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7 Steps to Become More Productive While Working From Home

2020-05-22T07:00:00-07:00

Remote work or working from home is now new normal and advancing. This article will teach you 7 steps to become more productive while working from home.

7 Tips to become more productive while working from home

Are you finding it difficult to get the same amount of productivity you do in your regular workspace when working from home? You’re not alone. I’ve been working remotely for over two years and in the same place as you.

The idea of going from a classic 9 to 5 job to working from the comfort of your room sounds fantastic at first. That is until you notice your performance plummeting. Many of the people forced to work from home thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak are starting to become weary of this.

Your worries are not baseless. Tons of researchers, including Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom, have stated that working from home can significantly boost your performance. This is why knowing how to take advantage of your newly discovered comfort is important.

Here are 7 tips for leading a better and more productive remote-work life, based on my experience and what I've learned from others.

1. Start your day off right

Your morning routine makes or breaks how your day goes. I’ve seen people lose productivity because they lack a structured morning to kick off each workday. Trust me, you won’t stay productive if you work in your pajamas without even leaving the bed.

When you wake up in the morning, treat each day as if you’re heading out into the office. Make your bed and take a shower, get changed into proper clothes, and have a filling breakfast. Getting ready like this also allows you to hop into video conferences with your colleagues right away.

2. Remember to separate work

Something I found quite hard to do at the beginning of my remote work career was creating boundaries between my work and home life. It’s easy to find yourself distracted by your surroundings when you’re at home, which is why you need to separate work from the rest of your activities.

A great foundation is choosing the appropriate location for your work device. If possible, move your computer and other work equipment into space only for you. This separates you from distractions such as family members or roommates. You can also avoid embarrassing accidents such as the famous incident during Professor Robert Kelly’s BBC interview.

Even though you have an entire room for yourself, there’s still plenty of distractions that may come your way. I’d like to share a few tips to help you eliminate these distractions so you can fully focus on your job.

Wear noise-canceling earbuds. Listening to calming music helps many people to focus. Combining this with noise-canceling earbuds is the best way to isolate yourself from distracting sounds.
Use Do Not Disturb on your phone. Each smartphone comes with the option to silence notifications. Turning this mode allows you to focus on your work. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the sound of a new text message or social media interaction.
Turn desktop notifications off. Similarly to the previous tip, silencing desktop notifications is a great way to increase your focus. Most messaging applications have an option to temporarily turn notifications off.
Block distracting websites. Do you find yourself switching to social media and other websites often while working? Don’t give in to the temptation and utilize browser extensions to block these websites. I personally recommend using something like StayFocusd. The Forest app is also a great alternative if you want more motivation to stay off such websites.

3. Follow a daily schedule

If you find that it’s hard to get tasks done on time, build a schedule. It’s important that you get enough sleep and breaks to not let stress and work take over your life. Start from the very beginning — what time do you want to wake up at? When do you plan to go to sleep? How long should you give yourself to get ready before sitting down in front of the computer?

Ask yourself these questions and build a structured schedule centered around yourself.

Next, move on to daily schedules. Many remote workers such as myself keep a bullet journal type of notebook. This is useful because you can sit down every morning and write a to-do list. Many remote workers also like to implement the Pomodoro technique into their lives.

4. Get in touch with your coworkers

Something I often see mentioned as a negative aspect of remote work is the lack of social interaction.

Most people miss the classic office life. Face-to-face conversations, hanging out during breaks, brainstorming while having a meeting, and so on. Many others just want to relax with their colleagues at a cafe or bar after clocking out. Sadly, a lot of remote workers don’t get the chance to do this, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, this doesn’t mean that you’re completely cut off from your coworkers. With applications such as Microsoft Teams, you can easily create an environment as a substitute for lack of physical contact. Set up chatting channels, carry out video calls, and much more.

If you’re interested in Microsoft Teams, check out our guide on How to Set Up Microsoft Teams.

5. Take breaks regularly

Burnout is a serious issue in all forms of work. Luckily, due to the flexibility of working from home, you can easily avoid it. Make sure to incorporate regular breaks into your daily schedule to ensure you can stay focused when working.

“I love to break up the day by getting up and filling my break time with useful chores. Watering plants, hanging out with my pets, replying to texts and getting a quick snack always refresh my ability to focus when I get back to the computer.” says one of our remote workers.

You can plan ahead with your breaks to:

Replicate the breaks you would be taking working at the office
Reward yourself in between completing work tasks.
Align with breaks of others in your household and spend time together.

