5 productivity hacks I’ve learned at OneFifty
Architect of Next Sarah gives her top productivity tips (and they’re probably not what you think they are…)
It’s been almost a year and a half since I joined OneFifty and since then I’ve learned a lot – not just about data science, social media and models of human behaviour, but also about how to get through the day in the most productive way possible. Don’t worry, this isn’t a motivational blog post about time management or holding standing meetings; instead it’s my (not so) secret tips that will save precious minutes throughout the day.
1. The gmail unsend feature
Also known as the best invention ever, the gmail unsend feature is quite possibly the best thing you can possibly install as soon as you set up your email. We’ve all had that sinking feeling the moment you press send and realise you’ve forgot to attach a document or spelled a client’s name wrong (the worst!). Well stress no more – this nifty little feature can be found in gmail under settings > general > Undo Send and allows you to cancel sending for up to 30 seconds after you’ve pressed send. Lifesaver.
2. Emoji keyboard
When you work in social media you’re going to need quick and easy access to emojis. Fact. So next time you’re typing on your laptop, hold command, control and space bar (Windows key and the period button on Windows users) to bring up your emoji keyboard and easily drop them into that killer tweet 🔥
3. Quickly reduce PDF MBs
PDFs are great for many things, but such greatness often results in huge file sizes, which can be particularly annoying if you’re sending it by email or basically trying to do anything with the PDF other than printing. The productivity hack? Open up Adobe Acrobat > file > save as other > ‘reduced size pdf’ and voila. Inbox friendly PDF in 30 seconds.
4. Do not disturb
Presenting to clients can be stressful enough without a slack message from your colleague popping up asking if you fancy a coffee or a todoist notification appearing on screen reminding you about a report that’s due. And even if you’re not screen-sharing, having notifications appear when you’re trying to take notes can be distracting. So the minute you step into your next client meeting, click the little button in the top right hand corner of your Macbook screen and select ‘do not disturb’ to stop anything popping up. On windows this feature is called ‘Focus assist’. So helpful.
5. Choose your own equipment
Kudos to Liv for this tip – one thing that really helps you be more productive is having the right equipment to work from. That’s why at OneFifty, we let you choose between a Windows laptop or Macbook to work from, so you can work with what you feel best using. Most people tend to choose a Macbook, but new joiners always have the choice – so use it! We’ve also got access to dual screens, iMacs and a plethora of programs and tools to try out and find the right thing that works for you.
So, ready to get productive? Give these a go and let us know how you get on…
