Here are a few tips on how you can wrap up your work quicker and leave office early.
There are ways to use your time at work efficiently and maximise your output on any given day, while still saving time.If you can’t wait to grab that after-work drink, then here are a few simple ways to work faster.
LEARN THE SHORTCUTS
Working with PCs is not just about the right settings or preferences, but knowing the shortcut keys well. Did it ever happen to you that you closed a tab while browsing the web by mistake and now want it back? Just press `Ctrl+Shift+T’ and it’s back. Simple, isn’t it?
There are lots more like this. Like, press the left and right buttons on the mouse together on a link in a web page and it opens it in a new tab. Or click the middle button of the mouse once, if there is one. The benefits of knowing these shortcuts are that they help you work faster and more efficiently.
KNOW YOUR TOOLS WELL
Most of the time, you don’t require extra applications to do those minor tasks that can easily be done using existing tools. For example, MS Paint is a really powerful tool to do basic image edits like resizing, cropping, doodling or even as a colour picker.
Did you know that MS Excel can be used to sort a list, find unique values, count the frequencies or even filter values based on conditions? Well, it can do even more. Just look for Filters, Pivot Tables, Conditional Formatting and VLOOKUP functions in Excel and you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve just using this programme.
PDFS TO THE RESCUE
Have you ever had the need to print a PDF docu ment, sign it, then scan it back and email the soft copy? Well, PDFs can do a lot more than just pre sent the document. Apart from adding annotations and comments to a PDF document, you can also add signatures to your PDF using the in-built options. Just search for the `Add Signature’ option in the Menu bar and you can store your signatures with your PDF reader to be added to the required document.
TONNES OF ONLINE UTILITIES
Have you felt the need of using some of the functions of Adobe Photoshop but didn’t have it in your PC? There are many online tools, which are powerful enough to perform like any desktop application. Try pixlr.com editor. It’s like a mini version of Photoshop.
Want to make amazing presentations with graphics to impress your boss, something Microsoft Powerpoint cannot do? Use Prezi. Not sure if a file is infected by virus, use Virus Total. Online video editing? WeVideo. Video converting? Zamzar.
SWITCH TO CLOUD STORAGE
Has it ever happened to you that you are travelling and you need that one file from your laptop right at that moment?
If you use cloud storage, all your files will be available on every platform.
Of course it’s a pain to always keep uploading your files to the `cloud’ after every minor change you make, but thankfully, there’s a much simpler solution. Just download the application for your favourite cloud storage option, (I prefer Dropbox or Google Drive). Either of them can sync your files automatically to the cloud when any update is made keeping them up to date on the cloud always.