Studies show it takes an average of 11 minutes to get back on track after being distracted by the ding of an incoming email or text message. That accumulates on average to 2.1 hours per day spent trying to refocus.
I’m not here to preach about needing to block the internet or outlaw cat memes at work. In fact, according to Scientific American, maintaining unbroken focus for several hours drains your energy levels and leaves your brain feeling drained—so maybe those baby videos that surface daily offer just the break we need to boost productivity.
Rather, here are some of the most useful websites I’ve found that can be used for work. From finding cheap office furniture for newbie nonprofits to mastering your office-wide scheduling, behold, the mecca of useful websites:
1. Trello
Give your whole NPO an overlook at the major goals you have within the next quarter—and delegate smaller tasks to each person to accomplish said goals with Trello. Add checklists, due dates, and as many members needed to complete a task.
2. Asana
A similar program to Trello, Asana is another task management program that can streamline your NPO communication and take your goals for this quarter to the next level.
3. Pocket
You’ll inevitably stumble upon some website you simply must read. Put it in your Pocket to save said websites for later. (If you didn’t catch that clever pun, it’s a bookmarking website that lets you store all of your future reads in one place.)
4. Camel Camel Camel
If your organization is in the market for some new equipment or even office supplies, check out Camel Camel Camel. You can search for items put up on Amazon, check out their price history and view charts detailing when it’s the cheapest time to buy. You can even upload your Amazon wishlist.
5. Down for Everyone or Just Me
Down for everyone or just me is a pretty self explanatory website. Check to see if your troubles searching on Google (or any other website) is just your internet, or if something’s amiss.
6. Printer Friendly
If you’re an environmental company (or even if you’re not), make any online page Printer Friendly by visiting this website. It’ll save on basic supplies like paper and ink—hey, those little costs add up quickly.
7. Facebook Acquaintances
Easily distracted by social media? Aren’t we all.
Change Facebook “friends” to “acquaintances”. Rather than getting every single update from them, you’ll only be shown their most important updates.
8. Spritz
Anymore, a lot of our reading and research occurs online. So if a tool came along that cut that time say, in half, you’d be interested, right? Then it’s time to check out Spritz, a tool for online reading (and e-readers which helps you find the optimal recognition point of a word faster, allowing you to read and process articles quicker.
9. Unroll.Me
If email is what’s getting you down, check out Unroll.Me. It’s a fantastic service that gets you unsubscribed from all of those random newsletters and offers—currently the top ranking unsubscribed websites include 1-800 Flowers and Expedia. And keep the newsletters you love getting—like the Hubcap—and get just one email each day that has all of these emails in one ‘rollup’ from Unroll.Me.
Did I miss one? What secretly awesome websites does your nonprofit take advantage of?
