Working From Home: Top 6 Computer Tricks

Working From Home: Top 6 Computer Tricks

You need to know a thing or two about your computer if you want to be an effective remote worker. Basically, you have to be your own Help Desk many times, as working from home means you don’t have access to a full IT team like you would in an office.

Check out these tips to becoming your own tech-savvy remote worker.

1. Wear Your Tech Support Hat

Because you can’t call for help every time something pops up, you have to quell your panic when your computer freezes, a program fails to load or your Internet service goes wonky. Think like a tech support rep and do some troubleshooting, such as:

• Install updates regularly.
• Make sure everything is plugged in and is connected to a power source.
• Restart your computer using a manual restart if you have to.
• Search the Internet to see what a particular error message means.
• Make sure your connections, such as Bluetooth, are enabled.

2. Open Frequently-Used Tabs Simultaneously Upon Startup

You may keep a bunch of websites open throughout the day, but this can get time consuming to set back up when turning on your computer in the morning. Did you know you can set your browser to automatically open the tabs you frequently use? Try it in these common browsers:

• Firefox: Open up a fresh browser with the tabs you want open every day on startup. Go to Settings > General > Startup > Choose current pages.
• Chrome: Settings > On Startup > Open a page or set of pages, then enter all the pages you want.

3. Clear the Cache/Refresh Pages

You likely use many of the same pages every day. It’s smart to clear your cache and refresh your page regularly, but these point-and-click tasks can get repetitive. To refresh your browser, simply use CTRL+SHIFT+R. For Mac, use COMMAND+SHIFT+R.

4. Avoid the Things That Slow Your Internet

Slow Internet service is a big hassle for remote workers. Avoid these things that can slow down your speed:

• Streaming Netflix and Hulu in the background
• Keeping several tabs and browsers open at one time
• Visitors and family members using individual devices on your Wi-Fi
• Running many large programs simultaneously, such as Zoom, Slack, etc.
• Downloading/uploading in the background

5. Get a Backup Plan for Internet Access

Check out these temporary remote work locations for when your Internet is down:

• Coffee shop
• Public library
• Restaurant
• Bookstore
• Neighbor’s house

6. Take Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use to save time.

For PCs:

• ALT+TAB: will allow you to switch between open programs and browsers
• CTRL+TAB: lets you go between tabs within browser or program
• CTRL+F: find text within a page
• CTRL+C: copy
• CTRL+X: cut
• CTRL+V: paste
• CTRL+Z: undo
• CTRL+B or U or I: lets you bold, underline or italicize
• Start Menu+Arrow Up or Arrow Down: will let you maximize, shrink, and minimize windows

For Macs:

• COMMAND+TAB: go between open programs and browsers
• SHIFT+COMMAND+TAB: switch between tabs within browser or program
• COMMAND+F: lets you locate text within a page
• COMMAND+C: copy
• COMMAND+X: cut
• COMMAND+V: paste
• COMMAND+Z: undo
• COMMAND+B or U or I: lets you bold, underline or italicize
• COMMAND+M: helps you to minimize the front window

Contact Monmouth Computer Associates

Contact us Monday through Friday at 732-681-2360 for more work-from-home tips and tricks, or to book an appointment.

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