Top tips

Top Tips for Saving Time in the Office

Managing your time in the home office is difficult With a huge list of things to do and so little time, it’s not unusual to sometimes feel a little out of your depth. So, what can you do to make the most of the hours you spend sat at your desk? Well, thanks to digital Well, thanks to digital technology, it’s easier than ever to save time. That’s right, you can use the devices most of us waste hours scrolling on to actually save time.

Get into a routine

Most of us have a short list of mundane daily tasks that need to be done while we’re in the office. Whether they help you get set up for the day, are an important part of your to-do list or mean you can log out on time, they’re all incredibly important when it comes to maintaining productivity.

Finding a routine that suits you is a great way to make sure that you get everything done. Getting your daily tasks out of the way before you crack on with the bigger, more important jobs is a good idea, and setting reminders will keep you on track. Setting a reminder or blocking out some time in your calendar will help you stay on top of what’s next, making sure you get everything done.

Capture all of your thoughts in one place

Writing down your thoughts and ideas is all well and good, until you spill a glass of water on your notepad, or the cleaner throws your vital Post-It note in the bin. Not to mention that you’ll end up with a chaotic pile of paper on your desk.

Having your to-do list, notes and saved web pages in one place is a great way to get organised, and being able to access them from wherever you are will boost your productivity in the long run. Starting a ‘work’ page in Notes on your phone is a good place to start, and ensuring that the page is synced to your laptop means that you won’t have to worry too much when you leave your mobile at home.

Organisation is the key to productivity. Without it, you’ll constantly be stretched, thinking about what needs to come next, rather than doing it. Collecting your thoughts in one place allows you to see exactly what needs doing, helping you prioritise your to-do list and get everything done.

Track your time in the office

Wasting hours on end by procrastinating is easy, but tracking your time is a good way to stay accountable. Why not set a timer up on your phone whilst you work through your to-do list? Making a note of how long you spend on different tasks throughout the day can help you stay on track and will show you whether you’re dedicating the right attention to your most important tasks.

Control the music from your desk

Bringing your office to life with a little of music in the afternoons is a great way to boost morale but getting up to change a song sometimes or deciding what everyone wants to listen to can take more time out of your day than you might expect.

There are some great music streaming services that are licensed for businesses to use, and with a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speaker, everyone in the office can add their own choice to the queue.

That way, everyone gets to hear what they want, and you don’t need to worry about time-wasting tune debates. To save even more time, some services allow you to schedule tracks in advance for certain times of the day, so you can have a motivational Monday morning playlist cued up for when you arrive at work.

Schedule your social media posts

If your job includes posting on social media, here’s hoping that you already schedule all your posts in advance. If not, there are a whole hosts of tools which could save you a lot of time wasted on uploading posts throughout the week. On most platforms you can schedule Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook posts from the same place.

There is no point spending time logging onto each social media site every day and copying content from your plan to upload live. Instead, uploading your weeks’ worth of posts in advance can save you from switching between tasks every day, saving you time in the long run – especially if you’re posting regularly! Just make sure you cast your eye over them in case anything has changed which means you might want to tweak any of the posts. Remember, getting a little help from apps and technology during your working day is not ‘cheating’; getting into the routine of using everyday tech saves time in the office and can really boost your overall productivity. Subscribe to or weekly newsletter for more up to date business news. HERE

How To Increase Your PC Performance

1. Delete Old Programs If you have an older computer, you might be surprised at the old, unused programs that are hiding on your hard drive. Visit your “Programs and Features” menu to see a full list and uninstall anything you don’t use regularly. 2. Limit Programs That Startup Automatically Programs like Spotify or Skype will automatically start whenever you turn on your computer. You can change the default settings so that these programs won’t take up valuable RAM on startup. 3. Clean & Delete Old Files Are you still storing old pictures from your high school prom or camping trip from 15 years ago? If there are old documents or files you don’t need, simply delete them. If you want to keep your old files, consider moving them to cloud storage such as Google Drive or One Note.

