Manage your schedule and daily tasks better with these organisation apps that will help you work smarter.
‘Being productive’ can mean different things to different people. Depending on your job scope or goals, you may be looking for ways to manage your team better, minimise distraction, or to delegate tasks more efficiently. While everyone may have different goals, the process to being productive is the same — you need to be more focused and organised and less distracted. Ready for a little productivity boost? Here’s six of our favourite productivity apps to help you get the most out of your work day.
Personal productivity
Evernote
This one’s an oldie but still a goldie. Evernote has stood the test of time and still remains one of the most highly rated note-taking apps. It’s a notebook that’s for more than just notes — you can share with other users, record audio, scan documents, take photos, upload PDFs, and sketch digitally. One of its most raved about features is its image search function which can come in especially handy if you prefer to snap pictures instead of typing out your notes. The app also allows you to sync effortlessly between devices making it easier to take your notes with you from desktop to mobile whenever you’re on-the-go (so you won’t have to put that thought on hold).
RescueTime
Ever experienced a work day that just flew by leaving you with no clue as to how much time you spent doing various tasks? RescueTime is an app that helps you gain insight into your computer habits. It tracks all the apps and websites that you use and visit (and how long you spend on each) and gives them productivity ratings from ‘very productive’ to ‘very distracting’. It also categorises them into various types like scheduling, communication, social networking, and entertainment. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll see in your weekly report — use this insight to help you set better goals and habits.
Great for collaboration
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a powerful addition to help you stay in touch with your team (especially useful if you’re working remotely). It’s a business communication app that integrates seamlessly with any Microsoft Office app so setting it up will be a breeze if you’re already using Microsoft products. You can use Teams for things like audio and video conferences, instant messaging, and to share files. You can even use Teams to work on documents simultaneously with your team using Office apps like Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
Trello
Imagine your team’s whiteboard in an easy-to-use digital format — with one glance, you’ll be able to visualise all on-going projects, check due dates, and know exactly who’s doing what. It’s a very flexible and customisable kanban-style app to help you organise, coordinate, track and manage work processes. You can assign tasks to groups or specific team members where they will be able to see all vital information such as notes and deadlines. You can also download the app on mobile and desktop so you can take your work with you anywhere.
When you need a break
Simple Habit
They say a relaxed and rejuvenated mind can help you reset your focus and awareness. Even if you only have five minutes to relax and meditate in between meetings, it’s really all you need to help with stress relief. Simple Habit has wellness and sleep therapy sessions that offer guided mindfulness and meditation, and daily motivations. This is great if you feel the need to unplug and take a breather so you can come back refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the work day.
Calm
Calm is another app that has consistently been rated top in the meditation category. With an overall goal to improve general health and happiness, the app has an impressive catalogue of guided meditations to help you enhance focus, reduce stress or anxiety, work on self improvement, or get better quality sleep. If you’ve been stressing on an upcoming pitch meeting, Calm can help you unwind and re-channel your energy with one of its quick meditation sessions.