Staying productive isn’t easy. Factors like workplace comfort, background noise, mood, and task complexity all affect work performance, positively or otherwise. Offices, with their quiet spaces and ergonomic furniture, aim to minimize factors that negatively impact productivity. But now that work from home arrangements are quickly becoming the norm, how can remote workers maintain optimal productivity in spaces that are not typically conducive for work?
That’s where browser extensions can help. Browser extensions are tiny apps that you can install on web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, to tweak and personalize your experience. They’re accessible from any tab you’re working on, so you can easily manage them as you wish. Increase your productivity with the following tools.
1. Momentum
Compatible with: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge
Momentum is an extension that turns a new tab page into a personal dashboard where you can set a priority task and track to-dos. Boasting a picturesque background that changes daily, it also contains a weather widget and a daily inspirational quote. This app is best for people who want to avoid visual distractions but still want to be reminded of the tasks they need to do.
2. Clockify
Compatible with: Google Chrome, Firefox
This time management app allows you to track the time you spend on specific tasks. Just enter a task you’re working on, and click on the timer to start it. Once you finish that task, click on the timer again to display the total time you spent on the task. You can run several tasks simultaneously, or pause tasks when you need to take a break.
The extension also lets you export your data so you can analyze your performance. This feature is especially helpful in monitoring whether your current pace will allow you to meet your deadlines.
3. Noisli
Compatible with: Google Chrome
Listening to the right kind of music can improve your productivity. Upbeat songs can get you pumped up, while serene sounds can help you focus. With Noisli, you can pick the perfect music to block out the noise and help you concentrate on your tasks. Choose from sounds like cafe chatter, rainfall, or fire crackling to create your own peaceful space in seconds. You can even curate your music into playlists that you can share with your colleagues.
4. StayFocusd
Compatible with: Google Chrome
The internet offers an infinite amount of interesting content, and it’s easy to get distracted from work once you start surfing the web. Checking your social media notifications, watching cat videos, or exploring the latest TikTok craze can eat up your time, and the next thing you know, you have done no work at all!
StayFocusd helps you focus better by limiting the time you spend on non-work-related websites. The reasoning behind this is simple: if you can’t visit time-wasting sites, then you have no choice but to face the work in front of you. To block a site, input the URL of the page you want to restrict access to (e.g., www.youtube.com, www.facebook.com) and the duration in which you’re allowed to access it. Once your 30 minutes for Facebook are over, for instance, the site will be inaccessible to you for the rest of the day.
5. OneTab
Compatible with: Google Chrome, Firefox
Visual clutter not only negatively impacts productivity, but it also increases stress and anxiety. Having 20 browser tabs open can be overwhelming or even downright confusing. Reduce visual clutter and your stress levels by installing OneTab.
This extension compiles all your open tabs into a list and delivers them in one single tab, saving 95% of your computer memory in the process. When you need to access the tabs again, just go to the OneTab list and restore them individually or all at once.
Bonus extension: Extensify
While extensions can be helpful, having too many can be counterproductive. Keep your extensions organized with Extensify, a Chrome-exclusive tool that helps manage all your extensions efficiently. With just a click, you can quickly disable and enable tools from your toolbar, or hide extensions that you don’t regularly use.
Productivity dips? Not on our watch. SpectrumWise is the leading IT solutions partner of businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we’ll ensure that your IT infrastructure is secured and optimized so that you’ll never have to face IT-related downtime again. Schedule a FREE consultation with our business technology specialists today.
