Weekly Tech Tip for May 1st

Too much Screen Time? Use these tools to stay productive and keep healthy

We all spend a lot of time in front of our monitors, pounding away at the keyboards pushing around mice. But did you know that there are several apps and tools that can keep you both focused and set healthy schedules to give you needed breaks. 

If you have a Tech Tip you'd like to share with us you can email to us at blog@rightpathcompanies.com and we'll make sure to post it. 

 

1. f.lux®

 

Research shows that that blue light emitted from screens and monitors can interrupt sleep patterns. If you are on your phone or computer well into the evening, or close to bedtime, you may have experienced this firsthand! f.lux is a browser extension that adjusts the color of your computer's display to adapt to the time of day – "warm at night and like sunlight during the day.” Long story short, by reducing the harsh blue glow, f.lux may help you power down and fall asleep more easily, especially if you find you're staying up too late working or checking Facebook.

 

2. StayFocusd

 

How much time have you or your employees lost to time-wasting websites? Maybe your team has a procrastination problem and accidentally loses hours of productivity to entertainment and leisure websites and apps. It's so easy to say you'll only spend five minutes setting your Fantasy Football lineup or taking a Buzzfeed quiz. Encourage staff to add the StayFocusd Chrome extension! With it, users can block any and all distracting sites for custom time periods. I also recommend an extension called TaskTimer, where you can set your own schedule and view analytics that measure Internet activity and time spent browsing the Web.

 

3. Pocket
 

We've all been there. Someone shares a compelling article, and then all of a sudden you find yourself consuming a never-ending string of suggested readings. Then, you look at the clock only to wonder where the time went! Sign up for a Pocket account to save Web pages, videos or articles you wish to visit at a later time! This app integrates with most browsers and will sync your saved content across all devices. And the best part is that you don't even need an Internet connection! You can access everything you add all in one convenient place.

 

4. eyeCare
 

This vision protection extension notifies you regularly when it's time to stop staring at your computer or smartphone screen so that you may rest your eyes. It even provides suggestions for what to do during your breaks to minimize discomfort! Use eyeCare in conjunction with Screen Shader to reduce eye strain and headaches.