If you work from home as a freelancer or are starting your ventures into the world of eCommerce with a small team behind you, it is likely that you will require a home office setup and all the requisite office hardware. When working from home, it can be easy to lose focus or, conversely, to get bogged down in one task at the expense of your overall productivity. With this fact in mind, here are some of the best picks to help boost your productivity and ensure that your working day runs smoothly and efficiently. The software described below will help you connect with colleagues, plan tasks together, and keep on track with your workflows.
Consider hardware first
Having great software to improve your productivity is only a smart option if you have suitable hardware to run it on. The first consideration is to think about your home computer and its requirements. It is worth searching for Deals on Business Laptops and seeing what work-oriented computers are currently on offer. Most business applications won’t require a high-end PC, but the focus should be on a lightweight, portable design for working on the go. Your next consideration should be an all-in-one office printer with the capability to scan as well as print. Finally, ensure you have covered all the hardware basics and can connect to your business networks with a strong and reliable internet connection. Once these minimum hardware requirements have been met, you are ready to start picking the right productivity software.
Communication software
Any team or business needs to communicate effectively to keep on track with tasks and raise issues and discuss upcoming projects. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in working from home, communication software has been one of the key enablers to allow home working to be effective. Morning meetings and catchup calls have switched, in the main, to video conference software. Here are some brief descriptions of three of the best software packages that facilitate video calls and conferences with the small business in mind.
- Zoom: One excellent feature of this popular video conferencing software is the fact that there is a free plan that allows up to one hundred participants to join meetings without a monthly fee. One-on-one video calls can be of unlimited call time; however, for meetings larger than two participants, there is a 40-minute time limit. It makes an excellent choice for small businesses and entrepreneurs who require a communications package without a monthly charge, and video call performance is of excellent quality.
- GoToMeeting: While you only get a 14-day free trial period with this software, the pricing plans are highly competitive, with the Professional tier package starting at $14 per host per month and allowing up to 150 participants in each meeting. Key benefits are the lack of time restrictions for meetings, the fact it works flawlessly on multiple platforms, and the fact that it has unlimited cloud recording of your meetings.
- Zoho: This is a good option if you want a video conferencing setup with a small monthly fee ($3 per month per host, billed annually) and offers some solid webinar features (at an additional cost) along with the capability to run 40 simultaneous video feeds. However, it does lack some of the features found in more expensive platforms, such as whiteboards, and does not have complete integration with Outlook.
Collaboration Software
The need to collaborate has never been more important in this modern working world. With hybrid and fully remote working models commonplace across a multitude of organizations, regardless of size, effective collaboration ensures that tasks are completed on time. All employees engaged in a group task need to know the contributions from others and the overall progress of the project. For tips on collaborative working methods, see here. In terms of some of the best collaborative software available on the market for smaller teams, here are three of the best collaboration platforms.
Trello: This software provides an excellent Kanban framework for project and task management. Tasks are planned and added into a very intuitive user environment, and the software is great for small businesses, as it includes a free version, albeit with significantly fewer features. It is a great platform for keeping on track with general business tasks but may struggle with truly complex project management requirements.
ToDoist: Another excellent platform for tracking workflows and collaborating on tasks. Both the free version and paid-for version offer exceptional syncing across devices, and the paid-for version starts at $4 per month per person. The free version lacks several key features like the ability to add comments, labels, and reminders, which makes the paid-for version a better choice for regular usage. The app works offline and has great collaboration features.
Asana: This software also comes with a workable free version if budget is a consideration. It offers a flexible, intuitive design and offers a timeline view of tasks to help visualize your progress effectively. Paid versions are priced a little higher than the competition if you require the full suite of features, and it is not ideally suited for highly graphics-intensive work.
Key tips to boost productivity
With the key software and hardware decided on for your business world, it is also important to consider how some working best practices can boost the productivity of you and your colleagues. As a general rule, it makes sense to follow the 80/20 rule of business to enable you to prioritize your most important tasks and keep a perpetual workflow for these activities. Always block out 20% of your working day for the most important tasks. Minimize distractions in your home office to keep you focused. If you find that background noise is becoming a distraction, invest in some decent-quality noise-canceling headphones that allow you to stream focus music. Finally, ensure that you have a clean and orderly workspace. It may seem simple, but an orderly workspace has been proven to improve concentration on tasks and can allow you to focus for one and a half times longer.
To sum up
Productivity is a key consideration when working from home in a small team. With the right hardware and the planning, communication, and collaboration software that is suited to your needs, productivity can remain high with effective communication between you and your colleagues. By utilizing the latest applications and equipment, your home office will be a truly effective working space.
