50 ways to work faster

Posted on 25 Nov 2009 at 13:31

21.MAKE USE OF SAVED SEARCHES

If you regularly need to collect together groups of files, you can save yourself some time by using saved searches. In Vista or Windows 7, type a search term into the Windows Explorer search box and click on Save Search; choose a name and you’ll see a new icon appear in the Favorites section (and also under Searches within your user folder). Simply click on this icon at any time to automatically repeat the search.

22. UPGRADE YOUR SECURITY SOFTWARE

Older security suites can be intrusive, taking up memory and causing your PC to boot and load files more slowly. But over the past few years, most vendors have been working to reduce their software’s impact on your system. So if you haven’t upgraded your software in a while, you may gain a speed boost simply by moving to the latest version.

23. SPEEDY SEARCH CONNECTORS

It’s disappointing to find that the built-in search on your favourite site is hopeless. Anybody who’s been forced to leave a website and search it through Google will know it’s time-consuming. Fear not, though, because Windows 7 allows you to effectively search websites from within Windows Explorer. Aside from making it easy to find information on even the most obstinate sites, Windows Explorer offers full-screen previews, and starts searching as you type. To search a website from within Windows 7 you need a Search Connector. Search Connectors for most popular sites can be downloaded from Redmond Pie, or click here for our guide to creating your own search connector.

24. GET A BOOST WITH JUMP LISTS

Jump Lists are one of the most impressive additions to Windows 7. Simply right-click on a program icon on your taskbar and you’ll be presented with a list of recently opened documents in Word, for example, or frequently visited websites in IE 8. More advanced options include the ability to cycle through playlists in Media Player. Google has also integrated them into the developer build of its Chrome browser, and Adobe’s brought the feature to Reader.

25. ACCESS THE ARCHIVES

Scheduling regular backups is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dealing with a huge back catalogue of data. Those willing to invest in a dedicated backup package will find many useful features. Acronis True Image, for example, can install a plugin into Windows or Google’s desktop search tools, so you can access and edit files within an archive. For professional or amateur photographers, this could prove a godsend, allowing you to search for that elusive photo without needing to wander through every archive first.

26. SMARTPHONE SYNC

Losing your smartphone can be a nightmare, especially if you’re using it to store pictures, music and videos, as many people now do. However, a new breed of cloud-based services is taking much of the hassle out of syncing data between your devices. At the forefront of this pack is Apple’s MobileMe, which can push email, contacts, calendar events and large files to all your devices, whether that’s an iPhone, Mac, or PC, allowing you to remain synchronised without the hassle of updating each device individually. Of course, being Apple, it will cost you, with a copy of the software available for £59 inc VAT per year for 20GB of storage. Microsoft has a similar service for smartphones powered by Windows Mobile 6.5. Dubbed My Phone, it offers 200MB of storage for free, with those looking for more space charged accordingly.

27. A VIRTUALLY EASY LIFE

Imagine you’re so enamoured by Final Cut Studio 3 that you’ve decided to buy a Mac to run it. Only, you don’t want to give up your PC. Using a virtualisation package such as Desktop for Mac you’d be able to run a virtual Windows machine on your Mac. For developers looking to test their software on multiple OSes, virtualisation is a godsend, saving both time and money.

28. FILL A USB DRIVE WITH ESSENTIAL APPS

Anyone who works in IT will be familiar with the tedium of downloading apps on a freshly installed PC. Why not carry a set around with you to save time downloading them afresh? Even a 1GB flash drive is more than sufficient to store the installers for dozens of essential apps. The Firefox 3.5 installer occupies a mere 7.6MB, for example, while the 3.9MB FileZilla is indispensable if you need access to an FTP server. The AVG Free installer is also worth having if you ever need to rescue someone’s PC from a bout of malware.

29. REPLACE YOUR BOG-STANDARD KEYBOARD

It’s incredible how many people disregard the humble keyboard in their search to work faster. But a simple upgrade is one of the quickest and cheapest ways of improving the speed at which you can work. Touch-typists will find upgrading their keyboards to a model featuring proper mechanical switches rather than cheap rubber domes under the keys – such as the excellent Logitech Illuminated Keyboard – a revelation. Others will appreciate the increased accuracy and comfort a proper keyboard can provide. Click here for our keyboard reviews.

30. MAKE PRINTED MATERIAL SEARCHABLE

Workplaces that deal with a lot of paper documents – from lawyers’ offices to aircraft maintenance firms – are increasingly looking to scanners and OCR software to take the legwork out of filing important documents. But there’s no reason why you can’t do the same. Most modern OCR software packages have the facility to turn important invoices, letters, contracts and forms into searchable, electronic PDF documents. Couple this with Google Desktop’s search facility and you’ll soon be digging out critical information in an instant, rather than rummaging around in dusty filing cabinets. Remember to lower the scan DPI for text documents, or else your hard disk will soon be chock-full with gigabytes of scanned documents.