5 Programs I Wish I Had Discovered Earlier for My Everyday Life in the Home Office

The daily work routine can quickly become exhausting, even while working from home. Someone always wants something, screenshots need to be shared hurriedly, and maintaining concentration becomes a balancing act. That’s why our tech author Jan Hartmayer has compiled his five favorite programs for a more productive workday. 

While I, as an absolute hardware nerd, love to tinker with computer parts, I actually spend most of my time at home in front of my computer working. This has quickly made me realize how important it is to have the right programs at hand. 

Nothing is more impractical than, for example, an image that someone wants to share quickly, and you desperately search for a way to fulfill that request in a timely manner. Such moments initially caught me off guard occasionally, but it’s actually quite simple to prevent them. 

Moreover, there are various ways to increase your work performance through small productivity programs.

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Small but diligent helpers for everyday life

In my daily work routine, I mainly use the following types of programs: 

  1. Spell checking software is a must for everyone, and there is no reason not to use it. Because no matter how good your spelling is, having an additional control instance when sending important emails or other texts is always sensible! Free examples would be Quillbot or rechtschreibprüfung24.
  2. I use a digital notepad every day without exception, and it makes it easy for me to quickly summarize my thoughts, formulate questions and answers, or create to-do lists. For simple texts, the editor that comes with Windows is sufficient for me, but there are also free alternatives like Notepad++ with more features. 
  3. Screenshots are also important for me, as they allow me to quickly and easily show what I am doing and where possible issues lie. Free examples include Greenshot or ShareX.
  4. Anti-distraction programs are incredibly useful for me when it comes to finishing work within a specific timeframe. Otherwise, you might get constantly distracted by notifications on your phone or PC. For smartphones, I recommend the Forest app, as it also does something for the environment when you work undisturbed. On PC, among others, Freeter is a free alternative. 
  5. Password managers are especially practical when you don’t want to remember 12 different versions of passwords for 10 different programs. They are often also more secure than simple lists on your smartphone and PC. A popular, free, and open-source option is KeepassXC.

It is important to note that the benefits of a software always depend on the respective needs of a person. I personally cannot do without my helpers anymore, while other employees can perfectly manage without them.

Similarly, there are dozens of other programs that can increase your productivity depending on the situation. How is it for you? Do you work from home? Do you use productivity tools? If so, which ones and why? Feel free to share it with us in the comments! But not only can the quality of work improve at home: Researchers have studied home office for four years to determine what Millennials have known for a long time

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.