From personal to-dos to team management, this list has it all. Check out this round-up of productivity tools to help you concentrate on your goals.
Best Productivity Apps for Students
Students already have a lot on their plate when it comes to academics. You need to keep track of your classes, homework assignments, and term papers. Not to mention, you need to manage extracurricular activities and attend social events to boot. Luckily, there are many essential apps you can use to keep you focused and organized at school.
Grammarly
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, iOS, Android Grammarly is a great tool to help you with any writing assignment. It’s an editing app that will help you write more concisely and coherently. You can directly type on the provided text box, or you can upload any document. From there, Grammarly will flag any grammatical errors or phrases you can revise. You can even toggle app settings for more refined editing. It will highlight things such as the overall tone of the text and more. What’s great about the app is that it’s compatible with many platforms. It is not only available on desktop apps, but is also browser-friendly. Grammarly syncs online and you can access it on any browser. Alternatively, you can also get its Chrome extension. This lets you check for grammar on any site — from emails to social media posts. The app is free to use but comes with a Premium subscription to give you more features.
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, iOS, Android, Kindle Fire If you’re an avid reader or just naturally curious, check Pocket out. The app saves any online articles you come across so you can read it later. It is free to use and available on multiple platforms. Pocket can sync with mobile devices as well, which is great for reading on your commute. With its sleek and minimal design, you can easily read long-form text without distractions. To use Pocket, all you need to do is copy the link of your article and paste it on the app. From there, you can create tags to group your articles. The app has extensive customization options. You can opt to change the paper, font type, and font size of the reader. All in all, it’s a great app for students who want to be more well-read. It’s also a great way to keep up with current events.
Microsoft OneNote
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, iOS, Android OneNote is Microsoft’s free-to-use note-taking app. It is one of the best productivity apps for note-taking. OneNote comes with a ton of cool features you can’t find on other apps. Aside from the standard typewritten notes, you can highlight or color-code any text. If you own a tablet, you can even handwrite your notes and draw on the pad. That way, you aren’t faced with blocks of text when you review your notes. OneNote lets you import media files into the app as well. For example, you can import voice recordings and PDF files. This is highly useful for annotating lectures, readings, and presentations. The sheer amount of features on the app can be quite intimidating. But when you get the hang of it, you can use OneNote for efficient and effective studying.
Google Keep
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC/macOS, Android, iOS Google Keep is a quick and simple notes app for the busy student. With a straightforward and intuitive interface, you can set reminders for tasks in a snap. You can access the app through your browser, and it syncs across any mobile device. The app lets you view your notes in a grid view, and color-code each note depending on its category. You can also refine the organization system with labels and tags. Despite the simplicity of the app, you can still get a lot out of it. Google Keep integrates with Google Assistant so you can save reminders on the go. You can also input various things within the note itself. You can easily set reminders for exams and homework, complete with date, time, and place.
Best Productivity Apps for Businesses & Team Management
When working with a team, it’s important to oversee what everyone is doing. When you’re all working toward the same goal, you need to make sure everyone is on the right track. This is especially important for remote work. Thanks to today’s technology, team communication is easier than ever. There are many apps that help you manage your team even when you aren’t in constant contact.
Trello
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS Designed as task cards, Trello uses a visual workflow to help manage team tasks. You can assign each column with a specific project. From there, you can add individual cards to work towards that project. You can drag the cards vertically to change the priority level of each task. Each individual can also create a personal workspace for their own to-do lists. Trello’s overall design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. It also syncs across all your devices for more cohesive planning. You can also use Trello with other apps such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or Slack. This power-up feature will let you add locations to cards and upload any files from your storage provider.
Slack
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS The Slack team management tool makes use of channels. You can create shared channels for teams and even have private DMs. Slack is largely a team communication app. But it does come with interesting features to motivate and keep the team on track. You can do things like pretend to be a celebrity, or set your own loading screen for the channel. It also includes useful features perfect for remote teams. For international teams, Slack will ask for confirmation before you send a message to people in different time zones. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds within the app, as well as integrating with Google Calendar to set countdown timers. It’s a great tool to keep work lighthearted and fun while remaining organized.