6. Pay attention to your health

Something as simple as a 30 minute exercise can improve your health when staying at home. While it’s good for your shape, it also improves your overall mood as physical activity causes your body to release endorphins, improving your overall mood.

There are tons of different activities you can do even at home. Indoors cycling, lifting weights, or even following a YouTube video helps you keep your health and fitness in check.

Another thing to take into consideration is your diet. Make sure that your food intake meets the healthy recommended amounts to ensure you have enough energy throughout the day.

7. Log off

How you end your day is almost just as important as how you start it. Once you’re done with work, know when to log off and get your mind out of work-mode. This is your time to lay back and relax — leave your workspace, turn on the TV, talk to your friends and family.

Doing this will ensure that you feel rewarded after a long day of work and lets you recharge for tomorrow. Think of a phrase you’ll be saying to yourself once you’ve finished working to signal to your brain that it’s the end of your shift. Something as simple as “I’m done with work” does the trick, but feel free to get creative.

8. Bonus Tip: Try Truly Office to Increase your Productivity.

Alternatively, consider Truly Office if you're looking for a comprehensive solution to boost your work productivity. Truly Office offers a suite of productivity tools, including word processing, spreadsheet management, and presentation software, all designed to streamline your work processes.

With features like collaborative editing, cloud storage, and an intuitive user interface, Truly Office empowers you to work smarter, not harder, making it an invaluable asset for enhancing efficiency and achieving your professional goals.

The Suite has everything you need in Microsoft 356 plus PDF. It is available on various common devices (PC + Tablet + Mobile), OSs (Windows + Mac + Android + iOS), and the Web.

With TrulyOffice, you’ll experience compatibility like never before. Edit documents, PDF, ODT, TXT, and other document formats. And with the cloud interface, you can easily access all your documents from anywhere, so you can work where you do your best work.

Key features:

Word: Word Processing with advanced features.
Sheets: Spreadsheets with built-in formulas and charts.
Slides: Presentation software with customizable templates.
PDF: edit, convert, sign and do more on PDFs.
Email inbox.
Devices; PC + Tablet + Mobile
OS: Windows + Mac + Android + iOS
Storage: Truly Office Drive

Final Words

To be productive, you must be deliberate. That means starting your day right, following a schedule but taking breaks, balancing work and fun, chatting with co-workers, getting offline, and staying healthy.

We're glad you've read up to here :) And we hope you find the productivity that you need :)

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How Hackers Use DNS Server to Hack (and How to Protect Yourself)

2019-11-19T08:00:00-08:00

How Hackers Use DNS Server to Hack

Hackers are scary. They can do so much damage to your computer. They have the ability to plant viruses on your computer, steal your information, take control of your system and make it look like you are downloading child pornography, stealing info from government agencies, or doing any number of other illegal activities that can land you in jail or cost you huge fines.

One of the biggest ways they can get to you is by using your DNS server. In this guide, we highlight how do hackers use your DNS server to hack you and what can you do to protect yourself from hackers.

What is a DNS Server and What Is Its Purpose?

First, let’s examine what a DNS server is and what purpose they serve. A DNS server is a computer server that has a database of public IP addresses and their associated hostnames.

The server’s purpose is to resolve, or translate, those names to IP addresses as requested. DNS servers run special software and communicate with each other using special protocols. Other names you may see that mean the same thing as the DNS server include name server or domain name system server.

It’s a lot easier for people to remember a domain name like SoftwareKeep.com than it is a string of numbers (an IP address), but for computers, it’s easier to use numbers because they don’t work well with names. All we do is type in the domain name we want and the DNS servers got to work figuring out where we want to go by using IP addresses. This is what a DNS server does.

How Do Hackers Use DNS Servers to Hack?

Hackers create malware programs that can change your DNS server settings. For example, if your computer uses Google's DNS servers and you want to go to your bank’s website, you type in the URL of your bank and expect to be taken to your bank’s official website.

If you’ve downloaded malware that changes your DNS server settings, your system will no longer use Google's DNS servers. It will reference the hacker’s servers, which will emulate your bank’s website. The website will look exactly like your bank’s website, but instead of logging you into your bank account, the website steals your username and password once you’ve typed it in. This gives hackers all of the information they need to then access your bank account.

Pretty scary, huh? Your DNS server info can be changed behind your back, without you knowing. Once you’ve visited your “fake” bank website and entered your information without gaining entry into your account, you might very well just assume the website isn’t working correctly and try again later.

