Recently, we sat down with Nimrod Santo to discuss tech gadgets that can help professionals boost their productivity. Mr. Santo, a serial entrepreneur, direct response marketer, and business developer, over the video conference, was as usual, eager to share his insight on the tech gadgets he uses the most for productivity and why they are so great.
Question: With more people working from home and some employers planning on extending remote work, one of the most discussed topics is productivity. What are your opinions?
Nimrod Santo: Well, many companies, prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, were reluctant to adopt remote work. However, with the outbreak, corporate organizations were ordered to shut down operations and employees and employers were sent home.
2020 total locked down increased the demand for remote working. Twitter and Square CEO, Jack Dorsey, recently told his employees that they could work from home forever. Shopify CEO, Tobias Lutke, in a tweet also informed employees that they had the option to work from home.
Remote working is a trend albeit not predominantly accepted. The question of employee, employer, and entrepreneur productivity when working from home remains to be seen because there isn’t yet sufficient data for a large-scale research on the issue.
Question: So, productivity has not increased?
Nimrod Santo: Maybe that’s not the correct metric to analyze remote work. Many employees like the flexibility it gives. But there are also other people who prefer the workplace system. I think we will have a hybrid of on-site work and remote work in the future.
Question: How do you think people can maximize their productivity?
Nimrod Santo: I always believe in planning and scheduling. Working from home can be tricky, in that you think you’ve got all the time.
Plus, there is Twitter, Instagram, and similar social media platforms that distract you from work. Keeping out the distraction is perhaps the most difficult part.
Distractions kill productivity. One minute, you are working on a copy ad, the next, you are streaming Kim Kardashian reality TV show. Three hours later, you have not made even a minuscule progress in your work; then the day is over, and you regret how you spent your day. You’ll do the same thing tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. It’s a bitter cycle.
Question: What technological gadget would consider necessary to enhance productivity?
Nimrod Santo: When talking about gadget, you must think of things that enhance your workflow, including backups for when something happens.
I always tell people to get a conference speaker. It is very likely you will be having quite a few video conferences with your team or other professionals. Investing in a solid conference speaker is a good move. An extra monitor is always a good idea. It gives more working space.
Good and reliable printers are very handy. Sometimes, we want to physically go through a document on paper, rather than to read them on screen.
You should also think about your mental and emotional health. An Air Purifier clears the air—and your thoughts and mind. The quality of air can shape your productive output. It provides you clean and fresh air, also making the air free of debris and microorganism.
Fast router and reliable network; this is a no-brainer (laughs).
Question: What’s the non-technological thing you would suggest for productivity?
Nimrod Santo: A chair. A good chair improves productivity and health.
