How to Increase Productivity and Stay Connected: Essential Work From Home Tools
The current global health crisis has caused many people to relocate and start doing their job remotely. Working from home can be difficult if you’re not used to it and feel disconnected with your coworkers. Therefore, having the right tools can make the transition a lot easier, separating the job from the rest of your life, increasing productivity and avoiding the distractions at home. Here are the essential tools to get you started.
1. Video Conferencing
A powerful asset when it comes to connecting with your team, video conferencing allows you to chat face-to-face at any time and from any place. There is a variety of programs in the market suitable for every kind of business, but some popular options are Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom.
2. Project Management
When you are involved with a complex task that requires multiple collaborations and calendars, project management tools give you the task boards, group chats and status updates you need to make sure everything is running as scheduled. Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one tool featuring group chats, video conferencing and file sharing that makes it easy to collaborate with remote teams. Another option is Asana, an intuitive tool to organize, assign and follow up on tasks with remote teams.
3. Communication
Communication is key when it comes to staying connected with your team, and a wide variety of tools is available. The most popular one is Slack, a messaging platform to keep conversations organized and allowing you to trace back decisions throughout the workflow.
4. Time Tracking
One of the biggest issues when working remotely is avoiding distractions and staying on 30 track. A time tracking tool like Toggl helps you easily track the time you spend on each task, identify inefficiencies and optimize your workflow for maximum productivity.
5. File Sharing
When you are dealing with lots of documents, a cloud storage such as Dropbox is essential to keep everyone in the team updated without sending around a bunch of emails. This makes it easy to collaborate no matter where you are and edit documents in real-time.
Conclusion
Having the right tools is essential for staying productive and connected when working remotely. With these five tools, you have the perfect tools to move your job to your home and make the transition as seamless as possible.
- Video Conferencing: Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom
- Project Management: Microsoft Teams, Asana
- Communication: Slack
- Time Tracking: Toggl
- File Sharing: Dropbox
