TL;DR – Productivity and collaboration are keys to effective work. Use the right tools to stay efficient. 

A long, long time ago, in the galaxy we currently live in, Internet Explorer ruled the world. When Firefox rolled up on the scene, it felt revolutionary. Now? It’s all Chrome, all the time. Why is Chrome the browser of choice? Elegant design, ease of use, password management and the nearly 200,000 extensions available on the Chrome Web Store have streamlined the online experience.

We use a number of different extensions around the Milemarker team to keep productivity and efficiency high. Here’s our top five Chrome extensions for productivity and one to boost collaboration:

1. StayFocusd

(753k Users)

The hardest part of working from home is keeping your mind on the prize. Enter StayFocusd – the extension that helps you budget your time on the websites that keep you from procrastinating the real work that keeps you chained to your laptop.  You can allot time for browsing on specific websites (Twitter gets a timer of 15 minutes, NextDoor gets just 5) or block entire websites, subdomains or paths (This one just might be on all of our children’s Chromebooks too).  

2. HTTPS Everywhere

(2.1M Users)

Site security is important for lots of reasons, but especially because you don’t want to bog down your device with malware. The HTTPS protocol makes sure a site is secure before you land on the page you requested. While most sites feature HTTPS, this extension rewrites the request from your device to the website, to create the secure version of the site. This way, you can click away with the assurance of safety. 

3. FlowCrypt

(45k Users)

This one just affects Gmail, but it’s the easiest way to encrypt if you’re using G-Suite. If you are looking for Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) this simple end-to-end encryption for secure email and attachments on Google may be just what you need. You’ll get a new button in Gmail for “Secure Compose” and you’ll be on your way. 

4. OneTab

(+2M Users)

Listen. If you’re breathing in 2021, you’ve got a lot going on – from supporting local restaurants with to-go orders to research for work and zoom meetings for parent teacher conferences . There are naturally a lot of tabs staying open in your mind and in your browser. OneTab makes it easy to navigate multiple URLs by placing them into a single tab for easy reference.

5. Grammarly

(+10M Users)

Grammarly is the go-to app for reviewing anything written for proper spelling, grammar, and word use. Use the handy Chrome extension to call out any grammar errors you’re making while typing anywhere. 

6. Kami

(+10M Users)

All the collaboration for any document you receive. PDFs? Images? Kami helps you view, annotate, share and work alongside your coworkers. It’s especially useful for all those agreements and formal documents that you can’t easily edit. Built with classrooms in mind, it’s intuitive and easy to use. 

Staying on task and increasing productivity are keys to thriving while working from home or in the office. Finding new ways to collaborate with your colleagues is important no matter where you’re working. Make sure the data you’re using to keep everyone in the loop is as up-to-date and reliable as possible so that your business is driven by data.