Productivity apps are becoming an increasingly important way to organize our lives. The best apps should save time or steps for frequent tasks, sync with most (if not all) of your devices, and should be usable every day or multiple times a week.
Here are six apps that might fit your needs:
1) Evernote is like an electronic notebook. Take notes in the form of text, audio, video, web clippings, and so on, and it will be organized and searchable. Google has come up with something similar in its new app “Keep,” but it is not cross-platform. Evernote is still the best cross-platform app for information gathering.
2) Dropbox is an essential for online backup storage and paperless communication. Simply drop your file in Dropbox and make it available to certain users. Access files on your iPad, for example, update, and make changes, and the same file in your Dropbox folder on your home computer gets updated. The Dropbox application is available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux desktop operating systems. There are also apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry devices.
3) RescueTime sits in the background on your computer and tells you how you are spending your time. It aims to be the least intrusive time-tracker available. Rather than logging in a journal-style system, RescueTime monitors the web sites visited and the applications used. You can set goals based on a variety of factors, like how much time to spend doing certain tasks or how much time to dedicate to certain projects. RescueTime analyzes your computer usage and reports back to you on whether or not you’re meeting those goals.
4) Speek simplifies the online conference platform. It gives users a personal or business link rather than a traditional phone number and PIN to connect conference calls. Click the link to start or join a call from a phone, the web, mobile browser, and more. During the call enjoy the frictionless experience telling you who has dialed in and who is talking. It also allows for sharing files, viewing social profiles, and using call controls.
5) HootSuite is social media “dashboard” enabling users to monitor and post to all networks at the same time. If you use a variety of social media platforms, this is a huge timesaver. When you’ve written or read something you want to share on your networks, let everyone know with a single entry, rather than logging on to each network separately. Use it to manage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ accounts, as well as with Tumblr, WordPress, and Foursquare.
6) WorkFlowy is deceptively simple, browser-based tool claims to “organize your brain,” and resembles a very large single sheet of paper. Get started by making a list or taking some notes. Then, keep going to discover the powerful functionality that lets you zoom in to focus on specific projects, and zoom out to get a full picture. Customize WorkFlowy by using it day-in and day-out. Items can also be shared to collaborate. It makes a list of high level ideas and tasks and then breaks them into smaller pieces.
Let us know if any of these applications work for you, and if there are others we should explore!
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