5 Cool Gmail Labs to Increase Productivity

Copyright (c) 2013 Tradical 360

We're an SEO company -- and we're not the only ones in the industry. New York City is made up over eight million people; there are a lot of people doing a lot of different things -- and you can bet that we've got a lot of competition, just the way all our clients have their competition. So, we have to make sure we're on our A-game all the time, working hard and making each working hour count. There are always ways to increase productivity at the workplace, and we're always looking for new ways to make sure our reputation stays worthy of being an awesome SEO company. We're a startup -- innovators, you could say -- so we don't always have the time to wait around for others to give us advice on how to be more productive. We have to figure that out for ourselves -- and sometimes it's the little things we do that can make a world of difference.

Our work emails are hosted on Gmail, and Google is the mother of innovation in many senses. We send emails all day long -- to clients, potential clients, business partners, and to each other. Increased productivity at the office can start as small as sending better emails -- or at least just not the wrong emails. If you're using Gmail for your everyday needs, work or otherwise, here are 5 cool Gmail features you should turn on to increase productivity -- from an SEO company.

1. Undo Send

How many times have you written up an email and proofread it three times only to realizethe second you hit "Send" that there was a huge typo or grammatical error in it? Gmail will let you turn on a feature that will let you undo your email send up to 30 seconds after you press the button and save yourself from what would have been complete embarrassment and regret.

2. Preview Pane

Gmail already helped us out by introducing different mail tabs that now organize promotional and update emails so that reading email is actually timely, important and easily accessible. The Preview Pane feature is another Lab feature that will help you zoom through emails quickly so you can get on with your day. You can easy view your inboxes while a preview window pops out (in a horizontal or vertical orientation) so you're never away from one screen for too long. You can toggle the feature on and off on your main screen too, so no time lost if you change your mind.

3. Canned Responses

Tired of sending the same message to multiple people? Whether you're hiring and want to acknowledge applicants' applicants or you want a default 'thank you' message ready to send at any given moment without wasting time drafting it, the Canned Responses feature is the perfect Labs tool for anyone who is too busy (or too lazy) to write out tons of emails that say the same thing.

4. Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

Everyone uses their keyboards in a unique, personalized manner. This is where a handy keyboard shortcut can really cut out [precious] seconds to increase productivity and streamline a process. Set your own keyboard shortcuts for quickly composing a new email, searching through your inboxes or almost anything else you need.

5. Gadgets

Ever wished you could have a Wikipedia search built into Gmail or a to-do list that stayed on your screen? Perhaps a link shortener right at your fingertips would be useful when you're scheduling out Tweets for the day. You can install all these tools using the Gadgets feature in Gmail Labs using a URL ending in .xml.

You can turn any of these features on in the Labs tab of the Settings page of your Gmail homepage and even suggest some cool ones of your own. Just watch how you increase productivity with these small changes!

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