Work Smarter, Not Harder! 

5 Incredible Google Tips For Productivity 

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

I have long been interested in the idea of how I spend my time. Time management does not come easy to me but I am very aware when I am not spending my time well. Especially during this pandemic, time and how we use our time has kind of spun us around and made things like predictable schedules and due dates seem confusing. I recently came across this little gem of a video that explains the difference between busy and productive. It's less than 90 seconds so take a look.

I am also a fan of the Eisenhower Matrix. If you are not familiar with it or it's been a while, here it is. Basically you need to determine both the level of urgency AND the level of importance. Despite how it feels, no, not everything is urgent and not everything is important. Take a minute to let that percolate. 

Here is what it looks like. 

Ok. Now that we got the ideas down, let's talk about some tools and how they can be used to help make things go more efficiently for you and for your students. Please share these with them!

1. Group Your Tabs in Google Chrome

It makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one with 37 tabs open. But it causes clutter and can slow your computer so let's tidy things up with tab groups. First, close out your tabs that you are not actively working on. Then, right click on a tab to create a group. Continue right clicking on tabs to add to that same group. You can then collapse those tabs until you need them. You can also close them in one feel swoop when you are done.  Learn and watch how to do it here.

2. Use Google Keep to Keep Track Of Your Stuff

I love sticky notes! Sometimes I want to create sticky notes for my family members and leave them in strategic places around the house. With Google Keep I don't have to be so sneaky. Google keep is part of our GSuite apps and it is digital sticky notes that will sync across devices, can be shared for collaboration, and can house more than just what you write with a pen.

I personally use Google Keep for grocery and to-do lists with my husband. This way, we can both add to those lists and we have them on our phones if one of us happens to be at the store.

For school, I have suggested that groups of students use Google Keep to stay on top of their project job allocations and also to keep track of what they need to do and when. I showed Google Keep to a group of graduating seniors a few years ago and they were furious that they did not know about it sooner. I wrote two posts just about Google keep. You can find them here for more info.  Also, Google Keep has now been integrated with your Google calendar AND your gmail so you can add items directly from those products. Need to take a note about an upcoming meeting? Need to set a reminder about a certain email? You can do that with Google Keep!

3. Assign Directly In Docs

How many Google docs do you think you have in your drive? My best guess is that I have several thousand since we started using Google docs back in 2006. Google docs have come a long way in terms of the ability to collaborate. Here's one of my new favorites. You can create a comment, add the @ symbol and then type in someone's name. Their email address will pop up and you will see that there is a box that says Assign. If you click that button then an email will alert that person that they have something they need to do in the doc! This also works in slides and sheets. 

4. Schedule Send Your Emails

I was so thrilled when this feature became available. Many of us are responding to emails outside of school hours. If you don't want to give the impression to students and parents that you are always available, consider scheduling your emails to be sent at a later time. Or, if you need to notify students but you know they won't check it until tomorrow during lunch, you can schedule your emails to be sent then.

Here is the post explaining how to schedule your emails to be sent whenever you want. Get all of your emailing done, schedule them to send when you need, and turn off your computer!

5. Quick and Easy Scheduling In Google Calendar Using Appointment Slots

I would love to see the statistic that shows how many email exchanges go back and forth trying to set up and schedule meetings. This is much easier if everyone has their calendar populated accurately but we know that is challenging with some of our school schedule constraints. If you want colleagues, students, or parents to be able to easily schedule a time with you that works for you, try using Appointment Slots in Google calendar. It empowers the other person to set up a time that works for both of you. Here's how it works: When you create an event, you have the option to choose Appointment Slots.

Then, set the time frame and the duration of your slots. Here I have set aside from 1:30 to 3:00 for meetings of 30 minutes in duration. 

Finally, click save and then click to re-open your event. You will click the link that says Go to appointment page for this calendar. That is the link you will share for people to see when the open times are and to book a time for themselves. Once they do, the meeting will automatically appear on both of your calendars and you will receive an email alert.  Here is more information about using appointment slots in Google calendar. 

What are your favorite productivity hacks?

Want more assistance with any of these? 

Reach out. We're happy to help!