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Top Apps for Working from Home

Top apps for social distancing. Source: Mikayla Mallek on Unsplash.

We have reached a new era: the era of social distancing. Jakarta is under an Emergency Response status in regards to the rapid spreading of the coronavirus. This has resulted in the government urging practices called social distancing and, for some, self-isolation. Oh… what a time to be alive!

Most people are working from home now. WFH – like what the locals call it – is do-able but is possibly less efficient in some cases, as opposed to having everyone physically in the same office space. Also, staying at home while working and then unwinding can be tricky for some to balance out.

Luckily, most of us have the internet and the beauty and wonder it bring. Not all of us are digital nomads, however. For those new to this lifestyle, here’s a list of applications you can use to work, communicate, and eventually unwind during this pandemic:

Work

WFH and maintaining productivity is a challenge many of us thought would ever surface. Having the necessary software on your laptop and a good speed WiFi connection is a blessing. Yet, most people declared WFH still required getting in touch with their colleagues for important meetings… somehow or another.

Zoom App – Source: Allcom Networks

Slack and Microsoft Teams

These tools help eliminate emails and funnel everything into group channels or direct messages. Create channels for projects, groups of people, and more by purchasing or running under the free offers.

Klokki

Using a tool like Klokki, you can do time tracking with a native application. Tracking your time on the iMac (sorry Windows users) is a great way to keep your employer informed of how you’re spending your time while you’re working from home.

Dropbox

This is a handy, popular, and common file sharing tool. Dropbox brings all team content together whilst letting you use the tools you love. The app also helpful for displaying what matters the most on top, to save you from the hassle of constant searches.

ZOOM

Some meetings are far more serious and interactive, thus need to have that feeling of human interaction – even if it is virtual. This video conferencing app allows anyone with a laptop and internet connection to host or join meetings online. One of the app’s best features is that it allows you to record meetings.

Webex

Uniquely, Webex facilitates webinars and online presentations too. Hence, this is not just another app to conduct business meetings and video conferences. Meetings on this platform are open to up to 100 participants at a time.

Communication

Google Hangout – Source: Daily Social

Face-to-face interaction is hindered now as formal and informal meetings are non-advisable. But mentally speaking, not interacting with friends and family can take a toll on you. It’s all about texting, phone calls, and video calls now.

Group FaceTime

Apple makes it easier to get groups together with a cool feature that highlights the person speaking to never get confused about who’s talking.

Skype

Applicable for both Apple and Android users as well as Windows and Mac users, this Microsoft-owned company allows you to virtually hang out with up to 25 of your closest friends.

Google Hangouts

Again, useable on Apple and Android operating systems, Google Hangouts allows users to customise the name of the conversation and including a bunch of GIFs and emojis. The only downside is that there’s a limit of only 10 people per chat.

WhatsApp

Perhaps one of the most downloaded and used app, regardless of people’s ages, in the world. This app has also grown in popularity for work purposes, making it an ideal platform to communicate and even send in documents.

Facebook Messenger

This is an alternative way to chat with your Facebook friends or family. Fun fact: a video chat with up to 50 people at once? You can have a virtual family dinner with your family across Europe!

Unwinding

You’ve spent your day helping your child with “the lesson of the day”, you’ve also done your work – it’s time for everyone to unwind and get ready for the evening. The feeling of exhaustion will believably return despite WFH. And sometimes, the mind needs the clarity that it is time to unwind, given the same space in your home was just used to work beforehand.

Tasty App – Source: Purewow

Headspace

Guided meditations are provided for you to relieve stress, anxiety, get to sleep, and more. Further, movement exercises are also available in this app. This popular app has a two-week free trial, and for a limited time is offering a collection of free meditations to all users.

Reflecty

Keeping track of work, children’s school lessons, meals of the days, chores, and other essential to-dos can get overwhelming. Reflecty is a journaling app that uses artificial intelligence to ask personalised questions about your day, helping you reconnect with your emotions and keep a record of your thoughts.

Down Dog

A little bit of Namaste can make a huge difference, especially at this era. This app features more than 30,000 configurations, which means you can try out new yoga practices everytime you intend to do yoga. A 3-day introduction to yoga and practices specifically designed to strengthen and stretch your back is available.

Nike Training Club

It’s important to get your body moving – aside from the aerobic exercise of thoroughly disinfecting your home. Here, you’ll find a vast workout library with exercises aimed at body parts or fitness objectives, as well as workouts stretching from 15 to 45 minutes with varying intensities. Guided workout collections let you focus on your fitness objectives, with workouts available for full or light equipment or bodyweight-only courses, and personalised recommendations are based on your workout choices.

Tasty

There are no more excuses to get take-out! Tasty from Buzzfeed offers over 4,000 recipes with step-by-step instructions, your own cookbook section, cooking video guides, personalised criteria of cuisines, and many more. Take this time to learn a new dish or create a stronger bond with your loved ones.

See: Finding a True Relationship on Online Dating Apps: Is It Really Possible?

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