October 28, 2019
6 Productivity Apps & Tools to Improve Your Performance at Work
Whether it’s tracking hours on timesheets or removing the ping pong table from the office, businesses are always looking for ways to get the most out of their employees.
Here at Collude, we don’t like the idea of stopping office ping pong tournaments or wasting valuable time tracking hours. Technology has made it easier than ever to keep your employees smiling while improving productivity at work to an all-time high.
Here are six ways digital tools can make you and your business more productive, and a selection of our favourite productivity apps.
1. Take better notes
While old-fashioned pen to paper note-taking works, businesses can increase overall productivity using digital alternatives.
Taking notes is a vital day-to-day activity for all businesses. Notes must be detailed, easy to share, and well organised, so they don’t get lost in filing cabinets or ‘accidentally’ remodeled into paper airplanes.
We love using Evernote to keep our notes in one place. Their software is simple to use, looks great, and the search function is handy for revisiting important conversations from months ago.
2. Don’t miss a thing
Many of us couldn’t survive without our calendars. It tells us where to be, who to meet, when to be there and most importantly, it stops us from forgetting our coworkers’ birthdays.
However, mistakes happen and productivity falls when employees use different scheduling software which doesn’t sync. Events start to clash, important meetings are missed, and Sophie from accounting is left empty-handed on her big day.
Our secret to staying on top of important events and meetings is Calendly or CatchApp Meeting. These simple web tool allows you to arrange meetings without the fuss. Simply select the times you’re available, send people a link and they can choose a time that works for both of you.
3. Stay on top of invoices
Writing and sending invoices can be a pain. It’s a big responsibility, time-consuming and it’s not particularly exciting.
Luckily, we’ve found loads of handy digital tools which take the weight off your shoulders and make it easier to get paid for your hard-earned work.
Harvest is an absolute lifesaver. This sleek time tracking software is perfect for keeping a record of your hours for individual projects, snapping photos of expense receipts and creating professional-looking invoices.
If you want an even simpler accounting tool, QuickBooks connects with your business bank account for automatic transfers between you and your clients/customers.
4. Avoid procrastination
Procrastination can lead to some of our best ideas, but too much of it and productivity falls.
“My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” – Charles Dickens
Everyone finds themselves procrastinating from time to time and unfortunately, the most common distraction is staring us in the face — our computer screens.
Luckily, the tech boffins of this world have developed a bunch of clever apps which limit screen-time and keep us focused on the task at hand.
Freedom is a simple website blocker for Mac or Windows. Ban yourself from distracting sites and apps, so you don’t find yourself checking the tennis score or browsing holiday pics on Facebook.
It’s important to understand the difference between thinking and procrastinating.
It’s ok to let your mind wander, as long as you can channel your thoughts into useful ideas. Mindly is an exciting tool which helps organise your thoughts or “inner universe” into clear plans. Turn your procrastination into something amazing.
5. Manage your time
Your time is precious, so make sure you’re using it well. The Internet is home to an entire toolbox of handy apps and plug-ins to help manage your time and increase productivity at work.
If your company wants to move away from traditional timesheets, Everhour offers an interesting alternative that we think you’ll love.
Everhour is a time tracking software which integrates with project management systems — making it easy to manage remote teams and make sure everyone gets paid correctly.
Another option which is widely used and has 50+ pre-built integrations available is Clockify. A free time tracking solution used by a wide community of businesses.
Time tracking apps may sound a bit creepy, but they save a huge amount of time and increases productivity by creating an accurate record of how you’re using your time.
6. Remote project management
It’s no secret that strong teamwork is essential for productivity. If a team has a weak link, everyone suffers. A well-oiled company will have strong communication lines, clear targets, and systems that allow all employees to be heard.
Nowadays, many project managers need to collaborate with people from all over the globe. Remote management can make it much harder to keep an eye on progress and offer support to team members.
Thankfully, digital tools come to the rescue once again.
Smart software such as Trello and Asana provide exciting ways to manage remote teams, set tasks, and track progress. We love using Trello to plan project timelines and Asana to share work and client briefs with coworkers.