Top 10 Productivity Apps
These days, the demands on our time are more stringent than ever. There are so many things that so many of us absolutely must do, and this means that we have to wring as much productivity out of every day as possible. Keeping track of our lives can be hard but thankfully, the rise in apps for laptops, smartphones and smartwatches has made this fight much easier. Here's a look at ten of the best productivity apps. These smartphone productivity apps have the potential to save you a ton of time and make your life much easier.
ToDoIst
Trello
Doodle
Pocket
Zapier
Evernote
IFTTT
Lucidchart
Rev
RescueTime
ToDoIst - A Fantastic To-Do List
ToDoIst is a fantastic to do list that comes with a variety of functions. This includes the ability to create tasks, sort them, schedule them, and add them to certain projects. Furthermore, you can label and filter tasks by a variety of controls that users set, enabling people who struggle to keep track of their various tasks a chance to stay easily organized.
Like many of the apps on this list, this app comes with both web-based and mobile support. There are free and paid versions, with premium options allowing more customization, backups, and the opportunity to add files.
Best of all, the app is constantly upgraded, and use on an Apple Watch is a breeze.
Trello - Project Management for Teams
Project management apps have become all the rage lately, and with good reason, as they can make coordinating huge projects across a wide array of actors a breeze. Trello serves as an ideal app for these purposes, allowing for projects to be assigned, updated, created, and more. It serves as a perfect central hub for these tasks and allows users to join and operate multiple teams across a variety of work settings. The app also brags some more advanced functions that don't often come with project management software, including automated workflow and commands that can be changed based on due-dates.
The app is free to use but includes additional features available for users who pay. It also comes with free Apple Watch integration.
Doodle - Group Scheduling
Odds are good that you've gotten a Doodle poll at some point in your life. The website and app can be utilized for one of the most vexing business needs: Scheduling large group meetings. What is best about this app is its convenience. With a few clicks of a button, you can set up a group meeting that can allow you to easily select the best time for a variety of potential meeting participants. The app also comes with a variety of great features, including easy syncing with your calendar, free account creation, and more. You don't even have to download the app or create an account to easily use this one.
Pocket - Reading and Research
Pocket makes saving articles, websites, and more a breeze. It is an extension and an app. Let's say you find a great article you want to read or a website you want to browse. Now, instead of taking a screenshot or Emailing yourself a URL, you can just click a button and boom. The information goes into your digital "pocket," where you can save it and read it later. You can save articles from everywhere: Social media, YouTube, the general internet, and more.
This app is free to use but does come with paid options, including ad-free viewing and unlimited save times.
Zapier - Coordinating Apps
Zapier may sound like an advanced programming app, but the truth is much more simple. With Zapier, you can customize your workflow between apps, programs, websites and more. This is unfortunately necessary, as all of us use so many different apps that it can be difficult to keep track of what information goes where. With Zapier, you can create a "zap" that automates the flow of information, moving things from one app to another.
Evernote - Notes and More
Evernote has been around for years and is a mainstay of the production world. In its most basic form, it allows you to create text documents and notes that can be accessed from anywhere including the app, your smartwatch, or your computer. Of course, it does so much more than that. You can use it to create lists that can then be accessed by others. You can also clip articles, pictures, videos, and websites for later use. All of these services are free, but their premium services also have unlocked a wide array of features.
IFTTT - Automation
IFTTT is another automation app. Like Zapier, it allows you to sync up a huge array of apps, websites, and pieces of information. However, what makes IFTTT different is that it is outward-facing. You can take all of the websites and apps that IFTTT uses - currently over 650, with more being added on a regular basis - and integrate those apps into yours. This makes it easy to take information on YouTube and Twitter and put it on your app or social media profiles. As such, IFTTT can save you a ton of time and make integration and automation a breeze.
Lucidchart - Amazing Graphics & Diagrams
Lucidchart is one of the sharper and more graphically-friendly apps on this list. It allows you to create exceptionally sharp and professional-looking graphs, flow charts, and designs. These can be used for a variety of services, including presentations, managing workflow, and more. Furthermore, each aspect of a Lucidchart you create can be managed and customized, meaning you can manipulate the app to cover whatever services you need.
Rev - Transcription Services
Most of us have been there at some point: we need to transcribe an important meeting or hearing, but don't want to pay a small fortune for the use of a professional transcriber's services. Thankfully, there's an app for that. Rev allows you to upload audio files straight from your phone or website. From there, it will transcribe, caption, or add foreign subtitles to your audio file. It's not free, of course, but the price is extremely inexpensive (just $1.25 per minute for transcriptions or captions), and most users have complimented the apps' accuracy.
RescueTime - Be More Efficient on the Internet
Ironically, all of these Apps can suck up your productivity, and that's where RescueTime can be helpful. As the name implies, RescueTime will track the amount of time you spend doing "other" tasks. You can use the app to set up a variety of features, including tracking, categorization, and even automatic app blocking. All of this makes RescueTime the ultimate productivity app - it stops you from not being productive!
Of course, different people will need different types of apps. However, the above list of smartphone productivity apps is a great starting point when it comes to finding the best productivity apps. Check out our phone accessories, to help lengthen the life of your devices.
