The COVID-19 lockdown has taught us that it’s that no matter where you are, it can be hard to get the most out of working from home. Fatigue, procrastination, motivation, isolation: these elements can overwhelm you even in the most comfortable of environments.
Finder studies estimate that approximately 60% of the UK’s adult population is currently working from home, with a similar story unfolding in the US. That means over half the working population is sure to be feeling the pinch of this new normal. The study also reveals how 24% of workers find it difficult to turn their minds off from work, a stress that’s easily exacerbated when one’s workspace is their own home.
We’ve covered the best video conferencing apps before, and even looked at what you’ll need to be productive in a home office. Our latest quarantine roundup comes courtesy of some choices from Armstrong Appointments, who talked to us about their favorite digital services for making shared projects easier to handle, no matter where you are – or what type of devices your colleagues use.
Any.do
An exceptional app for managing both work and life, Any.do provides a wealth of different features that synchronize across different platforms. The award-winning app is known for its scheduling capabilities, with features ranging from calendar syncing to reminder scheduling. Unlike many over-clutter productivity apps, Any.do is clean, simple and easy to understand. As such, this is an ideal tool for those who need to work across various platforms, whether they’re utilizing these tools from home or need to pop out for meetings.
Dropbox
A service that’s priceless to anyone who’s ever had unreliable tech on their hands, Dropbox serves as a private cloud server that’s accessible from almost any device around the world. Whether you’re caught at a meeting without your preferred device or your home computer has decided to break down, the nightmarish thought of losing all of your work or having no access to important documents is no longer a problem. Dropbox’s cloud capabilities prove themselves invaluable for storage purposes too as they provide a wealth of space, even for those using it for free. This flexibility and freedom with storing files means that you’ll be able to keep working with peace of mind that you’ll always have your work progress in safe hands.
IFTTT
Finally, there’s IFTTT, which stands for “if this, then that.” The app connects other apps together to work in sync, in much the same way as Apple’s own Shortcuts – the difference being it works across more platforms than just iOS. IFTTT proves itself as the perfect tool for specialists in PR, social media, or content-based roles, as registering all your social feeds here means that you can control them all at once. The app doesn’t just offer relief for social media users though, as IFTTT is designed to run apps that are beneficial to almost anyone. Setting calendar reminders, making use of virtual assistants like Siri, scheduling specific timers; IFTTT can connect many apps to ensure that you can keep on top of your workflow.