4. Upgrade Your RAM One of the most straightforward ways to improve the speed of your computer is to upgrade your RAM. Adding an extra 2 to 4 gigs of RAM space is often enough to make a noticeable difference.

5. Get a Solid State Drive Another hardware upgrade you can make to your computer is to install a solid-state drive. This will greatly improve the performance of your computer including starting up and regular tasks.

6. Run a Cleaner Tool In addition to manually cleaning off your files, you should regularly clear your temporary and cached files. Using a free tool such as CCleaner or Malwarebytes, you can keep the hidden files of your computer clear and organized. 7. Clear Your Browsing History & Cookies If your browser seems to be running slow it might be time to clear your history and cookies. Your browser saves all of your visits and collects cookies. These small cookies and files can add up quickly and slow down your browsing. Clearing these out regularly is essential in learning how to increase your PC performance and keep things running smoothly if you start to notice any lag in speed. 8. Check for Viruses A common cause of slow computers is a hidden virus or ransomware file. Make sure you have current anti-virus software that is activated and be sure you are following good digital security practices while online. This will help avoid getting a virus in the first place. 9. Keep it Cool Anytime your computer gets too warm it will, in turn, start to slow down. This is especially true of laptops. As we approach the summer season, make sure your computer is in a well-ventilated area and doesn’t overheat.

10. Don’t Forget to Shut Down It sounds silly, but turning off your computer and turning it back on again can work wonders to increase your computer’s performance. If you’re running into lag on your computer, simply try turning it off, unplugging it and then reconnecting and turning it back on again.

Hoteliers’ hopes for return to ‘Plan A’

Hoteliers in Bristol are hoping that the Government’s decision to end the ‘Plan B’ Covid-19 restrictions will lead to a much-needed boost to their businesses.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that England’s Plan B measures are to end this Thursday (Jan 27), with mandatory face coverings in public places and Covid passports both dropped.

Hoteliers particularly welcomed the end to the Plan B advice to work from home where possible. Raphael Herzog, Chair of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA), said: “We hope companies and large organisations will welcome this news and will now look to bring their staff together for larger conferences at our hotels.

“These events provide an important source of income to venues like hotels, which have made significant investments in making their conference facilities as Covid-safe as possible.”

Many BHA members suffered a difficult end to 2021 with many reporting business was at least 30 percent lower in December than they had hoped for. With no furlough scheme to fall back on and costs increasing, the BHA say more Government support is vital if businesses are to survive.

Mr Herzog said: “At the end of last year, the Government announced grants of up to £6,000 for hospitality businesses. But that would only cover us for what we lose in one day with a conference booking, as an example. 30 “We hope that the end of Plan B and return to Plan A will give companies more confidence to organise conferences again and we very much look forward to welcoming them back to our hotels.

“These events are an important source of income for us.

“While some people have adjusted to working from home, others thrive on human interaction.

“Even if companies still choose to continue to allow working from home for the foreseeable future, or adopt a hybrid working model, we hope that they will still consider now bringing their teams together in a safe environment like a hotel.

“It will be good for their wellbeing and mental health to spend time in the physical presence of their colleagues rather than just seeing their faces on computer screens.”

Future months still look extremely challenging for the hospitality industry, with the current reduced rate of VAT due to end on 31 March, well-publicised significant increases in energy prices on the horizon, and other factors, such as some food suppliers increasing their prices by up to 20 percent.

Mr Herzog added: “It’s very hard to operate a business in the current climate, with more money going out than coming in. We knew we were facing a very difficult first quarter but if companies now start coming back to us for their conferences – which I would urge them to do – it would make a significant difference to us.”

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CLEAROUTS GARDEN MAINTENANCE& BRISTOL CLEAR

BIGOR SMALL WE DO UTS IT ALL

RUBBISH CLEARANCE SERVICES www.bristolclearouts.co.uk Tel: 07508 500 039