Tools to Boost Your
Productivity at Work
By Kristian Sumabat, Digital Transformation Director
Information Technology
As the organization expands and ventures to more opportunities, so do the demands of our work. How, then, can we keep up with the tasks and deadlines with limited time and resources?
The trick is to work smarter!
Here are some digital tools to help us achieve more everyday:
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Pomodoro timers: The Pomodoro Technique was created by a student, Francesco Cirillo, for a more productive way to get things done. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, and separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for 'tomato', after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer. I recommend a free website, https://pomofocus.io/, which has a simple and easy-to-use version of a pomodoro timer. There are also plenty of mobile apps that do this but my favorites are Focus To-Do (Android) and Pomodoro Focus Timer (iOS).
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Task management apps: We never run out of things to do. With numerous projects, deadlines, and activities, it’s very easy to lose track of our tasks and deliverables. Good thing there are apps for that! One that I recommend is something that our very own Digital Transformation and IT team are using. Asana (https://asana.com/) is an incredible tool to manage and track individual and group tasks and multiple complex projects in a single platform.
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Meditation apps: Everyone needs to refocus and find our bearing every once in a while. And what better way to do that than through meditation. My personal favorite is Insight Timer (Android and iOS) which offers a good amount of free content and community of meditation practitioners.
Combining these three techniques and apps will hopefully create a better balance between fast breaks and time-outs in order to be more productive and to sustain our energy and passion for work, as we achieve our goals for ourselves, family, and the organization.