Productivity Tools for Creative People
Lateral Action has a list of mostly free tools that creative types can use to boost productivity. You probably use many of these already, but in some cases there are features that can make the difference in terms of ease-of-use and efficiency that are just waiting to be discovered.
In the creative world, you don’t have to confine yourself to costly enterprise-level applications. Free (or really affordable) opportunities are available. In this article, I discuss my favorite tools to manage my clients and time online, and I invite you to share your favorite tools of the trade too.
These include Google Docs, Google Calendar, Gmail, invoicing software, time tracking software, and even IM clients. If you’re an online professional like me, or if you run a small business based at home or a small office, then these could be very helpful.
Opening Similar Files and Saving to Different Names
For people who frequently use computers, technology has to be thanked a lot. Unlike the days before the computer age wherein we had to rely on the traditional typewriter, documents no longer have to be re-typed nor corrected with the usual “snow fake” or erasers to ensure that we come up with good documents for approval and of course presentation.
Ever since the advent of software applications which went as far as the first “Word Star” or “Word Perfect” one thing that is glaring is the fact that we can just open a previous document with the same template and just change the data needed like the addressee, location and subject and save it under a different name. Print it and you can imagine the time you saved for it. All of this thanks to technology.
Today, this is familiar to us using the Microsoft Word program. While the on-screen presentation and formatting has surely been made better through the years, the process of opening, editing and saving document files under a different name has been a common practice from computer users. We see it done at home and the office and you can imagine the time element saved thanks to this practice.
There may be instances that you have accidentally overwritten such files but you can always use the traditional CTRL+Z to the point where the original document started. Just don’t close it though as that would be the end of it.
So as you can see, this is one basic task. It shows how productive you can get if you put your mind to it. A simple document preparation has a large bearing on being able to create and submit reports on time. It is all about using the right template at the right time.
Keep your Working Space Organized
As far as being able to be productive, it is apparent that you have to make sure that most of your working space peripherals are where they should be. There are things we see atop and alongside our tables and if we really give them much thought, they were placed there for a reason, namely:
1. Desk Calendars
2. In/Out Tray
3. Pen/ Pencil Holders
4. Drawers
5. Filing Cabinets
6. Magazine Boxes
Now these things were not placed there just to give you that usual office ambiance. They are there so you may know where to place objects such as papers, reports and other office stuff like pens, paper clips and folders. Having a clean desk allows you to be more productive since it will not look like a war zone wherein your cubicle seems to be always in shamble.
The key towards being inspired to work is knowing where the things you need like documents and office supplies. It takes away the need to look for them, something that may eventually lead you to forget what you are doing or even eat up the time you have in being able to accomplish a certain task.
There are exceptions. Some people prefer to leave their working place as it is even if it is a mess. But while that may depend on the person using a specific working place, it is not always consistent. Hence, in the end, it would depend on how he or she is willing to adjust accordingly to the proper work routine that can optimize his work output and production.
Do not take for granted the value of a clean and organized workplace. It can make a bid difference. Employing a basic and systematic way of carrying out your office tasks and work-related endeavors can help you a lot. In fact, it can hold the key to working smarter and becoming a reliable career-oriented individual as well.
Using Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode to Login with Separate Identities
Many of us face the need to log into a single service with distinct identities one time or another. For instance, you want to access your company or client’s AdSense account, but you’re logged into Gmail. Instead of logging out of Gmail, you can fire up a different browser. Say, your main browser is Firefox. You can open IE for this purpose.
But with Google Chrome’s Incognito mode, life is now easier. You don’t have to open an entirely new application just to login with a different identity. Lifespy has an excellent tip.
Since it handles cookies separately, that also means that you can load two sessions of the same service and log in via separate accounts for each window. Well, this isn’t too different from launching a Firefox window and an IE window but at least you’re just running the same application.
You can even login multiple times. The fact that each of Chrome’s tabs and windows is a separate process makes it even better. Each session is distinct from the other.
