{"id":3970,"date":"2013-07-26T18:52:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T18:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/?p=3970"},"modified":"2018-12-24T15:01:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T15:01:28","slug":"work-efficiently-desktop-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/3970-work-efficiently-desktop-tips.html","title":{"rendered":"How To Work More Efficiently On Your Desktop With 4 Simple Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Computer<\/p>\n

Image Credit: Anders Sandberg<\/a><\/h6>\n

We all spend a good part of our time on the computer, and as paperless workers, we\u2019re conditioned to find the fastest way to get things done. But are we ever working as effectively as we could? Probably not.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not because we don\u2019t try. It\u2019s just that we often overlook the most common place where we can tweak our routines to make them even more efficient. It\u2019s the one place where we all start from: the desktop.<\/p>\n

With a few simple changes and customizations, you can eliminate the seconds you spend on extra desktop clicks, searches, and toggling. \u00a0Take a look.<\/p>\n

Audit Your Shortcuts<\/b><\/h2>\n

First thing to deal with is icon clutter. Everyone suffers from it. It\u2019s easy to rack up stray shortcuts over time via software installations and quick saves to the desktop. If there are ones that you don\u2019t need on a regular basis, delete them. Shortcuts are only good for tasks or software you access on a daily or weekly basis.<\/p>\n

\"Desktop<\/p>\n

Image Credit:\u00a0jeanbaptisteparis<\/a><\/h6>\n

Second, consider the type of shortcuts you create. Ones that help you perform repetitive tasks are the most efficient. \u00a0Consider email reports you send on a daily basis. If they all contain the same formatting and the same outline, create a template for it and then generate a desktop shortcut to quickly call it up (right-click on the template file and select \u201cCreate Shortcut\u201d). A desktop trick like that can shave minutes off your routine.<\/p>\n

Organize Your Desktop(s)<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Dexpot<\/p>\n

Did you know that you don\u2019t have to stick to just one desktop? Dexpot<\/a> is a handy tool that will let you set up multiple virtual desktops. It\u2019s perfect for anyone working on more than one project at a time. Each desktop is kept separate, but easily accessible via hotkeys, thumbnails and across different monitors, as well.<\/p>\n

\"Fences<\/p>\n

You should also consider putting your desktop real estate to good use. Categorize and organize your icons. Tools like Fences<\/a> and Nimi Places<\/a> keep your desktop shortcuts organized into different zones for quick access. \u00a0Both tools come with customization features like filtering options that can keep your work area in order at all times.<\/p>\n

Or you can take things up a notch by cleaning up your desktop completely. \u00a0RocketDock<\/a> can give you a minimalistic work area by keeping all your favourite shortcuts, folders, and applications in one neat and tidy dock you can easily access when you need it.<\/p>\n

\"Customizing<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s your Taskbar. You can adjust and customize it through the Control Panel. Auto-hide it, group similar buttons together, or show window preview thumbnails. Make it work with your everyday tasks. For example, if you take a lot of tutorial screenshots, you may want to auto-hide the taskbar completely so you don\u2019t have to crop it out later on.<\/p>\n

Customize Your Desktop Wallpaper<\/b><\/h2>\n

A desktop can also be effective in other ways.\u00a0 Starting on a new task? Create a flow chart or cheatsheet reference image of the process and set it as your wallpaper. Or download a motivational image for those times when you need an extra push. Your desktop can be more than just a dumping ground for shortcuts and files.<\/p>\n

Make Programs Instantly Accessible<\/b><\/h2>\n

Having quick access to programs is a necessity. While the desktop allows you to avoid the hitting Start menu button, you can get even more efficient with a desktop app like Launchy<\/a>. Like its name suggests, it will let you launch applications from it just like you would with the Start button, but it can also launch documents, files, bookmarks, folders and more.
\n\"Chrome<\/p>\n

You can launch your daily web browser apps right from the desktop. Browser apps usually require an opened browser to access them. However, a tool like Chrome App Launcher<\/a>, will not only let you access Internet based Chrome web apps directly, it will also let you access packaged Chrome apps that \u201crun as separate, standalone software that can also be used offline, unlike traditional browsers,\u201d according to PCWorld\u2019s review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It may seem like an insignificant thing to reorganize your desktop. You may even think that small details like desktop shortcuts won\u2019t matter. But it\u2019s the little things that add up. So keep your desktop in order. It can either make or break your productivity!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image Credit: Anders Sandberg We all spend a good part of our time on the computer, and as paperless workers, we\u2019re conditioned to find the fastest way to get things done. But are we ever working as effectively as we could? Probably not. And it\u2019s not because we don\u2019t try. It\u2019s just that we often … Continue reading \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,332,8],"tags":[99,193,39,194,59,34,93],"class_list":["post-3970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-11-online-productivity","category-tech-tips-tutorials","category-5-top-tech-lists","tag-computers","tag-desktop","tag-productivity","tag-shortcuts","tag-tips","tag-web-tools","tag-windows"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Work More Efficiently On Your Desktop With 4 Simple Tips<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Work faster, more efficiently with your desktop by implementing these 4 simple customization tweaks!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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content=\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Computer-Desktop.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reena\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@able2extract\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/3970-work-efficiently-desktop-tips.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/archives\/3970-work-efficiently-desktop-tips.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Reena\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.investintech.com\/resources\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9d21ba7980d32dbd36069a4878f8e409\"},\"headline\":\"How To Work More Efficiently On Your Desktop With 4 Simple 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