We’re going to list some of the best productivity uses for the Elgato Stream Deck.
1. Control Video Calls
Nowadays, many meetings happen virtually through the likes of Microsoft Teams and Zoom. You can use your Elgato Stream Deck to control things in the meeting so that you can focus on what’s being said, rather than scrambling through the on-screen menus.
For example, you can set up Stream Deck keys to toggle audio devices (check out the Audio Switcher plugin), mute your microphone, hide your webcam, leave calls, and more. Those on the call won’t see your eyes moving around the screen to carry out these commands—a simple button press on the Stream Deck and the job is done.
2. Track Your Time
It can be really useful to keep track of how much time you spend on things. It’s especially useful for freelancers and businesses, but it has application in personal life too.
You can use a Stream Deck to make tracking your time a breeze. You don’t need to fiddle around opening programs or apps, finding the right menu to start the tracker. Instead, you simply push a button when you want to start tracking and push it again when you’re done.
You can use the Toggl plugin for this, which integrates with the Toggl tracking service. You can assign different keys to different projects within Toggl, ensuring you keep everything in order.
3. Open All Your Daily Programs
At the start of every day, do you open the same programs? Your internet browser, email, messenger, and so on?
If so, you can use a Multi Action chain on your Stream Deck in conjunction with the Open command. Rather than clicking each program in turn to open it, you simply push the button on your Stream Deck. Easy.
4. Output Commonly Used Phrases
It’s tedious to constantly type out the same things. Those in customer service jobs will especially understand this. That’s why you should use the Stream Deck to quickly output commonly used phrases.
You can use the Text command to speed this up and save your fingers. You don’t need to remember confusing keyboard macro shortcuts.
5. Set Your Slack Status
If you use Slack for business communication, consider the control-deck-slack plugin.
This plugin lets you do two things:
Toggle your Slack status, so your colleagues know whether you’re available. Add someone’s picture as a Stream Deck button, which displays their online status and opens a DM when pushed.
You’ll be surprised at how much time this saves. If you’re stepping away from your desk, you don’t need to navigate away from what you’re doing; just push the button and your Slack status updates.
6. Start a Timer
Whether you need to remind yourself when to take a break, or you’re following the Pomodoro method, there are plenty of reasons why you might need to start a timer.
Whatever the case, let the Stream Deck handle it for you. You can set up timers of varying durations and play a sound when time is up.
7. Get Calendar Reminders
If your life is overrun with meetings, it can be tricky to keep track of them all. That’s where the iCal plugin comes in.
This not only displays your next meetings, but also colors the icon depending on how far away it is. It does the same for meetings you’re in, so you can count down the minutes until you can finally get off that call.
8. Resize Your Windows
If your screen is constantly full of endless windows, it can be hard to keep track of everything and maintain some organization. The Windows Mover & Resizer plugin can help with this.
You can quickly minimize and maximize windows, change their size, and switch which screen they’re on.
If you like this plugin, check out the same developer’s Win Tools plugin. This is packed full of features like controlling volume, changing power plans, cycling folders, starting Windows services, and more. If you weren’t a productivity master beforehand, you certainly will be after using this.
9. Have Some Fun
It’s just as important to take a break and have some fun as it is to remain productive. You can’t do the latter without the former.
The Stream Deck can help you with that, using these plugins:
Dice: Roll a die or a number inside a range of your choosing. Magic Eight Ball: Ask any question and get a mysterious answer. Memory Game: Test your little gray cells with this fun memory challenge. Reaction Deck: See how speedy your reactions are. Stream Deck Games: Includes Snake, Tic-Tac-Toe, Minesweeper, Breakout, and more.
10. Anything You Can Imagine
Really, the sky is the limit. If you have programming skills, you can create anything you want and turn it into a button on the Stream Deck.
You can also use programs like AutoHotkey to help with this, for more user-friendly and simpler automation tricks. Check our guide on cool AutoHotkey scripts if you need some inspiration.
Also, browse the Elgato Plugins directory and see what takes your fancy. You can get plugins to display your unread email count, control music, get the latest stock price, control PowerPoint presentations, and much more.
Get a Stream Deck and Improve Your Productivity
Whether you want to speed up repetitive tasks, get reminders, or just have a bit of fun, the Elgato Stream Deck is a perfect piece of kit to improve your productivity. As you’ve seen, it’s not just for streaming.
If you’re thinking of buying a Stream Deck, you should research the different models. There’s even a mobile app that you could try out before purchase.
