Productivity tools are a must these days as the things which we need to do have increased. We live in a world full of distractions and with family and work related responsibilities, we barely have any time to do the things we really want. In my experience, one needs to draw a line between professional & personal as getting involved in personal activities at the workplace is not recommended as it takes away from productivity. It is crucial that you create a list of productivity tools that will help you improve your workplace productivity.
In this article, I have featured the best productive tools that are good for work.
LastPass
LastPass is a password management tool that allows you to create a master password and then stores all of your passwords in an encrypted database so you can log in to everything with ease.
As I’m sure you can relate, forgetting your password for an app you use every day is frustrating. It can take minutes, sometimes longer, to reset the password and continue on with your day. A massive productivity killer! LastPass solves that problem.
LastPass also allows you to generate strong passwords automatically, share passwords with team members without showing the details, and numerous other valuable security features.
Find out more about LastPass here.
Zapier
Zapier is an app connector. It enables you to automate workflows between the apps you use on a daily basis by creating workflows, so you can focus on other important tasks on your to-do list.
Always manually entering data into a Google Sheet from another source? Zapier can do it for you. And that’s just one very simple use-case. Zapier works with over 2,000 apps including Trello, Gmail, Slack, DocuSign, and many many more!
You can get started with a pre-designed workflow automation or you can create a new one yourself, it’s really simple to use. Zapier eliminates an enormous amount of “busy work” from your day.
Find out more about Zapier here.
FollowUpThen
FollowUpThen is a secret little productivity tool that could be a gamechanger for your sales team or anyone looking to build relationships over email.
It’s extremely simple to use. All you need to do is put one of their time-based emails in the BCC field, such as “3days@followupthen.com” and the app will do the rest for you. You’ll receive an automated email in 3 days’ time reminding you to follow up with that recipient. It really is the simplest way to schedule an email reminder.
The coolest thing about this tool? You don’t need to install anything in your inbox. Simply type one of their emails into that BCC field and they’ll prompt you with a follow up when the time is right.
Best multi-feature
Airtable
LEARN MOREInformation about Airtable has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the company prior to publication.
- CostFree for teams to get started. Plus plan is $12 per user/month, Pro plan is $20 per user/month (if billed annually)
- AvailabilityDesktop app on Mac and Windows and mobile app on iOS and Android
- Standout featuresAll-in-one project management, easy-to-build databases and spreadsheets, customer relationship management software
- Easy to start using?Airtable may be best for a dedicated office manager who can take the time to learn the features and implement
- Will it grow with my small business?Yes, Airtable can work for companies of almost any size
Pros
- Way more powerful than a traditional spreadsheet, you’re able to build a flexible database to connect your information (data, text, photos, videos, files, and more)
- Helpful templates to help customize work for different kinds of businesses
- Tons of tools for filtering and sorting information, useful for juggling multiple projects at once
Cons
- You’ll want to provide time to train your team on how to use it
- It can do so many things that jumping right in can feel overwhelming
Slack
Slack is positioned as an alternative to email for communicating with your team.
Basically, it’s an instant messaging application that you and your team can access from anywhere and at any time. It’s fast to deliver messages, well organized, and extremely user-friendly.
There is also a range of add-ons for Slack that allow you to share documents, make video calls, and integrate with the other apps you and your team use to get things done.
Find out more about Slack here.
Best value
Zoho Projects
LEARN MOREInformation about Zoho Projects has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the company prior to publication.
- CostFree for 3 users, Premium is $5 per user/month for unlimited users, Business is $10 per user/month (billed annually)
- AvailabilityWeb-based app as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android
- Standout featuresGreat in-app communication tools, chart-building, time-tracking tools, dashboards and task automation
- Easy to start using?Yes, it’s very beginner-friendly
- Will it grow with my small business?Yes, Zoho Projects can scale with your team
Pros
- Great for budget conscious companies that want a lot of bang of their buck
- Ability to create complex tasks and assign them to multiple users
- Ability to track billable and non-billable hours
Cons
- The free version is skimpy on the features
- Interface isn’t as beautiful or intuitive as its competitors
Trello
Trello is a project management tool that is built with an easy-to-understand and visually intuitive interface.
