In a previous post, I shared several flags that you can enable in the Chrome browser for additional features that you might find helpful. I have heard from several folks that enjoyed those features, so here are two more that you might want to consider. And, as a reminder, to access the flags in Chrome, you’ll need to go to chrome://flags in your Chrome browser.
Enable Tab Groups
The Tab Groups flag will allow you to cluster opened tabs into groups. Still experimental, this feature isn’t as robust as it will eventually become, but it may be helpful none-the-less. Once enabled, you’ll notice an additional choice as you right-click on a tab – Add to New Group. If you have already created a group, then you will notice that you have an option to add the tab to a particular group. The first group is named Group 1 with all the tabs added to the group obtaining the color of the group. Unfortunately you cannot rename the group name (yet) and the groups cannot be rearranged. Also, once you close the browser, the grouping is removed.
Below is what my Chrome tabs look like now. This flag is definitely in the infant stage of development, but there is great potential for it. Even if you choose not to keep this flag enabled (and you set it back to default), keep an eye on it; in Chrome Canary (the developer’s version of Chrome that is updated nightly), this flag already allows you to rename the group and assign a color to the group.
If you like the concept of tab groups but are disappointed with the lack of features in this flag, then consider using the Tab Group extension. Wow, what a game changer! Not only can I create tab groups, I can also name them, easily add to them, and have the extension open a saved group in the current browser or a new window! This feature is like having my bookmarks already in a folder and able to open up at once (which is already possible but less convenient than this extension makes it).
If I’m a classroom teacher, I may use the extension to create grouped tabs that I’ll use when teaching…or teach my students to create grouped tabs so they can be more efficient (at least in my class) while on the laptop/desktop/Chromebook. I personally have started using it to group similar tabs that I need to open based on various tasks that I might be doing (work, social media, research, training, etc.). Below is a screenshot of what my current groupings look like using the extension (not the flag).
Enable Focus Mode
If you want to focus on a particular website, but don’t want to be distracted by the other tabs that may also open, then consider enabling the Focus Mode flag. Once enabled, Focus Mode will allow you to remove the identified tab from the current window of tabs and open it in its own special window. Special window? Yes, special window. The window that it will open to will be stripped of many interface elements (omnibox, extension bar, bookmarks bar, etc.) leaving you with just a title bar, the more features icon, and a scroll bar.
If you want to drop the focused window back into the window from where it was extracted, then click on the more icon (the vertical three dots on the right-hand side of the browser) and select Open in Chrome. This flag is great if you like to have multiple tabs open normally, but need to focus for a bit.
Google Chrome developers are always working to see how they can keep Chrome ahead of the game and make it the browser of choice. Stay tuned as we keep our eye out for more goodies that are coming your way!
There are so many different tasks that I do which involve using either Microsoft Word or Google Docs that I have picked up a few tips and tricks over the years to help make using Microsoft Word even faster so I can get to other items on my to-do list. And isn’t that our main goal anyway? As Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, said, “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” I was training this past week on Microsoft Office and had that startling realization that there are things I know how to do in Office that I take for granted and just assume that everyone knows the same things and makes use of various tools to speed up their process. So, here is a shortened list I would share with someone if they use Word, but want to be more productive.
Auto Recovery – Initially set at ten minutes, I dropped mine down to five. Whether I’m on my laptop on the go or plugged in at the office, if something happens and my computer shuts off, the worst case scenario is that I have only lost five minutes of work.
Copying/Pasting – When pasting from other programs, I typically want just the text (not the formatting), so why not set it here? I also have my pictures inserted/pasted as Tight…which is what I would change them to most of the time. The few times I want an image inserted in line with text or in front of text, I can easily change it on the fly using the Wrap Text button on the Format ribbon tab.
Recent Documents/Folders – It seems like I am always needing to find a Word file that I used a while back. To help make that easier, I increased the preference to show the 50 most recent documents (to quickly access them) and 50 unpinned recent folders.
Format Painter – I cannot believe that everyone doesn’t know about the Format Painter tool! Click in the text that contains the format you want to paint somewhere else. Then, click the Format Painter tool once if you are only going to apply it once or double-click it if you want to apply it to multiple pieces of text (or graphics) in your document. If you double-click the tool, then you will need to click it again to turn it off. This tool is especially handy if you have multiple locations where you want to bold, resize, change the font, and the color!
Styles – Instead of being forced to use the styles that are listed across the Home tab ribbon, consider updating them to be what you want. When your cursor is in the text that contains the formatting you want to keep, right-click on the appropriate style and select “Update…to Match Heading.” This is equivalent to boosting the Format Painter tool in that I don’t have to go and find the format in my document to click in and then grab the tool. Updating the styles makes it even easier.
ALT+click/drag – We know that you can click and drag to select text. This shortcut is like that only on steroids! While you hold down the ALT key, click and drag to select the columns of text you want to delete. Once selected, just his the delete key or backspace key.
Before you can address some of your habits, you may have to identify them and discover which ones are taking up more time than you realize. In doing so, I highly recommend 
Bone conduction works on a similar premise as how you normally hear. Normally, sound waves (vibrations) enter your ear and are translated by your inner ear. With bone conduction, though, sound travels through your bone (skull) to reach your inner ear. While this process sounds like something from science fiction, it works very well. You actually don’t feel anything unless you have your music turned up on high.
It’s actually pretty simple. Schedule something after work hours that requires you to leave at your scheduled time. It’s funny that anytime my kids have an activity that I have to be at after work or I have an appointment with someone right after the end of the day, I manage to be more productive. Knowing that I cannot stay late or have “extra time” to get things done forces me to push through distractions and be more focused on the tasks I have in front of me. Even if you don’t have a legitimate appointment to put on your calendar, still “schedule” something so that when you look at it, you are reinforcing the expectation that you cannot stay late. This could be something as simple as watching Wheel of Fortune that comes on an hour after the time you should be leaving work. You could also schedule time to get caught up on some enjoyable reading, a date night with your spouse, or taking a walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise in.
If you find you need a little bit more structure so that you can end your day without staying late, consider using the 
