WordPress is a wonderful CMS platform that can help you easily build a high performance website, chock full with features, even if you are not an expert developer. Over the years, the platform has grown and improved, introducing new features and fixing existing bugs. The newest version of WordPress is 5.4, and it has brought with it some considerable changes that affect both the UI and the functionality of the platform. Most of the major changes were made to the Block Editor, but there are also some interesting improvements to the REST API and the Site Health Tool. On top of that, WordPress is planning to release a couple of extra features, such as the Navigation block and Native Lazy Loading on images, that will be bundled into the Core of the platform with WordPress 5.5. When it comes to the Block Editor, a significant number of features from the Gutenberg plugin have been integrated into the Core. For a quick overview of the new features added to the 5.4
Block Editor, we have:
● A new Buttons Block
● A new Social Icons Block
● Welcome Guide Modal
● The Fullscreen Mode is now enabled by default
● Rich Text Blocks now support Inline Text Color
● Several blocks have new color options
● The Latest Posts Block now has Featured Images
● Improved Block Navigation due to the new Breadcrumb Bar
Developers that like to delve a bit deeper into the code of the platform also got some love with this new update. These changes include new hooks that allow you to add custom fields to menu items, improved favicon handling, and shortcodes for PHP scripts. A Site Health status widget is also now part of the dashboard, which allows developers to more easily check the performance, security and health of their site.

Many people are experiencing the joys (and pains) of remote work for the first time due to the COVID-19, and if you are not used to it, it can be hard to transition to this new mode of work and find the motivation needed to be productive. For all its faults, the office provides a setting where you are held accountable, and being productive comes easily. However, with the right approach, you can have the best of both worlds. The trick here is to find
the right triggers for your brain which signal the start of the work day. When working in the office, you had your morning routine consisting of showering, getting dressed, having breakfast and coffee, and the commute. Your workday at home can be similar (without the commute obviously), and if you can have a designated workspace at well, that’s even better. You then have two other tools at your disposal – lists and scheduling. To-do lists help you stay
motivated, organized and productive throughout your day, and your list should be populated with both long-term and short-term goals. You will notice that as you check off things from your to-do list, especially if you start with the smaller tasks, you build momentum and extra motivation needed for those larger, harder tasks. When combined with scheduling, you will hold yourself more accountable to your to-do list. Of course, the first few tries at scheduling may not work out 100%, but as you learn more about your rhythm, you will become much better at it. Over time, you will learn which activities are best at the start of your day, and when to take breaks. Naturally, as you establish your routine, your effectiveness and productivity will grow, and you might soon find that you want to work remotely even after the lockdowns are lifted.