Asana
Available on: Chrome, Android, iOS Asana is a project management tool to help you manage workflow. It works great for remote teams. The app’s interface is visually appealing and organized. You have the option to view tasks in individual cards, list form, or calendar form. The free version has some great features to start with. However, going up a tier will be more beneficial for you. A Premium subscription will give you access to data to improve overall work productivity. You can create custom fields, access milestones, and view individual work progress. You can create tasks for your team. From there, you can assign them to other members, set deadlines, and track progress. Each taskbar comes with a thread where you can talk to team members. Asana will also let you upload any file the task needs, such as presentations or reports.
Microsoft Teams
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS Microsoft Teams is a video conferencing app integrated with Office 365. It’s a great app to use for team communication and organization. Microsoft Teams places your conversations into compartmentalized groups for easier access. Although there might be a bit of a learning curve, it’s worth the effort. The free version supports up to 300 team members. You also receive 10 GB of storage. Upgrading can be a bit pricey, but it’s worth investing in, especially if you run a business with many people. For an organized communication tool for remote work, Microsoft Teams is for you.
Best Productivity Apps for Tasks & Planning
When you’re faced with a lot of tasks, it can get overwhelming. To ease your mind, it’s best to write down a to-do list to keep track of everything. That way, you can free up your mind for the task at hand. Here are some of the best productivity apps to help you manage your tasks and plan out your day, week, or month.
Google Calendar
Available on: Chrome, Android, iOS Google Calendar is Google’s intuitive calendar app. Much like many of Google’s apps, the Calendar comes with great features. You can create and share calendars with other Google users. You can set event reminders, and place extensive details about the event. For example, you can set the date, place, and attendees. If your attendees are part of the Google Calendar, then they are notified as well. Google Calendar remains one of the best productivity apps in the market, with smart widgets, customization options, and more. It also integrates with other Google apps like Google Keep and Google Assistant. If you want the best app to use for planning ahead, then Google Calendar is worth checking out.
Momentum
Available on: Chrome The Momentum Chrome extension gives you a simple yet aesthetically pleasing home page. It will give you the time, date, and weather at a glance. What’s great about the extension is that it promotes focus and productivity. You can receive daily motivational quotes, and input a specific thing to focus on. It will remain on the homepage as a reminder of your goals. Momentum also has a small task list at the bottom. You can input as many as you like, and then tick the accomplished tasks once done. The extension has a simple yet effective interface. Thanks to this design, you will keep a level head and remain focused on any given task.
ToDoist
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS ToDoist is one of the best task apps on the market. With ToDoist, you can get things done in a flash. Designed for quick productivity, ToDoist comes with an intuitive interface. You can group your tasks into projects and even make lists collaborative. ToDoist also has other features you can use for remote work. The app comes with messaging capabilities for you and your team. You can access the app and your tasks on any device. ToDoist even works offline for seamless use. The app integrates well with other apps. On your mobile device, you can input tasks via a voice assistant. You can also update your workflow to match apps such as Zapier.
TickTick
Available on: Chrome, Android, iOS TickTick is a great app that makes sure you complete all of your tasks. It comes equipped with smart parsing to help you set time and date for each task with little effort. The app also comes with pop-up reminders so that you never miss a deadline. By far, it’s the most customizable to-do list app. You can input as many details about the task as you wish. You can even set the priority for each task, and segregate them depending on use. The free version already comes with many great features. But upgrading to a Premium subscription will take you even further. The Premium version comes with built-in Pomodoro timer and customizable widgets.
Best Productivity Apps for Time Management & Focus
With good time management, you can get things done in a snap. However, it can be hard to focus when you’re faced with a lot of distractions. A funny cat video or tweet is all it takes, and pretty soon you’ll realize that an hour has gone by. Practicing self-discipline isn’t always easy, which is why there are a few productivity apps to help you manage distractions. With these apps, you can be more goal-oriented and focused on your daily to-dos.
Serene
Available on: macOS Serene is one of the best productivity apps centered on focus. The founders of Serene specifically designed this app to block distractions and achieve goals. You can add a goal and set a session. From there, you can list down any sites you know you will distract you. When you try to go on these sites during the session, Serene won’t give you any access. In addition, the app also has a built-in music library. You can listen to any songs curated to calm and keep you focused. This would be a welcome change to the songs you can’t help but sing along to. It’s clear that this app was designed with productivity in mind.