The problem here is that it will be too late by then. The hackers have already gotten into your bank account and can clean you out before you know there has been a problem.

These malware attacks can do other things as well. Once they have changed your DNS server settings, they can take you to websites that are full of porn, have tons of malicious ads on them, or to a fake site that tricks you into believing your computer has been infected with a virus.

You may have seen this before, and if you have, your DNS server settings have been altered. This scam has been responsible for getting many people to pay for something they don’t need because they fear their computer will be destroyed by a virus or locked down. NEVER believe you have a virus because a website pops up telling you that your computer is infected. The only issue you are having is that your DNS server settings have been changed.

How to Protect Yourself from DNS Server Settings Attacks

Now that we’ve made you nervous, let’s talk about how you can protect yourself from these attacks and save yourself some money and headaches. Let’s face it, someone getting access to your bank account can cost you a lifetime of savings.

It could be devastating. At the very least, it is an invasion of your privacy. How can you protect yourself from being a victim of malware that hijacks your DNS server?

There are ways you can protect yourself from being a victim of DNS server settings being changed.

First and foremost, install a trusted antivirus program on your computer that will watch over your system for any changes. There are many antivirus software programs capable of doing this. SoftwareKeep carries all of the biggest names in antivirus software.

Most antiviruses are capable of tracking and stopping changes to your DNS settings. Antivirus software is the absolute first line of defense to protect yourself from falling victim to hackers.

This may seem like a simple move, but it can help you protect yourself as well. Pay attention to the websites you visit. Be aware of how they look and be on the lookout for any changes in the appearance of the website.

If you go to a website that doesn’t quite look the way you think it should, maybe there is a problem and you should exercise caution. Maybe the colors or graphics are slightly different than what you expect. You might notice a big difference in the menus. Websites do change the way they look from time to time, but if you are used to a specific look and the website you’re visiting is almost the same but not quite, you could be on a hacker’s server.

Also, if you get an "invalid certificate" message in your browser, you could very well be signed in to a fake website. The very best thing you can do if any of this happens is to leave the website immediately and try to contact the company directly. Also, if you don’t have antivirus software at this point, install trusted software and run it to ensure nothing bad is happening. These fake websites are a huge threat to your security.

Not all DNS server redirection is bad. Some companies use it to prevent employees from visiting porn or gambling sites at work. The redirection occurs when a “forbidden” URL is typed. Instead of accessing the “forbidden” website, the employee is directed to a blocked page or some other page. This is called OpenDNS.

Should You Ever Change DNS Settings?

A primary and secondary DNS server is configured on your router or computer when you connect to your internet service provider. There are two DNS servers in so that if one fails, the other kicks in to resolve hostnames you enter.

While you may never find yourself needing to change your DNS server settings, there are times you might want to change them. You should know what you are doing before you attempt to change DNS server settings.

One reason to change DNS servers is that some have faster access times than others. This is usually determined by how close you are to those servers. If your ISP's DNS servers are closer to you than Google's, you may find domain names are resolved quicker using the default servers from your ISP than with Google’s servers.

If you are experiencing connection problems, you may have an error with the DNS server. If the DNS server isn't able to find the correct IP address associated with the hostname you enter, the website can't be located and loaded. Changing your DNS settings can help.

How to Find DNS Server Settings Information

The “nslookup” command is what you use to query your DNS server on Windows PCs. Open your “command prompt” and type a URL such as SoftwareKeep.com proceeded with nslookup. It will look like this: nslookup SoftwareKeep.com. A list of IP addresses will be returned to you. That list represents all of the IP addresses associated with the URL you have typed.

There are 13 important DNS root servers on the Internet used to store a complete database of domain names and associated public IP addresses. These top-tier DNS servers are named A through M for the first 13 letters of the alphabet. Ten of the servers are in the U.S., one is in London, one is in Stockholm, and one is in Japan. You can find a complete list of the DNS root servers here.

Let SoftwareKeep Help You Get Protected

SoftwareKeep has your back. We understand that hackers are out there and we want to make sure you have the antivirus software you need to stay safe online. Antivirus software is essential, not only for protection from malware that redirects you to fake websites but from all of the nasty viruses that permeate the Internet.

Trend Micro, AVG, Kaspersky, and Symantec are just some of the antivirus software products we carry. Our prices are the lowest you will find anywhere on the biggest names in antivirus software.

