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Productivity is a broad term that still has an uncertain nature. Some people prefer to wait for the perfect day when they wake up and just feel productive. Other people just don’t afford the luxury of waiting. So, some might say that productivity is not a personality trait, but a way of living. Basically, what everybody wants is to spend less time on unimportant matters and focus on their crucial tasks. The following 10 hacks will employ a series of gadgets that will improve productivity.
1. Simple Writing Apps
Sometimes, the most complicated problems have simple solutions. When you are fighting your way through multiple tasks, your thoughts can get pretty mixed up. You don’t want things to become even more confusing with complicated apps. All you might need is the comfortable familiarity of a simple notepad. Apps like Google Docs, Google Keep or other plain digital notebooks understood the benefits of keeping things simple. In times of need, you can easily open them up, and start writing directly what you think without the interruptions of fancy features.
2. Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you work like most people in an office, the chances are that you are accustomed to background noise. The truth is that there are few moments of quiet in the workplace. Chatting, music, giggles, yawns, and even machines like a photocopier or air conditioner don’t actually make the best symphony together. This is why a pair of noise-canceling headphones would be a great investment for your productivity. So, you might want to check out products like Bose QuietComfort or Plantronics BackBeat Pro for a more affordable price.
3. Transfer your Files through Thin Air
If we could eliminate the trivial things that waste plenty of our precious time entirely, the increase in productivity would rapidly show itself. One of these time-consuming tasks is file sharing. How would you quickly send 10G of data?
There is a tiny app, called AirDrop, that can send your files no matter how big they are to the people next to you. When you look closer at how the AirDrop works, you’ll find it better than Bluetooth. The app can be found on Apple products and it can be used to send websites, personal contact details or personal notes without any trouble.
4. Practice Meditation
Some people might ask how meditation would help them become more productive when it actually takes time to focus on it. However, a 5-minute session has stunning effects. You will find it easier to concentrate on important tasks. Moreover, you will no longer feel the need to fill your time with mindless occupations, like Internet browsing without a purpose. You will also find your willpower more easily to overcome procrastination.
So, you might have to find 5 minutes a day to practice meditation, but its success will have a great impact on your workday. There are already some apps to get you started, like Calm, Headspace, Smiling Mind or Relax Melodies.
5. Physical Training
When your mind starts snoozing, you have zero chances of getting it back on productivity grounds. Unless you tell your body to pump up energy to the brain. The only way to do that is to drop everything you do and start exercising. Applications like Couch to 5k and Workout Trainer will give your efforts a purpose and structure. However, you can also invest in a desk exercise bike that you can use while working.
6. Get the Best of Your Alarm
You don’t have your mother by your side anymore to tell you what and when to do something important. Chances are you can’t afford a secretary either. However, there’s one vital hack you can unlock right from your smartphone – the alarm.
Most people use their alarm apps just to wake up and go to work. But they can be so much better than this. Your productivity can go to waste in seconds if you simply forgot to attend an important meeting. However, if you simply tell your Google Calendar to notify you when and where the meeting takes place at precisely four hours before it, you will no longer have that disrupting feeling that you forgot something.
7. Digital Assistant
You just activate your personal assistant, and you can tell it to order some pizza, find the best recipe for cheese lovers or turn on some ambient music for relaxation. You can let the new investment to take care of the little things, while you have more time for important things. Some of the best such services on the market are Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google Now.
8. iKettle
You get one special kettle. What makes the difference between this product and others is that you can connect it to your phone. Once the link is successfully activated, you can order your tea or coffee on the go. By the time you arrive at your destination, there will be no waiting, only pure pleasure. The iKettle likes to say that it can save up to two days of your time in a year.
9. Portable Battery Charger
The time has come to upgrade your most used device with…another device. Even though some people might not see the investment in a portable battery charger as a bright decision, it has become a necessity. The moment when you run out of battery is inevitable. Given that modern society has us hooked on our smartphone for the entire day, it is wise not to remain offline for too long. So, give it a chance and the disruptive experience of a low battery will not mess with your productivity anymore.
10. Track your Treasured Possessions
This is a small yet powerful device. If you ask your friends about their various reasons for being late, the answer would generally be that they couldn’t find something, usually the keys. And if you depend on public transportation, one minute can make the difference between arriving earlier or 40 minutes too late. With some smart gadgets like TrackR Stickers or StickNfind, you will know exactly where your keys are. All you have to do is to put a special sticker on them, and your smartphone will find them.
So, these are the 10 ways you can improve productivity through gadgets. Let the machines do the dirty work, while you focus only on what really matters to you.
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