This tool helps you and your team collaborate, organize, and prioritize projects and the tasks that fall within them. You can assign jobs to team members, monitor their progress, add comments, create visual workflows, automate recurring tasks, and much more.
Find out more about Trello here.
Google Workspace
Google Workspace was formerly referred to as G Suite.
It’s the perfect hub for businesses to manage, share, collaborate, and secure files and documents.
Workspace brings together a range of tools that you are probably already using and integrates with other apps to significantly increase your team’s efficiency when working on projects.
With Google Workspace you’ll have access to Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Meet, and more.
Find out more about Google Workspace here.
Evernote
It may not make it onto everyone’s productivity tools list, but Evernote is the ultimate note-taking app for those that like to capture ideas on the run.
Rather than jotting down your ideas on a notepad, use the Evernote app and have access to those notes across multiple devices whenever you need them. Evernote also helps you tag your notes and find them quickly with a robust search functionality.
The cool features don’t stop there… With Evernote you can upload files, clip screenshots from the web, scan documents, and share everything with those that matter in your team.
Find out more about Evernote here.
Best for ease of use
Todoist
LEARN MOREInformation about Todoist has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the company prior to publication.
- CostFree plan works for up to 5 team members. Pro is $3 per user/month, Business is $5 per user/month
- AvailabilityCloud-based app that’s available on Android, iPhone, iPad, macOS, Windows, Android Wear, Apple Watch, browser extensions and the web
- Standout featuresCollaborative to-do lists and subtasks. Easy to work offline when you’re out of signal range. Great for personal checklists as well
- Easy to start using?Yes, it’s easy and delightful with great tutorials
- Will it grow with my small business?Yes, but fast-scaling businesses might want to try Asana
Pros
- Easy and intuitive to start creating personal and work tasks
- Interface feels especially friendly and beautiful
- Business tier has billing options that let you create and receive invoices
Cons
- The free version is light on features and only lets you get started with 5 users
- If your business is scaling fast, say, from 15 to 500 people, an app like Asana may be a better choice
RescueTime
RescueTime is an application that allows you to track your time, block distractions, and access reports so you can optimize your day. It’s all about focussing you (and your team’s) energy on the right things at the right time.
With this tool, you get a rating based on your daily productivity and how much time you’ve spent on important tasks, compared to time-wasting. In short, it gamifies the day-to-day productivity of your team!
Find out more about RescueTime here.
Host Your Email with Google Apps
It’s hard to imagine a world without email. (Though it sure is nice to imagine!) Many of us spend hours a day corresponding with customers, prospects, vendors, team members… you get the idea.
So, you need email that is fast, reliable, and affordable.
What we’ve seen many small business owners do is create a free Gmail account such as “greatsmallbiz@gmail.com.” While that certainly works, it lacks the professionalism of an email hosted at your own domain: “jesse@greatsmallbiz.com.”
It also makes it difficult to scale when you need to start hiring team members, evolve your systems, and grow beyond… well… you.
So, the next thing we see people do is simply host their email at their current web host.
In many cases that can be fine… until the spam.
We’ve heard so many stories of customers who sign up for the ‘free’ email offered by their web host only to stop checking it within a few months because they get so much spam.
Not only is spam annoying, but it can also pose a security risk to your website or business.
So we recommend the G Suite of Google Apps for business. With it, you get the simplicity and familiarity of Gmail- plus Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and a host of other great tools that can help make you, and your team, more productive. It also supports a wide range of integrations such as Yesware, Zapier, and some of the other tools we’ll describe in more detail below.
The combination of tools may, in fact, supplant your need to buy a license for Microsoft Office in addition to providing you easy to use, easy-to-search, scalable email.
It’s also affordable.
While there was a time when G Suite was available for free for a small number of users, that time has passed. Now, all companies have to pay for it. That said, their basic plans start at just $5/user/month and, in our opinion, is well worth the investment.
Conclusion
Productive Employees are the backbone of every organization. A productive employee can do wonders for an organization. No matter how big or small an organization is, productivity should always be given preference. Improving productivity in offices is crucial, and the best way to achieve this is with the help of some productivity tools that can increase office productivity.