Furnishing your digital office
We feel better if we thrive in our surroundings, and we work better when our work environment is adapted to our needs. It is easy to overlook the fact that this also applies to our digital work environment. The whole of your workplace needs to be functional, inviting and organised – for your sake. Here are a few tips on interior design for your computer, so that you don’t lose things deep in an unclear file structure or get swamped by notifications.
Clean, sort and dispose of
A good foundation for any interior design is cleaning routines. Think of your digital desktop as a physical desk. Of course, there are a few things you’re working on left out, but most things should be sorted into folders, files or boxes. If everything has a place of its own, it is easy to know where to put your things when the time comes to tidy up after a day’s work.
Create folders for various courses and projects. Name the folders and documents in a way that makes them easy to find, either when you are going through the folders or when you are searching the computer. If you want to save several different versions of a document, you can name them with the date of the most recent edit, e.g.: Essay 260824. That way you will not have to think about whether “Essay new version”, “Essay new version 2” or “Essay final final version” is the one you need.
Sort out files you no longer use or need, so that the computer works more efficiently and you save time. You should also close programs, files and tabs when you are not using them so that your brain does not need to multitask. Remember to go through your downloads folder – it tends to fill up without too much thought. Get into the habit of always actively naming a file when you download it, so that you can easily find what you are looking for later.
Stop multitasking – start focusing better
Get to know your Tools
The next stage is to get to know your work environment and adapt it. A lot of us only use a few features in the word processing program and have never updated the basic settings in webmail – despite all programs offering a plethora of adjustments that can make everyday life at work easier. Obviously not all functions are relevant to everyone, but if you know what functions are available, you can make active choices. Here are a few concrete ideas to get you started!
- Browse the settings. All programs can be adjusted so that they suit you better. Perhaps you don’t need to see all the buttons, you might see better on a darker screen, you may wish to use another language.
- Select which notifications you receive. A lot of tools constantly send notifications that pop up on screen or even in your inbox. Choose what you receive notifications for and when, so that you find out when something important happens, but can still get on with your work without being disturbed.
- Use the bookmark function in your browser – that way you do not need to have several tabs open all the time, and you do not need to worry about not finding your way back to the correct page.
- Learn how to use formatting templates in your word processing program. You will not need to create new settings for each new document, and your documents will be more accessible and more professional too.
- Set up an account with a cloud storage solution so that you can access your files from several different devices. You won’t need to email yourself or keep track of memory sticks and there is no need to panic should your computer break down.
Repair things that are broken
Finally, maintenance matters. If you had a puncture on your bike, you probably wouldn’t try to keep going for long without air, but when something isn’t working as intended on the computer many of us try to keep going as if nothing were wrong, or find a workaround. That is not a good strategy, for several reasons. Besides the work proceeding more slowly, most people get in a bad mood when things do not work as they are supposed to. So, as soon as you encounter a problem – dare to believe that it can be solved. Here are a few tips.
- Restart or change program. Always begin by restarting the program you’re using, and if that doesn’t work: restart the computer. If you’re having problems with a webpage, it might also be a good idea to swap browser and see if it works better in a different one.
Get help. You will find solutions to common problems in our user guides. Almost all services and programs have their own guides, sometimes in various languages. Lund University also has guides for many of the tools that are used here – you will find them in the self-service portal and in Canvas. If you have more specific problems with a tool, service or network linked to Lund University, you can also contact our IT support, LU Service Desk. There are students and specialists ready to answer your questions.
Contact LU Service Desk or search guides in the self-service portal
Lund University digital tool guides in Canvas – canvas.education.lu.se (requires login)
- Ask the internet. If you have encountered a more unusual problem – or simply cannot face looking through guides – it might be better to look at YouTube, for example, to find other users who have had the same problem and documented the solution. Why not ask a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT or Bing Co-pilot about the problem you are having? They scan huge volumes of text and compose suggested solutions based on your specific question. If you don’t get a useful answer straight away, you can specify and ask follow-up questions in the same conversation.