Office for Mac Tips for Productivity

2019-03-31T07:00:00-07:00

Microsoft Office is a tool nearly everyone uses; how well you use it depends on knowing some critical tips. Office products have been available for Mac for a while now, but not as long as Windows. That means Mac users need a little boost to keep up their Office skills. We've got some useful tips to help you keep up and get ahead.

Office for Mac Tips

Office for Mac is similar to the version for Windows, but not identical. There are some differences that can really impact the way you work, and you're doing yourself a disservice to ignore them. So here are some tips to help you get up to speed with Office for Macs:

1. Fix your common errors

I spend too much time going back to fix errors you make time and time again, you can take advantage of the Autocorrect features. Autocorrect allows you to work with minimal manual corrections by automatically fixing common spelling and grammar errors.

It's easily accessible from both the tools menu and the spell check. When you run a spell check, you can add common misspellings to your autocorrect dictionary with a single click.

Here's an Autocorrect productivity bonus:

You can set up the Autocorrect list to replace short abbreviations with phrases you often use for work. For example, if you often type “thank you for your business,” you can set up your autocorrect list so that it replaces “th* (or any combination you prefer),” with “thank you for your business.”

2. Save time on referencing

When you're using Word, you don't actually need to pull up the spotlight to get a definition. Not only that, you can pull up a thesaurus and any other information you need about a word.

All you have to do is highlight the word, then press Shift adds F7.

Then you have all the references tools you need, in one tidy window. So when you need a little clarity when editing a report, don't waste time you don't have.

3. Excel can help you work more efficiently

Excel is more user-friendly, as you may have noticed. That being said, you may not have known about some new features that allow you to work more efficiently:

The Formula Builder is your go-to for all those formulas you can never remember, and all your formula creations and questions. You can search the Formula Builder for specific formulas and then insert them with a single click.

Charts can be a pain to create, but no longer. With Excel's Recommended Charts feature, you can choose the best chart for your project without spending an hour to find it.

Recommended Charts automatically presents you with the best charts for your project based on your data. Because it also includes a multi-view preview, you can see how your chart will look without actually applying.

4. Use easy sharing to collaborate

Teamwork gets easier with Office's OneDrive and SharePoint repositories, but Office for Mac gives you even more sharing capability.

Now, whatever project you're working on can be shared in seconds. All you have to do is click the silhouette with the plus sign (in the top right corner), and you'll get the sharing menu. From there, simply choose whether you need to send it as an email attachment, make a link to it, or invite other team members to join your work.

5. You can give yourself more workspace

When you've got a big document you're working on, it can be a hassle to scroll to see everything. Instead of scrolling, make more screen space. To get rid of the Ribbon and free up your screen, click the caret symbol (it looks like this: ^ ) to the far right of the Ribbon, and it'll go away.

6. Redesign documents quickly

You can use the Styles Pane to quickly change the style of your project or create a style all your own. If you want to get more in-depth with styles (or if you have several in your project) you can select the box labeled ‘Show Styles Guides’ to see your styles in an easy to read, color-coded guide.

All it takes is a couple clicks from the Home Pane to the Styles Pane and you've got an easy design in your hands.

7. Use Outlook to stay on top of your work

Outlook is already a workplace staple, and you can make it work for you even more. You can view multiple calendars side by side, so if you're managing a few of them you won't miss an important event because you didn't see it. To implement this view, just check the boxes for your selected calendars from the Navigation pane.

Here's the cool thing:

You can do more than view calendars side by side; if you want to see everything neatly listed in one place, you can overlay calendars. Once you've selected the calendars to display, go to the Organize tab and select Overlay.

There's another calendar bonus: you can view your local weather from your calendar.

Outlook gives you threaded conversations to make communication more organized. It allows you to see grouped messages and mass reply or reply to specific messages.

8. Use the Navigation Pane to get to documents

If you've got a lot on your plate you need access to several different documents. Chances are, you waste a lot of time pulling them each up when you need to quickly switch between them. Just click View, then Sidebar, then Navigation, and you'll see a list of your documents, plus your previous location on them.

9. Be organized on your desk

Here's my 2023 MacBook Pro Desk Setup Tour:

Conclusion

These tips should help any Mac user make more out of Office. By using some easy new functions you can let Office do a lot of your work for you. However, it's worth noting what may be the most important Office for Mac tip: make sure you save your work. OneNote is the only automatically saving program, so don't lose your work.

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