COVID-19 rearranged life worldwide and many are still navigating working from home and the unique stresses that come with it. This trend of remote work will most certainly continue for years to come. New features on Alexa are making this lifestyle easier than ever.
According to a recent survey, 58 percent of 4,612 people polled want to be entirely remote after the pandemic. However, 39 percent prefer a hybrid schedule. This means that 97 percent of the people surveyed would like to keep working remotely, at least partially.
Fortunately, a lot of new technology has been launched in the last few years. In addition, some older technology is finding new life in these modern times, making work-from-home setups more functional. If you use Echo speakers and displays, these new features on Alexa may significantly impact your daily schedule.
Here are five cool new features on Alexa to help you work from home now and in the future:
Let Alexa Keep You on Track
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re working in a remote location. Things appear to move at strange, fluid speeds because many of our regular time constraints have been removed. This includes things like traveling to work or joining friends for lunch.
Even throughout the day, the borders between work and life are likely blurred.
It may seem insignificant, but asking Alexa to remind you of important tasks can be a great help. Alexa can remind you to stretch your legs, take a drink of water, or log in to a Zoom call. Routines are beneficial to keeping you on track, and Alexa will assist you in sticking to them.
Avoid Disturbing the Entire Household
Use the Drop-In feature on the Echo speaker to help you prevent interruptions. Suppose you are working in one room and your children are doing home school in another. The Show feature helps by allowing you to ask quick questions to determine whether it’s a good time to come out.
It may also help you know if you should wait until the kids are done with their reading or homework.
Use Alexa To Entertain Your Pets
Many of us work from home with our dogs rather than with friends or family. Domesticated animals have been affected by the pandemic in surprising ways. Many have become more moody, clingy, and more difficult to care for.
Alexa can entertain your pets during the day and also help give them a bit more independence. Meow! and Woof!, for example, are features for interacting with cats and dogs. Others, such as the Comfort My Dog feature, play music to aid your pet’s sleep.
Listen to Music
Alexa is also wonderful for playing music throughout the day if you’re not sharing a space with others. Alexa plays music from Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Tidal, and most other streaming services.
Listen to relaxing music to ease into the workday. Play lively music to get you pumped to meet that midday deadline. Or turn on some favorites to celebrate the conclusion of a long day.
You can even use music as a timer. Time a task with a song to give you just enough motivation to finish.
Alexa Can Help You Stay Healthy
While it’s easy to lose track of time, it’s even easier to forget about our health or simply ignore it. For some, the high-stress realities of the past couple of years haven’t made maintaining a healthy lifestyle any simpler.
Thanks to Alexa, you can keep your weight loss goals and might even shed weight during your time at home.
Use Alexa’s timers and music abilities to create your own exercises. There’s also a 7-Minute Workout Feature for when you’re short on time. With technology like Alexa, it’s simpler to add some fitness activities into your lunchtime routine.
These are just a few ways you can use Alexa to help you while you are doing remote work. However, there are plenty of more ways to make the most of your Echo. Simply take a few minutes to explore the possibilities; you may be surprised at how it can help.
Image Credit: Anete-Lusina; Pexels; Thank you!
