Our Top Tips for Productivity
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Set Your Daily Goals
​Spend the first part of your day setting out what you want to achieve for that day – apps such as Hive  and Todoist are a great way to visualise and track your goals, they are great for individuals or teams and have sharing capabilities.

Read the manuals!
Yes, it’s tempting to just plug it in and figure it out as you go along but honestly, reading the user manuals and getting to know your new device/app or software will save you so much time in the long run. It might seem like a boring job you don’t need to add to your workload but there are often tons of features you only find out about by getting to know your product thoroughly- it really is worth investing a bit of time in.

Track your Time
If you have a lot of different tasks to complete it’s easy to get caught up on one and neglect the others. Set a schedule and try to stick to it – dedicate the time you need to complete each task and make an effort to get each job done within the time. There are some great time-keeping apps available to help you get organised –Clockify is a free app that can help you track actual time spent, great for freelancers and business owners who need to track hours across projects.

Put your Phone on Silent
Important job to complete? Putting your phone on silent and out of reach will help you focus on the task at hand and help stop you from getting distracted by social media. As soon as you start working on your tasks, put your phone on silent and set a time in the day to answer any texts/calls you might have received – try not to deviate from that. Most smartphones have a ‘Do not Disturb’ mode which will mute the sound, and block visual distractions and vibrations.

Use a calendar to get organised
Deadline looming? Get the dates in the calendar, block out enough days to get the task completed and set reminders to alert you the deadline is approaching. Get organised and schedule all your work and home commitments so you can see everything at a glance. There are lots of apps to choose from, many of them with free options, Google Outlook are popular choices.

Top Time-Saving GadgetsThere are some great gadgets out there to help make life a little bit easier in a time-crunched world. Here are some of our favourites:

Robot Vacuum
If you get easily distracted by jobs around the house then a robot vacuum could be just what you need to stop the procrastination.

Charging Dock
A clean desk free of wires can help you focus on the task at hand so get rid of the clutter of cables and invest in a docking station to charge your devices. There are lots to choose from, but we like these from Anker.

Productivity Timer
Make every second count by setting a timer to work to increase productivity and get those tasks done! There are plenty of timers to choose from which use the Pomodoro technique where you work in 25-minute sprints followed by 5 minutes of rest. Check out these timers at Ticktime.

Noise Cancelling Headphones, Earbuds or Earplugs
If you work in a noisy environment, then noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones are a must. Have a look at Tech Radar for their pick of the best noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds. If you don’t want to listen to music or podcasts then earplugs are a great alternative- take a look at this Which guide for a selection of earplugs to suit different needs.

Hopefully, we’ve given a few ideas on how to tackle that to-do list and increase your productivity.

What are your favourite gadgets or hacks for productivity at home or work?

GDPR – What you need to know:
The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Anyone who uses personal data must follow ‘data protection principles’ and ensure the information is used fairly and within the law. Personal data must only be used for specified purposes and needs to be limited to what is necessary. Find out more about the Data Protection Act 2018 here.

Minimise the Risks
Employees who work from home and that handle personal data must be fully trained on GDPR and how it affects their working practices. All employees must use strong passwords – it’s hard to keep track of passwords so password managers are a great tool to keep them safe and secure. Encourage your employees to use a VPN (virtual private network) when working from home as an extra layer of security.

The use of company devices is the most expensive option (but most secure) for employees who work remotely. The devices should be able to be supported and updated remotely and measures should be put in place to prevent data loss.

If your employees wish to use their own devices for working from home there are considerations you need to take into account before authorising in order to help prevent data protection and security breaches:

• Ensure your employees have up to date software (including operating system).
• Bear in mind the likelihood of family members or other members of the household seeing sensitive data.
• Do other members of the household share the devices? If so, how can you ensure sensitive data is not shared?
• Encrypt sensitive company data – there are multiple third party hard drive encryption software solutions.
• Discourage the practice of storing or transferring sensitive data to insecure storage devices such as USB sticks.

Security Checklist:

• Up to date policies for remote working.
• Make sure all your employees (and you) are fully trained on data protection and how to remain secure when working remotely.
• Guidance on working remotely for all employees.
• Ensure all employees use strong passwords and utilise multi-factor authentication where possible.
• Ensure employees use company email addresses when dealing with sensitive data.
• Control access so that employees only have access to the data they need and nothing more.
• Ensure all employees have up to date antivirus software installed (and turned on) on any personal device being used for work.
• Ensure you use a corporate VPN to keep connections secure.

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When Employees Leave
To protect against data loss you need to make sure you remove access to the company email address immediately. Remove access to all applications and disable, retrieve and wipe any company owned devices.

On leaving, ask the employee to sign a document acknowledging they have returned any company owned devices and that they haven’t kept any company data.

The popularity of dating apps has increased exponentially since 2017 (and most notably since the Covid19 pandemic) – there are about 1,500 online dating sites and apps worldwide, many of which are aimed at specific sections of society. There are of course the big dating apps that dominate the industry – the names we all probably think of when anyone mentions online dating. Tinder, Bumble and Match are the most popular but there are many more to choose from.

In this digital world it makes sense that people find it hard to forge meaningful relationships in real life – cue online dating! But like everything else we do online we need to be careful not to fall victim to fraud.

​Which App is best?
Whether you’re looking for long term commitment or you just want to keep things casual and see where they go, there is bound to be the perfect app for you. Pick the right app to suit your partner preferences.

Tinder is great for younger people looking to make connections while eHarmony is a winner for those who like data-driven matches. Bumble is a solid choice for women who want to avoid unsolicited messages from men as they can only be contacted after the woman has expressed her interest. If you’re a gamer, then there is an app perfect for you – Kippo is a mobile dating app specifically designed for gamers to meet up and connect. And for those of you searching for a like-minded professional to share your time with you could find your match at Elite Singles.

How to Protect Yourself from Scammers When Online Dating

• Account Security: As with any online account it’s vital you have a strong password (plus 2-step verification if applicable) and take extra care when accessing sites on a public or shared device.
• Privacy Boundaries: Avoid revealing personal information to people you don’t know such as home address, work address, daily routine i.e. time/day you go for a run/gym etc. If you are a parent or guardian don’t reveal too much about your children – don’t share details such as their names, ages or where they go to school.
• Financial Safety: Never send money or share financial details, it’s a big red flag if the person you are communicating with asks you to send money to them.
• Chat on the App: Keep conversations within the dating app and avoid requests to message on messaging apps such as WhatsApp which aren’t regulated in the same way as the dating sites.
• Report Suspicious Behaviour: If it doesn’t feel right and you notice the person making odd requests that make you feel uncomfortable then you should block and report the user to the dating site and if necessary, to the authorities.
• Personal Safety: If you meet up in real life then be sure to tell a friend or family member where you are going and what time you will be back.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of falling victim to online dating fraud, then the most important thing to do is to report it. Don’t be embarrassed – fraudsters literally make a living out of conning people, they are very convincing and will happily play the long game until their victim has let their guard down.

Keep it Real and Have Fun
The important thing to remember about online dating is to have fun and be yourself. If it feels like hard work or you’re not enjoying yourself then take a break for a while and see how you feel.

Online dating is sure to continue to grow in popularity and dating apps are a great way to make that first connection with a prospective partner.