Working From Home? Google Assistant Is Your New PA

With over 1 million actions, Google Assistant is artificial intelligence at your fingertips, whenever and wherever you need it.

From finding you a new recipe to playing your favourite music, Google Assistant can provide endless amounts of support and entertainment around the house. But have you ever thought about utilising the smart assistant to benefit your working from home setup? Google Assistant has some great productivity tools for professionals and we are here to help highlight these.

If recent events have caused you to shift from the office to your house, then Google Assistant may help you to remain productive whilst navigating your new way of working.

What is Google Assistant?

Google Assistant is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant developed by Google. Just like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, you can use Google Assistant to trigger other devices, ask questions or carry out a mixture of requests. Setting an alarm, playing music, or turning off your lights are all tasks the Google Assistant is capable of. An added advantage is that the Google Assistant can support other devices such as Pixel phones and even iPhone users. To get help from your Google Assistant, start by saying “OK, Google”.

How can Google Assistant help with working from home?

Here are a variety of ways that prove Google Assistant is a great tool to boost productivity when working from home and assist you with different tasks.

Set up a routine with Google

Establishing a solid routine is a key aspect of your success as a remote worker. By following a routine, especially in the mornings, you will help yourself get into the right mindset and ready to start a productive workday.

Google Assistant can help you to establish a morning routine by acting as your alarm clock, reading you the morning news, or even turning on your coffee machine – if set up with other smart home devices. Whether it’s in the morning or during the day, Google Assistant can help to automate a variety of little tasks that will help ease you into the workday.

Keep tabs on your calendar

Not sure what your day ahead may look like in terms of your work schedule? Google Assistant can help you to keep tabs on your calendar and make sure you don’t miss any important meetings over video chat. Here are examples of questions you could ask your Google Assistant:

“OK, Google, show me my appointments for Monday morning.”
“OK, Google, when is my next meeting?”
“OK, Google, what does my day look like on Friday?”

Google Assistant isn’t just for checking on your schedule either, use it to set up new calendar events and appointments, and even be reminded 10 minutes before they start.

Take down notes or lists

One of Google Assistants most useful features for someone working from home is that it can take notes. What may seem like a really simple task, may help to save a great amount of time, allow you to think out loud and jot down new ideas. Via voice commands, the Google Assistant will be able to take down notes using either your phone, speaker, or other devices. There are a variety of ways you can ask Google Assistant to take down notes, including:

“OK, Google, take a note”
“OK, Google, note to self”
“OK, Google, create a note”

Perhaps you would like to create a list of tasks to do for the day or check on the food shopping list you made earlier in the week? Google Assistant has the ability to create new lists and add items to it to help keep you organised and on top of things whilst at home. Ask to “create a to-do list” or “add orange juice to my shopping list”.

Make calls or send messages

Need to fire a quick message to your work colleague or perhaps you’d like to catch up with family on your morning break? Google Assistant can help with both of those things. Utilising the smart assistant for either of these tasks will reduce the amount of time you spend fumbling around with your mobile phone and ensure more of your time is spent focused at your desk.

You can ask the Google Assistant to make phone calls to your friends, family and businesses on your Google Assistant device. To make a call, simply say, “OK, Google, call MyMemory“. To then end the call, use the command, “Ok Google, hang up”.

Additionally, the Google Assistant can be set up to read your text messages or to send one to a contact in your phone. Just say “OK, Google, read my most recent text message” or “OK, Google, send a text message to [contact name]”.

Create background noise or listen to music

For some people, listening to music helps to improve both their productivity and performance during the workday. If you want to listen to a specific song or album, simply say “OK, Google, play the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Spotify”.

However, if you find listening to your favourite playlist is too much of a distraction, with the help of a smart speaker, Google Assistant can play relaxing background noise, such as:

Forest sounds
Nature sounds
Water sounds
Fireplace sounds
Ocean sounds
Rain sounds
Thunderstorm sounds
White noise

This feature can also prove to be really beneficial if you are struggling to wind down after you sign off or need help falling to sleep. All of these ambient sounds will continue to play for 12 hours if not turned off.

Catch up on news or current events

Listen to top headlines, catch up on your local news or get the latest on a certain category with Google Assistant. When choosing to listen to news reports or headlines you can ask “OK, Google, tell me the news” or “What’s the latest in health?”.

As of late, the news is inundated with headlines and stories on the global pandemic. While it’s important to stay up-to-date on what is happening, it can sometimes become too much. Fortunately, Google Assistant has a feature that delivers “good news”. Simply ask Google to “tell me something good”, and Google Assistant will deliver a dose of positive news.

Control your smart home

According to research, there are now 15 million smart homes in the UK, with the number of brits using smart devices constantly rising. While the majority of smart homeowners use their tech to help with practical benefits such as security for the home or turning on the lights, they can also provide a better work environment for those who work from home. Being able to control the heat in your ‘makeshift’ office space or to keep an eye on your kids in another room with the help of a home security camera, will make your temporary (or permanent) setup more attractive.

By adding the Google assistant into your working from home setup, you can ensure you make the most of the time spent at your desk. This highly-accessible technology can help you to become more productive, streamline simple tasks and offer a multitude of helpful skills. The Google Assistant really is your new personal assistant!