5 Ways to Pump Up Your Productivity with Firefox

In today’s busy world, our to-do lists get longer, while the time we have to complete those tasks gets shorter. With the right tools, Firefox can increase your productivity and give you more time back in your day!

1. You can search any site from the Firefox URL bar without leaving the site you’re on (hey, we don’t call it the Awesome Bar for nothing!). A one-time setup can save you time later. If you’re a shopping fiend, first head over to your favorite site (let’s use Amazon as an example). Find the search field and right-click on it. From there, select “Add a Keyword For This Search…” from the dropdown menu. Enter a name for the bookmark (in this case, we’ll call it “Am” to make it as short as possible) and a keyword for the search (let’s use “Am” again). Now, when you want to search Amazon, just put your cursor in the URL bar (or hit F6 for a shortcut), type “am” and what you’re searching for (like “phone”) and you’ll be taken to the results on Amazon. Cool, huh? More on keyword searches in this blog post.

2. Speaking of shortcuts, there are a lot of them in Firefox. Pick a few from the list that you’ll use the most to save time — and your fingers from all that annoying typing. The full list is here (https://support.mozilla.org//kb/keyboard-shortcuts-perform-firefox-tasks-quickly), but some of the key shortcuts are: CTRL+W to close a tab, CTRL+T for a new tab, F6 to jump to the URL bar, CTRL+enter to add a .com to the end of a Web address and CMD+D to bookmark (on a Mac, instead of CTRL, choose CMD; on a Linux machine, chose ALT).

3. Bookmarks can save you time, too. In fact, you can even add a bookmarks toolbar, so all of your bookmarks are a mouse-click away. Here’s how to add a bookmarks toolbar to your Firefox.

4. Sync your Android phone with your home computer. You’ve done all the research for that nifty new gadget, but when you get to the store, you’ve forgotten a key detail. With Firefox for Android, you can set up your phone’s browser to “sync” with your computer’s browser so all of your tabs and bookmarks (among other things) come with you wherever you go. Here’s how to set up Sync for your Android phone.

5. Try an add-on. There are thousands to choose from. Some help you get the best price on products, others help you manage your calendar. Some help you take notes and manage your to-do list, while some just give you quick sports scores. There’s even an add-on that tracks how productive you are on the Web! Browse add-ons that will make your online life easier here. (add-ons link)