Everyone is constantly striving to be more productive. We are all trying to get more done at home and work while working less. However, in this age of remote working, with distractions in the personal and the digital space, staying productive can be a tall order. It can take more than individual efforts to remain productive. That's why it makes sense to take the help of productivity tools.
Wondering which productivity tools to use? We’ve got you covered.
This blog highlights the top 25 productivity tools and how implementing them can give you more time in 2024 to work towards getting your PMP certification.
What Are Productivity Tools?
Productivity is a measure of how efficient you are at what you do. Productivity tools are software designed to simplify tasks, streamline workflow and often include features that allow you to access documents quickly, create charts and graphs to visualize project planning, progress, etc., and collaborate with other people.
How Increased Productivity Can Improve Your Life
It's no secret that productivity is vital for career success and personal happiness. Productive people are prized assets in the professional world, while productivity brings satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment to an individual.
But, productivity is a hard-to-achieve commodity. Why? Because the human brain is wired for distraction. Our minds wander easily, and our attention span is shorter than ever.
Then, how can we keep our attention focused so we can do more with less time? How can we accomplish harder, more important tasks while still having time to do other things we enjoy?
25 of the Best Productivity Tools You Can Use
1. ProofHub
It is a comprehensive project management and task management tool that helps keep things organized, enhances accountability, and facilitates efficient communication. Using ProofHub, you can delegate tasks to specific people, organize workflow by uploading documents and files, and check the time spent at every step of a project.
2. nTask
It is challenging to remain productive while working on big projects where you have to keep track of every detail. With productivity tools like nTask, you can stay on top of every aspect of a project without losing time and hindering productivity. nTask is great for team collaboration, making to-do lists, and integrating time tracking tools with employee worksheets, among other things.
3. Infinity
Keep your team in sync and on the same page with Infinity which increases daily productivity. Some of its key benefits include better team collaboration, more efficient task management, and time tracking with Clockify.
4. GanttPro
This online Gantt chart software will make sure you can keep track of the work of all team members. Its key features include task management, deadline management, export and sharing files through public URLs, etc.
5. Calendar
The AI-enabled calendar observes your schedule and performs bookings, organizing and updating events and meetings based on your calendar. It integrates several digital calendars like Google Calendar and Outlook. You can even share your calendar with others on your team.
6. HubSpot's Marketing Hub
One of the finest team collaboration tools, HubSpot's Marketing Hub is the best software to launch, manage and sustain your promotional strategies and campaigns. The key features of this tool include a contact database, easy contact management, and the ability to sync data across marketing, customer service, and sales teams.
7. Slack
Slack is a popular team collaboration software to unite all team communications. Besides its much-loved chat and team communication features, it also allows you to track documents, share files and updates, and set reminders for tasks and meetings. It fits in with everyday apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.
8. Shift
This desktop app is designed to streamline your accounts, apps, and workflows. Switching between multiple accounts has never been easier.
Two of its best features are unified search across multiple Google accounts and cross-platform support.
9. Free
It is a flexible messenger that can be integrated with email and used to share and store files easily.
10. Chanty
This fast and straightforward team chat app can help boost communication between teams. Its key features include built-in task management, the ability to make audio/video calls, and voice messages within the app.
11. Bit.ai
This document management and collaboration tool is the best option for collaborating with teams, sharing, tracking, and managing files and documents in one place.
12. Google Docs
It is a famous document storage and task management software that allows users to create, access, edit, and collaborate from wherever they are, using their phone, tablet, or computer even when there's no connection.
13. Skype
One of the most popular software for communication over video calls, Skype has incorporated a ton of new features to help you stay connected.
14. Zoom
Zoom is a widely used tool that provides cloud-based remote conferencing services. As many as 500 people can participate in Zoom meetings.
15. GoToMeeting
This online video conferencing tool allows online meetings to be turned into conference calls, schedule meetings, and share screens.
16. Toggl
Toggle is a time-saver app that's extremely easy to use and can integrate several other tools to increase functionality. Two of its best features are the instant overview of time and team growth and offline time tracking.
17. Harvest
It is a time tracking software that allows you to track your time on any given task from the web, your phone, or any other application.
18. Paymo
A productivity tool that takes care of planning, scheduling, task management, time tracking, and invoicing, Paymo is ideal for getting an overview of team performance.
19. Everhour
This intuitive time tracking software enables teams to reach their goals faster. It helps to stick to project estimates, ensuring that you are with your work all the time.
20. Hubstaff
It is a time tracking software that can run on your desktop or as a mobile app. Once the time is tracked, users get options for invoicing clients, paying employees, checking in-depth reporting, etc.
21. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is the app for you if you want to know where your team is spending their time, even while working remotely. This comprehensive time tracking and productivity tool is designed especially for remote teams.
22. Evernote
A note-making app to enable you to remember everything, Evernote is the perfect solution to stay organized and get more done. Collect, organize and share notes from everywhere, so things are more accessible.
23. Microsoft OneNote
This digital note-taking app is designed to work on any device or platform like laptops or smartphones and can be used to type, write, and draw with a pen-to-paper feel. Handy for taking impromptu notes, Microsoft OneNote features real-time collaboration and audio/video recording.
24. Simplenote
As its name suggests, Simplenote simplifies note-taking, helping you keep your notes light, clean and accessible. There is no need to waste time while locating files; just type your search item, and your list instantly updates. The notes are backed up. You only need to use the version slider to switch between versions.
25. Box Notes
An online note-taking app, Box Notes, allows real-time collaboration so you can share ideas with coworkers or share notes with others without having to worry about security. The live editing feature allows real-time collaboration.
Final Thoughts
As you can see these productivity tools bring a lot to the table. They can optimize your work process by automating routine tasks, spread your efforts between tasks efficiently, enable you to make the most of your time, and keep your productivity at peak. They make it easier to plan your way through a project, help you ward off distractions and stay on track with your tasks.
However, these tools are nothing without the skills behind them. They can improve productivity, but they can't do it alone. Therefore, if you struggle with managing your projects or fall behind tasks, it’s worth learning the project management and putting into practice various techniques involved in successfully driving a project from start to finish. Courses like Simplilearn’s Post Graduate Program in Project Management or PMP® Certification Training Course can help you master key project management concepts and best practices, while also giving you an in-depth knowledge of using various relevant tools such as productivity tools.
