Is there a way that I can increase the speed of uploading things from my laptop? I know that there is sometimes software that increases download speeds but I don't know if there's an equivalent that helps make uploading faster.
In a word .. No.
That is a constraint of an individual's ISP service. There are some that improve the upload ratio .. not many. Faster/better bandwidth service would be better. Check your ISP's specs.
Download and run NameBench and it will tell you if you are using the fastest DNS server and if you aren't it will recommend the one you should use This should improve your uplaoad and download speeds if you are not using the fastest one.You can change the server settings of your network adapter . What OS are using ?