While remote working is not a new concept, it was not largely practised in Singapore before the pandemic hit.
Now, remote working has become the norm for most Singaporeans. While eight out of 10 workers in Singapore say they prefer to work from home or have flexible working arrangements, problems like burn-out and low productivity are prevalent.
At home, there are more distractions, less accountability, and less communication than when working in the office.
However, that doesn’t mean you cannot still be productive. In fact, there are many ways in which you can keep yourself working productively despite working remotely.
Whether you work from home every day or a couple of times per week, these tips can help you to get the most out of your remote working hours:
1. Set Aside A Dedicated Workspace
Just because you’re not working at the office doesn’t mean you cannot have a dedicated workspace. Rather than cooping yourself up in your bedroom all day, you can set aside a specific surface or room to work in.
Having a proper workspace gets you in the right frame of mind to begin working each day, and sustain the momentum during working hours.
However, if staying at home everyday gets too dreary, or the neighbours’ renovation works are disrupting your Zoom calls, take remote working one step further and get out of the house.
Heading to places like cafes, libraries, co-working spaces, or other similar Wi-Fi-enabled spots can help you to simulate the energy of an office so you can stay productive even when you are not in an official workplace.
Besides, there has been a slew of new and creative working spaces popping up around Singapore. You can now work from places like the Golden Village Gold Class Lounge, or even Jewel Changi Airport.
While one might be tempted by the comfort and convenience of working from their beds or couches, a proper workspace is also important in preventing burn out, while boosting productivity and efficiency.
2. Travel Light While Working Remotely
With remote working, you get the ability to move around and work from wherever you want. However, that also means lugging all our devices and work materials around.
Many of us are used to carrying heavy bags, without realising that it can take a toll on our health and impede convenience as well.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, the average weight of a bag has increased from 1.5kg to 3.5kg in the past two decades, due to all the devices that we tote around.
Besides leading to muscle injury and back pains, carrying all that extra weight around is just downright cumbersome, especially when you are taking public transport.
Therefore, investing in a lightweight yet durable business laptop is a worthy consideration as we enter the new year.
Weighing in at just 989 grams*, the gravity-defying Portégé X30W-J is a heavyweight in both performance and features. Furthermore, it is the world’s lightest^ 13-inch convertible with 11th Gen Intel® Processors.
Despite its lightweight, quality isn’t compromised. It is one of the first laptops to offer the new Intel® EvoTM Platform, which delivers boundary-breaking performance, remarkable responsiveness and long-lasting battery life of up to 16 hours#.
Paired with its sophisticated Mystic Blue Magnesium Chassis, the Portégé X30W-J delivers the best of both a premium laptop and full performance tablet, and is designed for ultimate productivity.
Despite its ultra-lightweight, no compromise is made on specifications and functionality.
Whether you are heading out to cafes or back to the office each day to work, investing in a laptop that’s light in weight but heavy in performance is sure to boost productivity and should be on your to-do list for 2021.
3. Use Technology To Your Advantage
We’ve long entered the age of technology, but the usage of various devices has been sped up by the pandemic.
Traditionally physical corporate affairs such as meetings, presentations and pitches have steadily moved online and it’s likely to stay that way in the near future.
This has led to people transitioning into using many different devices at the same time when working.
Tablets are all the rage right now and many people use it as a second screen to supplement their laptop or desktop. Meanwhile, there are others who use tablets as a note-taking device or creative tool.
Though most can agree that having multiple devices can be useful, what if there was one device that could get everything done?
The Portégé X30W-J does exactly just that. It features a stabilising dual-action hinge, which enables smooth transitions into five core viewing modes: Laptop, Tablet, Tabletop, Presentation and Audience.
In the Laptop Mode, users can utlise the Portégé X30W-J in the way they would with a traditional laptop. They can also flip the screen to create their own viewing space to consume content as part of the Audience Mode.
The Tabletop Mode allows users to lay the device flat and collaborate with colleagues when necessary.
When the opportunity arises to have a physical meeting, simply flip the screen over and use the screen to share engaging presentations with larger groups in sales meetings, conference rooms or customer sites.
