It’s been about 8 months since we transitioned from working at the office for a good chunk of our time to getting everything done from home. Nonetheless, many of us are still learning how to adapt to our new surroundings. While we’re certainly used to hanging out and relaxing at home, we aren’t used to seeing it as a workplace.
As women, we often have to juggle multiple priorities at once. This juggling act might be exacerbated by making the switch to WFH. Not only do we have our careers to contend with, but we also have our own family and personal responsibilities to manage. Luckily, there are a number of great tech products and tools designed to help you excel during these WFH months.
Check out our top recommendations here!
Necessities to Have in Your Arsenal When WFH
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Try to avoid spending all day working from bed. A proper desk and chair set-up can make a huge difference in your productivity levels.
All over the world, a rising number of women are making the switch to working from home. The WFH life gives us the opportunity to focus on our family, travel, and arrange our own schedules, while prioritizing the health and wellbeing of those most important to us. For all of the working mothers out there, you know how challenging it can be to balance your family and work. WFH makes it easier to focus on both. And these products and services help you focus on work in comfort.
1. Standing Desk or Converter
Get up every once in a while to beat inactivity. Image courtesy of Houzz.
Sitting for long periods of time can actually be harmful to your health. In fact, living a sedentary lifestyle puts you at a greater risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Plus, the office chair you’re using might not be ergonomically fit for your unique build. Many office chairs are actually designed for the average build of a man. To help reduce your risk of developing “sitting disease” or back problems, you should try standing for at least 30 minutes at a time every now and then.
Of course, you aren’t going to be comfortable if you find yourself standing over a low desk. That’s why standing desks are steadily growing in popularity. You can easily adjust these desks to your height so you can stand and work comfortably. If you already have a desk, you can purchase a converter instead of having to shell out money for a completely new one.
2. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Noise-canceling headphones are a lifesaver, especially if your home is a little chaotic.
Stuck in a noisy environment? Whether your neighbors are working on their outdoor patio or your kids are busy with their own online work, you might find a pair of noise-canceling headphones for drowning out the noise helpful for your productivity levels. Headphones are also great for taking care of phone calls or online conferences hands-free.
3. Productivity Apps
Let’s be honest, it’s pretty easy to get distracted when working from home. Not only do you have a cozy bed several feet away from you, but you are probably also dressed in your favorite pair of sweats and feeling more comfortable than you ever would in an office. To stay on track, try downloading some of these productivity apps.
- Todoist: Free task management app that lets you create deadlines, manage progress on different tasks, and add reminders
- Evernote: Notetaking app that lets you add text, images, and documents to different tasks
- Forest: Popular productivity app that encourages you to stay focused through fun gamification
4. Cloud Storage
Cloud storage platforms make it easier than ever to collaborate with co-workers online.
Even before the start of the pandemic, cloud storage was growing in popularity among companies of varying sizes. Not only do cloud storage platforms make it easier than ever to store large amounts of information, but they also make it possible to collaborate with anyone, no matter where you are located. Some of the most popular cloud storage platforms include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and iCloud.
5. Automation Tools
No one enjoys doing tedious, repetitive tasks. Cut yours down with some automation tools. For instance, text expansion tools have grown in popularity for their ability to autocomplete commonly-typed phrases. You can also automate emails with certain apps. So if you want to automatically send an email out to your team when a sales lead comes in while you are busy with other responsibilities, you can set that up using most applications.
6. Planner or Project Management App
The GoGirl planner lets you create a concrete vision of your goals. Image courtesy of GoGirl.
When it comes to managing your work-life along with your personal life, you need a planner to keep yourself organized.
Project management apps like Trello and Asana are popular for helping employees manage projects and boost productivity. Of course, if you prefer to handle things old-school, you can purchase a regular planner to write out your upcoming projects, deadlines, and other pressing tasks.
Here are some of our favorite planners for women!
Black Girl Boss Customizable Planner
7. Two-Factor Authentication Services
IT security is more important than ever. Since your computer might have a combination of personal and professional information, it’s crucial that you keep it safe and protected. One way you can do this is to enable two-factor authentication services for different accounts. While having to pull out your cell phone or email to log into your account can be tedious, it will increase your account’s security.
Working from home definitely helps you save time and money on a commute, but it comes with its own challenges as well. What are you doing to help ease your transition to a WFH life? Let us know!
This is content sponsored by Responsival.com for the IT Firm Virtix IT.
