch typing is an important step towards improving productivity. However, if you're not an expert at touch typing, or would like to speed up still further, then using an autotext software is a very good solution.
I love my mouse, but even more I love using the keyboard. My experience is that once you start using the keyboard and keyboard shortcuts, you tend to work faster, thereby improving your productivity. If you're using Word, Excel or just about any application, you should learn to use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible.
If you are using Windows, the number of shortcuts that Windows presents you is phenomenal. You even have the option to create your own shortcuts to launch applications. Here are ten shortcuts that can improve productivity: Windows Key + R Open the Run window Windows Key + F Open the search window Windows Key + E Open Windows Explorer Windows Key + 1, 2, ...
Last week, Microsoft owned Sysinternals released a new virtual desktop management software called Desktops. Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using.