ColdTurkey
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS ColdTurkey is another all-in-one time management app. It comes with two main features. You can either use ColdTurkey’s blocker or writer app. Its standard blocker app will help you block out distracting sites on your desktop. The app has extensive features to help you select which apps to block or whitelist. You can even block Google searches or specific pages on Facebook. ColdTurkey Writer works similarly. However, it is centered on blocking distractions keeping you from writing. The app will block any other computer program to keep you focused. You can set a word count or time limit for each session, only after which will it let you open other programs. All in all, the app is a great tool to keep you accountable for yourself.
FocusBooster
Available on: Chrome, Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS FocusBooster is a timer based on the Pomodoro technique. This technique breaks down your standard workflow into sets with break intervals. You can customize your work and break times, or use the standard Pomodoro time. The idea is to help you stay completely focused on work during work hours, so you can have free time to do what you want later. FocusBooster has a straightforward and intuitive design. It’s simple to use and syncs across multiple devices. It comes with other features such as the timesheet, where you can log your work hours. The app works great for self-employed workers and small business owners. It will even give you data to help you track your productivity. You can see what times you are the most productive to improve when and how you work.
Strict Workflow
Available on: Chrome Strict Workflow is another Pomodoro-based browser extension. It acts as both a timer and a blocker. You can input all the sites you know will distract you from work. Once you’ve added the items to the list, you won’t be able to open them from your browser. You can customize the time period you want to set the blockers. The app works perfectly for time-based projects that require hard focus. The extension design is quite simple, with your standard features. What makes it unique is the extension icon appearing next to your address bar. When you click the tomato icon, it will turn red to indicate the start of the session. As the break time approaches, the tomato will turn green. Then, you click it again to start another session.
Best Productivity Apps for Organization
Staying organized will save you a lot of time. With all of your files and information in one place, your workflow is easier. This also means you spend less time stressing about what could go wrong. Here are some of the best productivity apps you can use to keep everything organized, from important files to tabs and passwords.
Google Drive
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome Google Drive is a cloud storage provider from Google Suite. This file management app will store all of your important documents on the cloud for easy access. You can get 15 GB of space just from the free version. This allows you to sync data from any Google app, like Gmail or Google Photos. Google Drive’s upload and download speeds are very fast. This is perfect for downloading any files for offline viewing. You can open any file from your Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets app within the Drive. The built-in preview feature will let you view these files even without downloading the respective Suite. The app even lets you share files with other users. All in all, Google Drive has everything you could hope for in a file management app.
Dropbox
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome Dropbox is a heavy-duty cloud storage provider. You can upload and manage any large file on the Dropbox app. This is ideal for backing up files from your laptops or mobile devices. With high security in place, all of your Dropbox files will be kept safe and secure. You can even create shared folders with other users for easy collaboration. Creators of Dropbox have optimized the app for fast upload and download speed. Not to mention, the storage capacity is unparalleled. For a Dropbox Plus subscription, you can get up to 1 TB of storage on the app. You probably wouldn’t need a hard drive anymore. If you want secure storage with large space, then this is worth checking out.
OneTab
Available on: Chrome Time and time again, we end up with a hundred tabs open on our browser. But we can never figure out where the music is coming from. Well, those days are over. With OneTab, you’ll never have to go through every opened tab ever again. As its name suggests, OneTab will help you organize your browser tabs all in one tab. The extension has a no-frills approach. Its minimalist and straightforward design will help you stay focused on the tasks at hand. You can even group and name a batch of tabs for easy access. The app will give you important details such as how many tabs there are in a group. OneTab will give you a few other customization options. You can share your list of tabs as a web page. You can also lock the tabs in place so it doesn’t disappear once you’ve opened it. If you do a lot of research, or just manage to get sucked into a Wikipedia rabbit hole, this is for you. With all of your tabs in one place, you can manage projects with ease.
LastPass
Available on: Windows PC, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome Often due to our busy schedules, we barely have time to remember passwords. As a result, we tend to go for different variations of the same one. But that could prove to be unsafe in a number of ways. It just means that if hackers can open one account, they can open all of them. With LastPass, you can generate certified unhackable passwords. LastPass also acts as a vault to keep all of these passwords safe. With a password manager, you can store all of your sensitive information in one place. That way, you’ll only need to remember one password — the password to the app. Not to mention, its auto-fill feature will help you log-in to any saved site or app quickly. LastPass comes equipped with strong encryption, so you will never have to worry.
