Working remotely has some serious perks, but it’s not without its drawbacks, as well. While it can be nice to work when and where you want without any set hours, it can also sap you of your productivity if you’re prone to distraction.
In fact, employees self report that they spend over 2 hours per day procrastinating, or otherwise ignoring important tasks. Even more alarming, it appears the procrastination problem is getting worse.
Fortunately, there are some great productivity tools you can make use of on the road that will help you stay on task and be more productive while you’re out of the office. Today, we’ll cover five productivity apps you can’t miss.
#1 Toggl
One can’t miss productivity tool you’ll want to add to your arsenal is Toggl. With Toggl, time tracking becomes infinitely easier.
Not only does Toggl track the time you spend working, but it also breaks down where you’re spending that time as well with their helpful browser extensions. These extensions integrate with more than 80 different popular business applications, and you’ll be able to see how much time you’re spending and on what programs you’re spending it on.
Toggl’s free service is a helpful productivity tool, but their paid service is infinitely more useful and provides much more in-depth productivity reporting. If you travel for work and are looking to learn how to become more productive, the paid tools, they offer become well worth the investment.
#2 Evernote
The folks behind Evernote realize that the best productivity tools allow you to work on your terms, and are agile enough to allow you to capture your ideas in real time.
Nothing is more frustrating than having a great new idea for a new or existing project and forgetting it before you’re able to jot it down.
With Evernote, you’re able to document all of your notes, ideas, drawings, and more in one central location that’s highly searchable. When it’s time for you to revisit that idea, just search for it within Evernote and everything relevant to that idea or project will be at your fingertips.
Evernote is available across all platforms, so whether you’re working on your laptop, smartphone, or when you’re back at your desktop, you’ll be able to access all your information seamlessly.
#3 IFTTT
IFTTT may look like a typo, but it’s actually a powerful productivity tool. The name IFTTT stands for “if this, then that” and it allows you to automate many of the small tasks you’d usually be spending time on. The minutes here or there that it takes to handle these simple tasks add up over time, and IFTTT helps you save those minutes for more productive endeavors.
From automating social media posting and photo storage to telling your smart home system to turn your porch lights on at night when you’re out of town, there are a ton of different uses for IFTTT.
Best of all, you can even use IFTTT to create your own processes beyond the popular ones that are listed in the app, which makes this app a customizable productivity solution that’s sure to save you plenty of time.
#4 Quip
Quip is a project management tool that blends features of Evernote, Dropbox Paper and Google Drive.
Within Quip, every project exists as a live document that allows team members to communicate, act, and update projects from anywhere in the world. Whether you’re in the office or traveling, you’ll be able to keep everyone on the same page and keep yourself updated on project statuses in real time.
There’s also a chat feature which allows you to communicate instantly with each team member, which eliminates the need for meetings or conference calls; a key feature for keeping your team organized and on task when you’re on the road.
Countless companies from many different industries are making use of project management tools like this to get an edge. When it comes to Minneapolis Web Design – Hook Agency a tight grip on their projects and productivity by using apps like Quip to stay on task.
#5 Time
These days, there are countless task management apps that are designed to increase productivity by limiting distractions. But, Time may be the coolest one yet.
Time gamifies the entire process, so staying on task feels less like a drain and more like a fun game you’re playing. Simply input your tasks, and the amount of time it should take you to complete them. If you fall off track, Time offers reminders that you’re supposed to be working on the task at hand.
Time also provides reporting based on how you’re spending your time. While it’s more expensive than some other productivity tools at $9.99, it’s well worth the sticker price, and it’s one of our favorite apps around for keeping on task.