How to Increase Productivity With Tech Apps in 2024

With the new year just around the corner, a lot of us have resolutions on the mind. Are you looking to be more productive over the next year? It’s time to get your technology game plan in place!

Technology can help you cut down on distractions, manage your time and your passwords, provide faster access to your files, and even help you develop better habits that can last a lifetime. In this blog, we will provide you with some helpful tips on how to get productive with technology in the new year, and some tools you can use to make it happen!

How Can Technology Make Me More Productive?

Imagine if we had to go back to writing by hand?! There are lots of subtle ways that technology makes us more productive, like taking care of administrative and repetitive tasks with automations or using scribe technology to capture our thoughts without writing OR typing. Plus, thanks to online collaboration tools, we have more opportunity to connect and work with people all over the world, no plane ticket required.

However, at an individual level, technology can both enhance and reduce your productivity. Here are some ways you can employ technology to work for you, instead of against you:

• Use an app blocker. Finding yourself scrolling social media or down a rabbit hole of funny cat videos when you’re supposed to be at work? App blockers can prevent you from accessing the apps that cause the most loss in productivity during specific periods of the day, like your working hours or your family time. Zapier recommends these 8 focus apps to help you cut your screen time.
  
• Manage your passwords. A password manager is a program that keeps all of your passwords in one secure place. Not only does it provide a much more secure option for storing your passwords (looking at you, sticky note in the top desk drawer), it also can save you a lot of time by logging into apps and websites automatically as you open them. We use Dashlane, but there are lots of options out there to choose from!
  
• Use an online calendar. An online calendar is an easy way to keep track of meetings, appointments, events, and deadlines. It can also help you stay organized by colour-coding events and providing reminders before important meetings and deadlines. You can use the calendar connected to your email, like Outlook for the web, the default app on your phone, like Calendar on the iPhone, or the more intensive planning calendars that come with project management software, like Microsoft Project.
  
• Block off 90 minutes for intensive work. Research shows that the best way to maximize productivity is by working intensively for 90 minutes, then taking a break. Blocking these work sessions in your calendar help to keep you on track, and taking a quick walk or grabbing a glass of water after a work session is a great way to ensure your brain really does get a break.

Get Productive in 2024 with Microsoft 365

If you or your company is using Microsoft 365, we have good news! There are lots of apps you’re already using in the Microsoft environment that can help you be more productive over the next year and beyond, including:

• OneNote. OneNote is a multi-functional notebook that can help you store meeting agendas and notes, rough drafts, and even your drawings and  ideas. Create different notebooks for different topics, organize by section, and even share with others to collaborate together. Plus, you’ll get a OneNote notebook to share with members of your Microsoft Team – a great place to store shared meeting information!
  
• To Do. Microsoft To Do is more than just a to do list. It’s a smart daily planner that provides personalized suggestions and a daily task list based on your due dates. No rushing out on January 1 for an agenda book that will sit in your desk unused for the rest of the year!
  
• Planner. If Microsoft To Do is the perfect personal task management tool, Planner is perfect for your team. It’s custom built to provide an easy, visual way to manage project tasks for the whole team. The best part? Tasks assigned to you from a shared team Planner show up in Microsoft To Do, so you can organize these tasks along with your personal lists.
  
• OneDrive. What if you could access all of your files from anywhere? What if you could share them with anyone to collaborate in real-time? Trick question – with Microsoft’s OneDrive, you can! Store all of your stuff in one, secure place, back up your desktop, documents, and image folders, and share on the fly to boost your file management and productivity.

Ready to Increase Your Productivity?

The future is bright, and we’re excited about the ways technology will continue to change the world! In the coming year, if increasing productivity is a resolution for you or your organization, get in touch. We’re happy to help you implement tools in Microsoft 365 that can change and improve the way you and your team works together. Find us at regroove.ca!