Just be sure to open a new Incognito Window by typing Ctrl-Shift-N, or selecting the feature from the dropdown box at the right of the unified URL/search box.
Stop Contesting Your Salary
Imagine yourself in the standard office setting where clerks and rank and file staff find themselves close to a market-place like environment. Most of them focus on doing their job individually, wanting to finish their daily tasks at the earliest possible time. Others on the other hand choose to take it easy since finishing it ahead of time may lead to being given additional tasks without additional pay.
For some, this may seem as a sorry sight. How can a person expect to reach greater heights with such an attitude considering that being at the bottom of the corporate ladder is only the beginning of a storied working career. Some would care while others would not. But perhaps for people, foregoing the issue of compensation for now would be a rewarding decision especially if you don’t see yourself attached to your current company for long.
Your work will mirror the type of career you will be getting. Moving to bigger job roles is not as easy and similar. The higher your pay, the broader your workload would be and perhaps this is one thing that people fail to realize when you go up, more work and job responsibilities come with it.
A person should not envy higher positioned people in the corporate world. They may seem to earn more but their time for themselves and their families become lesser. This is due to the fact that their responsibilities are now higher and normally this goes beyond the standard 8 to 5 working hours.
So for now, be satisfied with what you have. If you want to get a higher salary, take the risk. It may be something you would need to adjust more to in the end.
The Pros and Cons of Using Web Apps for Work Documents
Do you use Google Docs? Perhaps Google Spreadsheets? Sure these are great for sharing text and data with friends and colleagues online. Especially with today’s virtual office setup these free tools have made it easy to draft documents, work figures and even share notes with people from across the globe.
Web apps have taken the place of full-blown computer software for many people. This is because of the ubiquity of fast Internet connections and even mobile connectivity. Add to that the fact that portable tools are widely available these days, and not to mention cheap! Today $400 netbooks have replaced big, bulky notebook computers as the gadget of choice for the traveling person. There’s also the iPhone and other mobile phones that can let you get online even while on the road. With these broadband-enabled phones you can even connect your laptop or netbook while on the go.
These days, one app is turning out to be very popular among the online working crowd - Evernote. This app basically lets you clip, create, share and edit information from various devices and interfaces, including mobile, the web and a standalone app.
There’s also the Google suite of apps, which includes the documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and even other apps that let you access data from any web browser, like notebook and even Gmail.
Advantages
- Access from anywhere. Of course the main come-on of web apps is that you can access data from different computers. You don’t need to be stuck with your PC at the office. As long as you have a web browser, you can access your documents.
- Compatibility with different platforms. Being web-based you can access your information from different computers, and you’re not limited to the OS or platform. You can use a Windows PC, an Apple computer, a PC running on Linux, and in many cases even non-standard devices like mobile phones!
- You can easily collaborate. Sharing is easy. With many apps, two or more people can even edit a document at the same time, and the changes will be reflected real-time. There is also change-logging, so you know what was changed and when.
- Security from crashes. When your hard disc crashes, your data goes with it (unless recovered, but this can be expensive and will take time). When your data is online, you don’t have to worry about system crashes, unless it’s the web app provider itself that crashes or loses your files.
The Drawbacks
- Offline access. Face it, even with mobile broadband, there are those cases when you just can’t get online. No signal perhaps? Or how about slow ISP? Having a standalone app and being able to open a file from your hard drive or USB drive can sometimes be quicker!
- Unavailability of the Web app. It happens! Sometimes even Gmail goes down! What do you do when that happens? What if you have a critical presentation and you can’t access your documents because Google docs is offline?
- Security concerns. When your laptop is lost or stolen, your information goes with it. Sure, but with documents online, it could potentially be easier for thieves to steal your files. No physical access is required. Passwords are not always secure. You never know when you can fall victim to social engineering or even password sniffing!