Lastly, users can use the convertible PC as a large-screen tablet to browse the Internet, read documents or take notes.
Though the perks of having multiple devices are significant, why not invest in the Dynabook that lets you enjoy all the features in one sleek, compact device?
4. Invest In Reliable Tech
Since technology makes up such a big part of our everyday lives, it is important to invest in a device that is reliable and provides us with the highest level of productivity and efficiency.
The Portégé X30W-J is touted to provide users with unparalleled productivity.
One of the first Intel® Evo®Platforms, the Portégé X30W is powered by a quad-core 11th Gen Intel® CoreTM processor delivering a massive performance boost and enhanced efficiency afforded by Intel’s all-new processor architecture.
The Intel® Iris® X graphics engine also offers unprecedented visual performance, immersive collaboration and enhanced content creation.
Despite how light it is compared to other laptops on the market, the Portégé X30W-J is built to last. With its high-strength magnesium alloy chassis and Corning® Gorilla®Glass NBTl®, the Portégé X30W-J is engineered to pass military standard MIL-STD-810G testing methodologies for strength and durability.
Dynabook also conducts an array of extreme tests on the hinge, keyboard and ports.
The Portégé X30W-J also uses the Windows Ink® technology, a multi-touch IGZO display and Active Stylus Pen with Wacom AES 2.0 Pen Technology, providing a natural pen-on-paper writing experience for designing, note- taking, signature capture, completing forms and more.
Furthermore, the laptop features USB 4.0 Type-C ports with ThunderboltTM 4 functionality to connect to an endless variety of modern peripherals, while enabling single-cable access to fast charging, external displays, extended storage and accessories.
The Portégé X30W-J can support up to three external 4K displays simultaneously with a single cable connection.
Designed to match your efficiency, the Portégé X30W-J is equipped with an Instant Wake capability that achieves sub-1s wake time.
From design to engineering, it is obvious that the Dynabook was created with a business professional in mind, with features that enhance productivity and provide good user experience, making it a worthy investment.
5. Communication Is Key
Everyone can agree that communication is the key to success. Whether you’re having a meeting or pitching an idea, communication is at the forefront of the workplace.
Even though most people prefer remote working, interaction and communication with co-workers remain vital.
It is important to ensure that you constantly communicate with co-workers — especially when working in a team — to track progress and receive feedback.
Nowadays, when most meetings are done via platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, having a good sound system is important.
The Portégé X30W-J’s powerful Harman Kardon speakers with Dolby Atmos® sound enhancement delivers fantastic sound quality with impressive dynamic range.
Its dual beam-forming microphones provide excellent noise cancellation for crystal clear voice conferencing virtually free of ambient background noise, while Dolby Atmos® further enhances the listening experience by adding incredible depth and dimension.
Gear Up For A Productive Year Ahead
Whether we are going to continue working from home or head back to the office, our laptops or tablets are nearly always by our side. Our output at work is also very closely tied to how well one’s machine works
Hence, selecting one that fits the multitude of criteria highlighted above is extremely important to ensure productivity and efficiency.
With increased business mobility, the weight of our trusted companions is a critical factor when selecting a business laptop. Besides durability, form and function are also other important qualities to consider.
Dynabook laptops are light yet powerful, making them a perfect selection for both business and personal use.
For more information, check out Dynabook’s website here or send the team an inquiry via email DBS-b2b@dynabook.com.
This article was written in collaboration with Dynabook.
LIGHTEST DISCLAIMER – ^Based on 13.3” convertible laptops with 11th generation Intel Core processors as of 4 Nov 20, research conducted by Dynabook Inc.
WEIGHT DISCLAIMER – * Weight may vary depending on product con‑guration, vendor components, manufacturing variability and options selected.
BATTERY LIFE DISCLAIMER – #Battery Life Rating – Battery life rating based on MobileMark™ 2014 running Windows 10. MobileMark is a trademark of Business Applications Performance Corporation.
Featured Image Credit: Dynabook
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