Productivity Boosters

Getting it all done, and on time, has become increasingly more complicated and therefore challenging.  With the advent of great new technology {I shiver when I think of the pine system of email I logged into for college just 12 years ago} comes a new era of distractions.  Besides the typical office noise we all face, we're distracted by our own gadgetry as well. While I love being productive and crossing tasks off my to-do list, I can always tell when I'm in a mood for distraction by how frequently I refresh my email, Pinterest, blog stats, or Facebook.  I don't think I'm the only one either.  Guarding ourselves from ourselves can be just as difficult as protecting our time from office time sucks, such as seemingly pointless meetings and co-worker chatter.

Thus, in case you are not totally tech-savvy like me {meaning I'm not at all}, here are some productivity boosters you may not be aware of.  I have broken them into several categories: free Firefox add-ons, a free white noise online generator, and some ergonomic products known for efficiency.

First, check out these great Firefox add-ons.

• LeechBlock: a Firefox add-on that allows you to block sites so you can avoid their distraction.
• Customize Google: CustomizeGoogle is a Firefox extension that enhance Google search results by adding extra information (like links to Yahoo, Ask.com, MSN etc) and removing unwanted information (like ads and spam). All features are optional and easily configured.
• FlashGot: Download all the links, movies and audio clips of a page at the maximum speed with a single click, using the most popular, lightweight and reliable external download managers.
• StatusBar: View and manage downloads from a tidy statusbar - without the download window getting in the way of your web browsing.
• Flashblock: Flashblock is an extension for the Mozilla, Firefox, and Netscape browsers that takes a pessimistic approach to dealing with Macromedia Flash content on a webpage and blocks ALL Flash content from loading. It then leaves placeholders on the webpage that allow you to click to download and then view the Flash content.
• URL fixer: URL Fixer is an extension for Mozilla Firefox that corrects typos in URLs that you enter in the address bar. For example, if you type google.con, it will correct it to google.com (asking first, if you enable confirmation).
• Tab Mix Plus: Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured session manager.
• ScrapBook: Helps you to save Web pages and organize the collection.

And, a final productivity booster for any browser:

• Free White Noise Generator: a free online generator to cover noisy distractions that any browser can use.

Shoulder pain and injury is frequently caused by repetitive motion and poor posture. Too often, computer users unconsciously sit in awkward positions instead of maintaining a neutral sitting position. This quickly leads to soreness and pain.

Here are some tips for finding relief and improving your posture for pain free typing.

1. Rest and Stretch: Give your muscles a break. Stand up and walk around at least every hour. During your break, stretch the sore muscle area to relieve any building tension. Here are some effective shoulder stretches recommended by National Institute of Health.
2. Restore Proper Sitting Posture: A good ergonomic chair can and should serve as the basis for good posture.  You should adjust it to fit you specifically. First, evaluate the back rest. Does the shape of the chair properly support the curvature of your lower back? A rolled towel or additional lumbar support can encourage proper posture and relieve muscle strain. Next, adjust the chair height to ensure that your feet rest flat on the floor. Finally, the armrests should be placed low enough that you can relax both arms and shoulders freely at your side during computer use.
3. Re-position the Computer Screen: You should never have to bend your neck or move your body to view your computer monitor. Instead, it should be centered directly in front of you, raised to eye level, and about an arm’s length from your body. An easy-to-install monitor shelf can quickly add height for better viewing. Also, if you frequently type from a document or notebook, try adding a document holder  immediately next to your monitor to improve your neck position.
4. Adjust Your Work Space: A significant contributor to shoulder pain is the improper height and placement of your keyboard and mouse. An adjustable tray allows the freedom to quickly reposition your keyboard and mouse. The best keyboard placement is one or two inches above your legs, just below your elbow height. A slight angle away from your body will help you relax your hands as well. Your computer mouse should be tight against the keyboard, at the same height and angle, so that you never have to reach outward for your mouse.
5. Upgrade Your keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards are specially designed to encourage good hand and wrist posture, relaxing your arms and shoulders and making your typing more comfortable and efficient. You may benefit from the mini keyboard or a left-handed keyboard that do not have a number pad on the right side, allowing you to bring the mouse in even closer, thus decreasing muscle strain. When looking for a new keyboard, try several different designs to find one that fits your hands as well as your typing style.

Poor posture can impact your comfort and productivity at work. Upgrade to good, ergonomic chair for better support. Try an adjustable keyboard tray to  help arrange your workspace for better posture. These quick tips can help relieve pain and improve your comfort at work.

Adjusting to a New Keyboard

Not too long ago, we had our our laptops stolen (and wallet, phone, keys, and car!) while we slept.  I posted some tips about how to avoid and deal with such a life-altering event.  Besides the overall feeling of violation, as well as the massive amount of paperwork and leg work one has to do to file a police report and make insurance claims, there is also the adjustment of life without said items.  Even if you do get compensation for your laptop or car or whatever else has been stolen, there is still the waiting period in which you, well, wait, to see if the taken items can be recovered.  Then, there is the waiting period where you wait longer for the insurance claims to be made and to find the right replacements- there might not be the same deal you previously got, so you have to wait.

So much waiting can really put a strain on you, especially if you are a student or  work from home.  My husband is a doctoral student and I work from home.  Thus, this has been a very trying time for us as we try to get the usual studies and tasks done without our usual resources.

We are very fortunate in that we have a generous community of friends willing to help by loaning us all kinds of equipment while we wait for our own to be found or re-purchased.  Interestingly, we have found that we like (and don’t like) certain features in laptops, keyboards, and mice as we have been trying to adapt to new set-ups.  

• We like our own stuff.  Everyone likes what they’re used to.  Thus, many times trying a new device is more of an adjustment issue.  Typing on a laptop is one thing- actually typing on your own laptop is one thing; typing on someone else's is quite another.  The keys might be in different places, they might be touchier and only require a swift tap, or conversely, as with older models, they may be rather hard-headed and need a good, firm press-down.  In general there's not an ideal keyboard that all people want- it's typically whatever you're used to and everything else requires time to get used to.
• My husband and I are both struggling to get used to using a netbook, which may be the tiniest thing I've ever seen.  I feel like Vector in Despicable Me and this laptop done got shrunk.  Even though I have relatively small hands, I still am somewhat like a bull in a china shop, hitting keys I never meant to and generally taking too long to type a normal document s as I have to study the keyboard to see where the short-cuts are and adapt my usual protocol.  My husband found that plugging in an ergonomic keyboard really helped him stretch out again and find the keys more easily.
• We both miss an external mouse.  For the sake of ease, it’s just nice to have a wireless mouse that you don’t accidentally maximize or minimize the screen with.  When your laptop screen is the size of a kindle, you can’t really afford to enlarge the screen shot accidentally.

Every typist is different and therefore has different needs in a keyboard.  The important thing about choosing an ergonomic keyboard and even mouse is to find the right fit that makes sense with your head, too.