![Best PDF Tools for Remote Workers](https://framerusercontent.com/images/yCBX31HCflDDAPP1gT3qszUdWY.png)
5 Ways PDF Tools Can Help Remote Workers Save Time
Did you know that effective time management is key for remote workers? Learn how to use PDF tools to save time!
Jun 13, 2024
Alle Ceambur
Balancing remote work and personal time outside of screens can be difficult. As someone who's been working from home since 2019, I have always relied on tools and apps to help me save time and make my workdays a bit smoother. In this post, I'll share a few tips on how PDF tools can be a game-changer for remote workers.
#1: Managing Remote Work Schedules Effectively
Remote workers spend an average of 1.5 hours daily on scheduling tasks. This is where PDF tools can help you stay organized and track your deadlines without a hassle.
Best practices:
Combine different project schedules into one digital PDF document.
Add notes and deadlines directly onto your schedule PDFs.
Share updated schedules with your team easily.
Recommended Tool: Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is great for combining documents, adding notes, and sharing schedules.
![](https://framerusercontent.com/images/JBeUbSM61S6m8JserQ1zTm5Wf8.png)
Image: Adobe Acrobat
#2: Handling Large Volumes of Files Quickly
If your work requires you to deal with tons of documents, you need to learn an efficient way to manage your files—remotely. Using PDF tools can significantly cut down this time.
Here's how to do it:
Merge multiple files into a single PDF, so it's easier to classify and store information.
Compress large PDFs to save storage space and speed up sharing.
Convert batches of documents to PDF at once.
Recommended Tool: PDFsam Basic
PDFsam Basic is a free tool that lets you merge, split, and compress PDFs easily.
![PDFsam Basic](https://framerusercontent.com/images/HfaXrXd8g575DbuNd0gWfpzV8Iw.png)
#3: Finding and Accessing Information More Efficiently
According to McKinsey, employees spend nearly 20% of their workweek (or 2.5 hours a day!) searching for information. Efficient PDF tools can help you find the right info quickly and save a lot of time.
![McKinsey, IDC Employee Info Search Analysis](https://framerusercontent.com/images/MDiv8cbDZfWxZhWv93dUH73QZU.png)
Here's how to improve your PDF search:
Use the search function in PDFs to find keywords in seconds
Bookmark important pages for quick access later
Create an index in your PDF for instant navigation
Recommended Tool: Foxit PDF Reader
Foxit PDF Reader offers robust search and bookmarking features.
![Foxit PDF Reader](https://framerusercontent.com/images/V2nm3iA3rVPTAZETpEVdnkQVg.png)
#4: Reading OCR Files Easily
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) makes scanned documents so much easier to work with. According to AIIM, with OCR, what used to take hours can now be done in minutes, improving productivity by up to 50%.
Tips for reading OCR files:
Convert scanned docs into searchable PDFs
Extract text from images and scanned files
Edit OCR PDFs just like regular docs
Recommended Tool: Google Docs
Google Docs can help you turn scanned documents into editable files.
![Google Docs](https://framerusercontent.com/images/trTpjWXCgPLXJaPNuBcSvxW6iUw.png)
Using a PDF Reader with Built-In Chat Functionality
Real-time collaboration tools can increase productivity by 25% by reducing the time spent on back-and-forth emails or team chats.
Best practices for chatting with a PDF document:
Use a PDF tool with team chat functionality to discuss documents without switching between apps
Share documents in a link and chat about them instantly
Asking questions and getting instant responses helps you save time and make decisions faster
Recommended Tool: AskDocs AI
AskDocs AI allows you to upload PDFs and chat with an AI assistant to extract important info. It's like a personal assistant that helps you read and get answers from your documents faster.
![AskDocs](https://framerusercontent.com/images/ZsjmlsuIr7HID6mTw9AaiJrnQs.png)
Conclusion
Give these tools a try and make your remote work a little less hectic. When you are working remotely the goal is to be as efficient as possible. And we all know that more efficient time management means more time to relax and enjoy life outside of work!
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