10 productivity tools you should be using now

Do you find it hard to stay organized and efficient when working or studying online? Are you the type of person who easily panics when you don’t get enough work done? Many students and working professionals nowadays tend to put so much pressure on being productive in their day-to-day routines. A lot of us strive to do more and outperform ourselves every day. Some even attempt to juggle multiple tasks at once thinking that they could finish all of their tasks at the same time. 

However, studies have shown that you may not be completing your tasks efficiently when you resort to multitasking. People tend to make more errors when they try to work on several things simultaneously than when they focus on one task at a time.

Fret not because this is where productivity applications and software come in handy. Productivity tools help users stay motivated, get rid of distractions, and achieve goals on time. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach when accomplishing tasks, productivity applications can definitely help you work faster and more efficiently. 

We all know Google Workspace and how useful its features are to get our jobs done. Want to plan your schedule for the entire month? There’s Google Calendar. Want to store your documents or share certain files? There’s Google Drive. Want to start an instant meeting for easy collaboration with your team? There’s Google Meet.

But did you know that there are other online applications that can help you maximize your productivity? Here are some underrated productivity tools that you should know for you to build better day-to-day habits.

 

Evernote

If you prefer jotting down your notes or to-do lists digitally then Evernote is going to help you big time. Evernote is one of the reliable tools for gathering your ideas and thoughts in one place. This note-taking platform makes collecting both your handwritten and digital notes easier. 

With Evernote, you can take photos of your handwritten notes, upload them directly to the application, store them for future use, and browse through them when needed. Once your notes are uploaded, Evernote will enable you to organize them in notebook systems and filter them by adding tags. 

Plus, Evernote allows you to put media files, such as digital sketches and PDFs, to accompany your notes. It also syncs across your devices so you can access your notes anytime anywhere and even when you’re offline!

 

Todoist

From its name, you can conclude that Todoist is a tool centered on helping you manage your to-do lists. With this productivity tool, you can record and organize similar tasks together so you know which ones to prioritize first. It’s like your usual to-do list but better.

With Todoist, you can collaborate with other people by sharing and assigning tasks. You can also transfer emails from Gmail and add them as tasks, making work more efficient.

Todoist also allows its users to create as many lists as they like. It also reminds you of particular tasks so you can manage them more effectively. Charts and graphs are also provided to keep track of your progress at any given time. The best part about Todoist is it’s totally free and easy to use!

 

Forest

If you can’t finish your tasks because you’re the type to get easily distracted, you might want to check out Forest. Forest is an amazing platform to help you cure your phone addiction and work on a single task.

Whenever you want to focus, just open the Forest app, plant a virtual tree, and watch the tree grow for every five minutes you stay away from your phone. When you exit the application before completing the task, your tree will die. If you work on your tasks without touching your device, your trees can also build a forest.

Another great thing about Forest? You can help the environment as well! This unique productivity tool has partnered with Trees For The Future, letting users redeem virtual coins to plant real trees. So far, the organization has planted more than 1.5 million trees with the help of Forest.

 

Shift

Do you have multiple email accounts and are struggling to handle all of them? Or perhaps you have several apps which you find a bit overwhelming? Managing all of your email accounts, calendars, documents, and applications has never been easier with Shift. 

Say goodbye to your unorganized workspace because Shift is here to help you. If you always find yourself switching between windows and tabs, you have to check out this underrated productivity tool. Shift enables you to build customizable workspaces and connect all your most-used platforms for a better workflow.

Who knew you could search across all of your Google Mail, Calendar, or Drive accounts in one place? 

 

Any.do

Any.do is a free and user-friendly productivity tool where you can take notes and add attachments. This underrated tool also enables you to share and assign tasks to your team for easier collaboration. 

In just one workspace, you can schedule recurring tasks, chat in real time, set due dates, and add reminders. With Any.do, you can also keep track of the deadlines of your daily tasks by customizing to-do lists and calendars. 

What’s more, you can use Any.do on your laptops, tablets, and smartphones, helping you stay organized anywhere. All your tasks can be synced to as many devices as you want. Also, you can integrate with Google Calendar, Exchange, and iCloud using Any.do. Sounds promising, right?

 

Weava

Worrying about your thesis? Or perhaps you want a change to your study habits? Weava is a must-have. This research tool allows you to highlight websites and PDFs and customize the colors to your liking, making learning more fun and effective. 

Through Weava, you can annotate highlighted texts and organize your work into folders for an extra productivity boost. You may also instantly access your annotations and highlights from any device.

This productivity tool also generates citations for your research in just one click. You may also save and manage your work using the Weava dashboard. 

Collaboration has also been made easier with Weava. Now, you can work seamlessly with your team by sharing folders. 

Not convinced yet? Weava is trusted by students and researchers from top universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Brown. Now that’s another reason to get that Weava extension. 

 

nTask

Looking for a platform where you can easily track your ideas, create projects, assign tasks, and collaborate with your team without having to switch to other applications? nTask may be your go-to companion.

Aside from being a free task management software, nTask comes with multiple features that can surely maximize your productivity as an individual or as a team. Take notes, track your everyday tasks, and manage your time as well as your team meetings using nTask.

This advanced productivity app allows you and your team to be synced with updates through reminders, notifications, and alerts. You and your team can also work simultaneously through team workspaces. nTask also provides an overview of how different tasks were performed, helping the team to analyze and optimize their work routines. 

You can also create projects, assign multiple tasks to your team, and monitor your progress through nTask. It also sports a simplified user interface, making first-time users work at ease. What’s more, you can integrate nTask with Zapier, Zoom, Outlook Calendar, and Google Calendar.

 

Pocket

We all know what it feels like to stumble upon an interesting article, website, or video when we’re in a public place with no time to read, skim, or watch it. Some of us have probably sent the links to our own social media accounts, thinking that we’d read those articles or watch those videos when we get home. Worry no more because, with Pocket, you can archive those articles, websites, and videos for your future use. 

Pocket works across different devices as a Google Chrome browser extension and Android or iOS app, making it very accessible to users of all ages. With Pocket, you can save those interesting recipes you found on Facebook to your personal library so you can look back at them in your free time.

This bookmarking platform also curates articles tailored to your liking so you can discover new content that suits you. Pocket also enables you to listen to articles with its audio playback option. 

 

Otter

When you find it hard to quickly take down notes, especially when you’re in a business meeting, seminar, or classroom lecture, check out Otter. It’s an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice transcription platform that is helpful when you can’t bring yourself to write an idea down. 

You could speak into your phone or record an audio and have Otter transcribe your words into readable texts as accurately as possible. It removes the hassle of manually transcribing for keeping track of your ideas.

This productivity tool also punctuates, capitalizes, and breaks paragraphs automatically. You may also connect with Zoom for easier transcription of cloud recordings. Otter also highlights the key points of each transcription for easier review.

Who knew note-taking could be time- and energy-saving?

What’s more, you can invite your team for maximum productivity. As a group, you can view, edit, and highlight each other’s notes. You may also export texts as PDFs, TXT, or MP3.

 

Life can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. We all want to achieve so much but we know how limited 24 hours a day and seven days a week can be. That’s why productivity tools such as the ones listed above were created to make our lives easier, for us to save more time, and to accomplish tasks on time—whether at school, at work, or at home.