Stop Searching, Start Working: How Modern Desktop Search Transforms Productivity in the Workplace

Society enjoys the most advanced technologies ever created, and yet, many workers still spend extremely long periods of time merely searching for information. The average knowledge worker spends 2.8 hours per week just searching for information that should be readily at their fingertips. Add to this the fact that there are plenty of additional productivity drains that those workers might also face, and you are forced to recognize that many businesses are paying workers for significant amounts of time spent not contributing to the bottom line. 

To solve for this, we must all focus on how we can use modern desktop business tools to save time and bolster productivity.

The Productivity Drain: Why We Waste So Much Time Searching

The first thing that we must recognize about productivity drains is what precisely causes them in the first place. Why is it that employees find themselves wasting so much of their workday doing things that ought not take that much time? Clearly, there are many root causes to this problem, and we should try to break those down into smaller pieces. Here are a few of the top reasons why hours of productivity are lost every day: 

A Scattered Workplace - Who among us isn’t guilty of having a least a little clutter of mess at our workstation from time to time? While it might seem like a small issue on the surface, even a little clutter can cause an individual to waste precious time and resources trying to find the information they are looking for.

Information Overload - The average office employee receives 121 e-mails per day! Add to that other notifications they have to deal with, and it quickly becomes the case that many of these workers feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information that they are expected to deal with. It also means that they can get lost in those details and ultimately struggle to find the materials that they need to get their job done effectively.

These things have a damaging real-world impact because a significant amount of time is truly lost to all that file hunting. 

From File Hunting to Information Flow: What “Modern Desktop Search” Really Means

There are modern search tools that run laps around the capabilities of those of previous years. While the standard OS search tools are a good place to start, they lack the comprehensive search coverage required to useful in most professional situations. Instead, you need to consider what modern desktop search tools can do for you. 

Here are some of the capabilities of modern search tools: 

Indexing Modern search software uses powerful indexing technology to help you find files even when you can’t remember exact filenames or wording. Instead of relying on precise matches, indexed search scans and organizes the contents and metadata of your files in advance. That means when you enter a search term that’s even loosely related to what you’re trying to find, the system can quickly retrieve the most relevant documents. Indexing ensures that your files are discoverable based on content, filters, metadata and not just exact titles.

Cross-Platform Integration (Local + Cloud + E-mail) - Business isn’t done on just one platform these days. Therefore, it is imperative that modern search tools adapt to the way that we get things done. Cross-platform integration is considered a staple of the modern search tool, and it allows the user to find what they are looking for regardless of which platform they are using at any given moment.

Content-Level Search - Finally, modern search tools also allow for content-level searches. This means that one is not merely searching for the file name itself, but also for any related information within the file. As such, a single search can dig into files, PDFs, and any other form of documentation that one might need to search through all at the same time.

Transforming Productivity Through Better Search

It’s not a topic that is necessarily top of mind when thinking about improving productivity, but simply improving the way that employees search for information can indeed have major positive impacts on their overall productivity. There are several ways that this manifests, including:

Finding Information Immediately - Stop with all the micro-delays that come with a poor search system. Instead, rely on modern productivity tools that allow employees to find what they are looking for quickly.

Stay in the Flow - An overlooked benefit of modern desktop search is the fact that it helps employees remain in a flow state. They don’t have to constantly switch between different apps as they seek information, and that enables them to remain more on task and get more done.

Better Organization Without Effort - Because search indexes content and metadata automatically, users don’t have to maintain perfect folder structures or remember exact titles. This reduces cognitive load and streamlines workflows across teams.

These are the types of things that can make a big impact on how work gets done, and it is a good idea to keep this at the top of your mind when you are thinking about incorporating modern desktop search programs.

How to Master Desktop Search in Your Daily Workflow

Let’s now look at what you can do to make modern desktop search a part of your daily workflow. You can transform the way that you and everyone else locates information with these steps: 

Step 1 - Select a unified search tool that works well within your system. You should try to settle on one tool that provides you with all the benefits that you need and work on mastering that tool.

Step 2 - Index every file that you use so that it is searchable in the future. You never know when you might need a particular piece of information and you need it to be available to you.

Step 3 - Learn your filtering shortcuts to save even more time and scour your databases for information.

Step 4 - Automate the types of inquiries that you use all the time. This will allow you to make the most common inquiries with a few clicks of your mouse.

Step 5 - Review your system regularly and optimize it whenever possible. You can always improve on what you have built.

The Mindset Shift: From Organizing to Retrieving

There is a true cultural mind shift that takes place when you begin to use modern desktop search tools effectively. You should embrace this shift and promote it whenever possible. Ideally, more people will jump on board and begin to take this process seriously as well. After all, it takes a true team effort to go from the basic style of searching that you are probably used to into something more effective. 

Don’t rely on your own memorization or a scattershot organizational plan that you came up with some time ago. Instead, shift into an organized system that you know will work for you. 