With any technology there are ups and downs. So as a business user, it pays to cover your bases. Always keep backups and always have contingencies!
Disciplining Yourself if You Work From Home
Normally you would hear people sounding off that working from home is better than the office setting. Perhaps there is some sense to it but one thing that should be observed here is that of discipline. At home, you can choose to work and not to. You don’t have to worry about bosses roaming around and checking on you or finding the right position to relax. In short, you get the best of both worlds when you work from home.
But while that may be a dream to most, do remember that it can also affect you as a person. Not all people see the reason as to why it is harder to work from home. It is indeed something desirable but would you be productive when you choose to work from home?
The real answer lies on the person wanting to work from home. Ordinarily people fail to look beyond what it means to work at home and the consequences that arise from it. It is something new, especially for the people who have been working in an office setting. There will be some adjustment phases and on whether you would succeed or go down with it is something that may need thorough consideration.
Two thirds of workers would prefer to work from home, feeling they would be happier and more productive if they did, a new study has revealed.
Despite this, the survey by Plantronics found that three quarters of employees are offered no flexibility on where they work from by their job, reports the Press Association.
Make the Most of Your Slack Time
When you are at work, the usual 8 hour shift is normally not used up to the max. Actually, there are people in office who claim that 8 hours are not enough but if you observe them during the working hours, you may find them slacking off or taking their own sweet time to finish a day’s work.
One reason for this is that the mentality that one should work only on a limited basis depending on the ones stated in their job description and contract may be to blame. Not all people are enthusiastic to work more than what is expected of them. There are people who can work more than what is expected from them but choose not to since they will not be compensated for it anyway.
A logical choice perhaps but if you look at it, it is a wrong approach towards a business perspective. That is perhaps why most employees choose not to do more or impress management although there are some people who do it regardless of being rewarded or not. These are career-oriented people who want to prove something to themselves and of course gain that much longed for promotion.
So as a whole, there is a wide area of slack time in most jobs. It may not be generalized but certainly, not all people make use of the complete 8 hour shift. As long as they can be able finish their job, management cannot blame them for anything. Is that justifiable?
Work On Your Cognitive Skills
When you apply for a job or perhaps undergo an annual evaluation, chances are you will undergo a series of tests which include tests on your various abilities. They are called the aptitude test, something that is standard in most companies.
Of course, the initial goal is to rank high although it would be best to answer them openly and honestly. It is not an exam wherein anyone passes or fails. Rather, they are exams to determine your shortcoming as a person. For one, there is no such thing as a perfect person and surely there will be some areas in our personality that need to be improved.
Ordinarily, people tend to ignore this belief and answer these tests regardless if it affects them or not. In reality, the organization or group giving these tests have nothing to lose. But on the part of the person taking them, he is depriving himself of improving areas that can help in molding him both into a better individual and professional.
Deep inside though, a person would know which areas need to be improved. People do not want to be embarrassed and hence such improvements are limited to what a person can do on his own. That may be a challenge for him personally but it would be better to authenticate first which among these areas really need attention and improvement.
Treat Overtime Work as Milestones not Income
There is a problem when it comes to assessing why overtime work has to be done for some people. To most, it is a means of additional income. To the superiors, it is a measure of incompetence and a sign of something wrong within the workflow process which needs to be evaluated and changed.
At times, company sections cannot help but render overtime to meet deadlines and keep the operations flowing. It is something that is critical, especially if goals are to be met by the organization. Rather than hiring additional personnel or buying new equipment such as workstations, asking identified employees to render extended hours is a need.
Overtime work done once or on an as-needed basis is acceptable. But if overtime work becomes a regular thing, it is indeed something that shows something direly wrong. Assessing each point should be done and providing various solutions to help address the solution is important.
Employees work their butt out each time. Some may like the additional pay while others may not. But as far as job scope is concerned, the best way to address flaws in a work system will be identified only with the inputs of the manpower that is caught in between these issues.