When it comes to productivity, there seem to be two main barriers: not being properly organized and getting distracted.
Productivity apps that aim to help you tackle a to-do list tend to fall into one category or the other. You probably know yourself well enough to know which category will be of most help to you. Do you struggle to stay focused, or do you struggle to get the most important task done first?
Either way, these productivity apps can help you work smarter, stay focused, and get your work done in a reasonable amount of time!
Organizational Apps
You have all the focus in the world… but what to work on gives you trouble. Have no fear! There’s an app for that.
Todoist is a straightforward (and free!) organizational app with useful bells and whistles. It helps you organize your tasks, set due dates, and track your progress. Todoist isn’t only helpful for work, but also your personal and creative goals. Todoist boasts an array of templates from meal planning to fitness goals to writing a book! Check out their list of free templates to see if anything catches your eye. If you don’t know where to start, let Todoist help you.
Do you have trouble keeping track of your deadlines? Have you ever totally forgotten a due date and had to stay up all night finishing a project? Do you live in fear of mismanaging or forgetting something important? If so, Due is for you. Due might seem like overkill to some, but for those who juggle multiple deadlines all at once or may not have the best memory for dates, it can be a game-changer! After you enter your due dates into the app, you decide how many reminders you want to receive. Then the app will pester you at your desired frequency until you’ve marked a task as complete. It also comes with many countdown timers that can help you visualize the time remaining on multiple tasks at once.
Distraction-Blocking Apps
Does every notification that flashes across your phone screen suck you into twenty minutes of scrolling?
Forest is a productivity app that harnesses the same feeling of reward that you get from winning a game or finishing a crossword puzzle. Forest is a simple premise with a big result. When you’re ready to start working on a task, you set a timer, “plant a seed,” and as you inch toward your time goal, the tree grows. If you exit out of the app in the middle of your timer, the tree dies. As you successfully grow your time trees to maturity, they become part of a forest, so you can visualize your time well spent. Even better, the app partners with a real life tree planting organization, so your virtual trees can become real trees, as well! Look at your hard work paying off for the environment. Forest is not free, but it will only set you back $1.99.
If the image of a little tree sprouting into a forest isn’t strong enough to keep you off of social media, you may have to take more drastic measures. Apps like Freedom allow you to block certain other apps or websites during predetermined hours. If you need the strongest possible deterrent, you can even block your internet access. Take that, algorithm!
Team Apps
Sometimes there’s a lot to get done, but you aren’t the only person responsible for the work. These apps help divide tasks in a clear way so there is no confusion about who is supposed to do what and by when.
Trello makes collaboration a breeze by helping teams delegate tasks and visualize a work plan. Trello has dozens of pre-made templates for various projects and allows you to customize your projects as well. There are even special features for managing a team of remote workers versus those who see each other regularly. You can start for free, but pricing depends on the size of the team.
Hive provides “simple workflows for complex processes.” By creating a centralized platform to house multiple projects, Hive helps project managers visualize complex timelines, assign tasks, automate workflows, and create analytics reports, all in one place! Hive is free for individuals and offers a free trial for teams. After a free trial, Hive’s pricing depends on the number of users.