Tips to Increase Your Computer Productivity

No one can deny that computers have drastically transformed the way we work.

Gone are the days when people sat in offices and piled up stacks of paper documents. Computers have transformed the sorting and arrangement of files in and out of the workplace and make it easier to communicate with one another. 

PCs are more common than ever, and pretty much every individual is aware of or knows a bit or two about them. Teens play video games, software developers execute their programs, while freelancers use them to earn some money online. What would our world be if computers weren’t there? 

Whether you make a living from working on a computer or just use one casually in your personal time, you can increase your computer productivity easily by following a few simple steps.

Why is Computer Productivity Essential?

In today’s digital age, almost every one of us has access to a PC and the internet. But, by the time you reach your mouse and navigate to an icon to click, you have essentially wasted a dozen seconds. If you are a frequent PC user, it is important to know that certain actions can help save you time and get jobs done more efficiently.

How many times have you heard that time is the most valuable thing? Have you ever wondered how much time you can save by learning shortcuts or tips and tricks that can boost productivity? Carry on reading to discover five tips and tricks that will help you to increase your computer productivity.

Prefer keyboard over your mouse:

This is one opinion every tech-geek will give to you. Using your keyboard instead of a mouse is the first sign that an individual is computer productive. Learning about keyboard shortcuts can help you to save time whilst working. Keeping your hands on the keyboard can sufficiently cut down on the time it takes navigating between the keyboard and mouse.  In particular, try to use keyboard shortcuts for actions you use a great deal. For example, if you are continually copying and pasting text, using the Ctrl+ C and Ctrl+V keys can keep you from needing to use the right-click menu on your mouse.

Other useful shortcuts include select all (Ctrl+A), Undo (Ctrl+Z) and of course, one key that will help to save you time by switching between running operations quickly is (Windows + Tab). Check out more shortcuts here. 

Don’t open social media sites often:

Everyone has been in that moment when you were meant to be researching articles on the internet, yet you found yourself logging into Facebook instead. Social media doesn’t have a positive effect on productivity because it diverts the user and acts as a distraction from the task ahead. While you are working or have a task to complete, we recommend not launching a social media platform on your browser – since there will be zero productivity.

If you are at all tempted to access a social media site, apply URL filters. By using this method, your browser will detect whether the site is a social networking one or not. In addition to this, try switching your smartphone off or placing it on silent mode.

Similar to checking your social media accounts, checking your messages every 5 minutes, is also bound to waste time. Remove these distractions from your workspace and you are certain to see an improvement in completing work quicker. 

Use an up-to-date device:

Don’t ignore the software updates incoming on your computer. Keep all drivers up to date and frequently update the applications installed on your system. As much as possible, download the patch update as soon as it is released. You can ease yourself from this burden, by installing an auto-update software which will automatically install updates and make your PC safe.

If you are sat there wondering why your computer is taking a long time to open a programme, perhaps it needs updating in more ways than one. As well as ensuring you are using the most up-to-date operating system, you may need to install a new External Hard Drive or SSD. Doing either of these things will greatly increase the speed of your computer. This will give you an advantage by allowing you access to programs quickly and read-and-write operations. Not sure whether to choose a Hard Drive or SSD? Then check out our guide here. 

Another method to increase your computer productivity is by increasing its volatile memory. Increase your RAM, and allow yourself more space to store your running programs. Using an up-to-date computer, or at least upgrading your current computer, will assist you with becoming more efficient as it will lower the time it takes to load programmes. 

Upgrade your internet connection: 

Productivity is all about saving your time and a fast internet connection will do just that. Essentially, a faster connection will speed up the load times of your internet browser and will decrease the time it takes you to see something online. With a fast internet speed, big downloads won’t be a problem either for you. Faster download speeds result in faster file transfers and updates. Moreover, websites will instantly open, and you will not have to wait for another tab to load while you are utilising another. 

Additionally, if you think of using a VPN to open a blocked website in your region, your internet connection will be as stable as ever. VPN protocols ensure security but have a disadvantage of slowing your network speed. Therefore, if your internet speed is already extremely fast, a VPN won’t disrupt your response time.

Keep an eye on tasks:

Attach a to-do list or sticky notes to your desktop to give you an overview of your pending tasks. This is the most used productivity tip since it always stays right in front of your view. Update your tasks to-do and discard the one from the list which you have finished. Splitting duties shall become easy, and you will get a sigh of relief once you tick one off from the list.

Although technology in computers is evolving at a rapid speed to meet the needs of the people who use them, there are still certain areas where we as individuals can improve.

Simply by taking a short time to check our machine is up-to-date, learn a few tricks to speed up your keyboard usage and by deterring from social media distractions, we can increase our computer productivity and the speed at which we operate.

It’s time to maximize your workflow.

Do you have any tips and tricks you use to increase your own computer productivity? Let us know in the comments below!

Author Bio:  Peter Buttler is a Cybersecurity Journalist and Tech Reporter, who contributes to online publications, including TNW, Lifehacker Australia, Infosecurity-magazine, SC Magazine UK, Tripwire, GlobalSign and CSO Australia, among others. He covers different topics related to Online Security, Big data, IoT and Artificial Intelligence. With more than eight years of IT experience. Follow him on Twitter @peter_buttlr.