5 Time-saving gadgets that may be your lifesavers

Increasing productivity lies in adjusting the smaller details of our daily work. With frenetic schedules becoming the norm for everyone, professionals all over the world are looking for niche innovative products that will help them make more efficient use of their work time. Here are five gadgets that can save precious time during some of the most common tasks you do.

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On-the-move projection

Making presentations usually means getting hold of that ever-elusive conference room with the clunky projector and the confusing wiring, with the added responsibility of ensuring everyone’s schedule is in sync for that particular hour. While travelling, you will also want better options to present your slides for those crucial client meetings. Portable projectors allow you this flexibility, which ensures quick presentations without compromising on the viewer experience. Depending on your budget, you can replicate conference room clarity through your portable projector or make do with a basic projection using a cheaper but efficient model. Most portable projectors come with USB compatibility; therefore, hooking them up to your source device is quite simple.

The 3M Mp225a mobile projector is a very popular choice that is compatible with the iPhone. The Unic UC46 is a reasonably-priced portable device while the Portronics Pico-318 is a high-quality LED projector for larger budgets.

Scanners and converters

Sometimes, we are tasked with converting physical print to digital records. A lightweight solution to such heavy documentation work is a handheld scanner that can convert physical text to digital. Backed up with software to further convert that digital print into editable text, you will have at your disposal a gadget that will save not minutes, but hours of your time.

The Wolverine scanner is one of the popular devices and boasts USB compatibility. The Penpower Pen Scanner and VuPoint Wand Scanner are some of the other widely used scanners.

Monitors and more

Certain tasks make you wish you had more than one monitor. Docking stations for laptops enable you to add an extra monitor or two to your set-up and usually come with more ports for additional devices. Essentially, a docking station combines your laptop with a desktop experience. More monitors mean more open windows visible at one particular time, and this reduces the time that you toggle between windows while comparing data.

Before you buy a docking station, always make sure it is compatible with your laptop. The Dell WD15 and HP Elite Thunderbolt 3 are some of the many new generation docking stations with increased display quality and speed.

Noise cancellation

Most offices are never completely quiet. While you are hunched in your cubicle, trying to outsmart the complicated notes that lay before you, you don’t really want to hear the neighbouring colleagues exchange excited tales about their kids or about their weekend. How about the housekeeping guy’s rather obnoxious vacuum cleaner? Noise cancellation headphones are one of the most underrated productivity devices that you can buy.

Popular choices like the Sony MDR-ZX110NC headphones or the high-end Bose QuietComfort series can help you drown out the distractions with your brand of music without shattering your ear drums, and maintain the momentum you need to finish your tasks with no space for unwanted interruptions.

Mighty pens

The keyboard and mouse at times don't quite work as an efficient tool when you are jotting down notes or doing something design-related. For a more natural, quicker and less noisy note taking (or even doodling) experience, smart pens are the way to go. Smartpens come with many features including compatibility with transcription software, which is always preferable as it quickens your documentation time also.

The Neo N2 can beam scribbles to your device in real time, while the Mobile Notes Pro 2 and the Equil Smartpen 2 can write on most paper types.

Depending on your line of work, you may or may not find all the gadgets applicable to you, but there is always new technology brewing across the world trying to make our lives easier. The key to increasing productivity is to understand the breakdown of your workday into its many components and processes and to try to find efficient solutions at that micro level.