Being productive is a definite goal for many entrepreneurs, but you won’t optimize your workflow when productivity and efficiency don’t go hand in hand. In today’s fast-paced business world, you need to increase both business virtues, which can be accomplished with multiple powerful online tools. To start getting more done in less time, try these 15 recommended online services.
Use These 15 Tools to Maximize Productivity and Efficiency
Staying on task isn’t always easy, but these 15 productivity tools can simplify the process and help you save time while maximizing your content, marketing, and work output.
1. Asana for Word-Based Organization
As one of the leading programs dedicated to productivity and team organization, Asana helps everyone stay organized and on task. While not optimal for solo-workers, it will benefit teams of 5 or more who need to assign different jobs or projects to co-workers and organizations.
2. Trello for Visual-Based Organizers
If you prefer visual input over orderly lists, Trello is the organizational platform for you. By using photo-centric boards, lists, tasks, and labels, its interface catches your eye and engages you to click, navigate, and complete tasks. Trello’s drag and drop features help to maneuver tasks.
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3. Google Drive (Docs and Spreadsheets)
Google Drive is truly the new Microsoft Suite, as it lets users share files across the Internet that their recipients can edit in real-time. You won’t have to send files back and forth multiple times to complete and edit with Google Drive, which saves you time and builds teamwork skills.
4. File Conversion Tools, e.g., PDF to JPG
Whether you need to convert PDF to JPG, merge files, or compress photos, file conversion tools come in handy in almost any workplace. If a client can’t use a specific file format, you can quickly convert it into another in under a minute, so you can collaborate quicker and easier.
5. Evernote for Note Taking
Time is often wasted in boardroom meetings trying to think about what topics to cover or when a manager misses something and has to continue the meeting or send an email. With Evernote, you can store everything you could possibly lose track of, like notes, articles, or receipts.
6. HootSuite for Managing Social Media Accounts
Most businesses have more than one social media account across multiple platforms, and it can get confusing delegating tasks or giving out assignments for each network. HootSuite lets users schedule posts, give out jobs, measure performance, organize followers, and more.
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7. IFTTT (If This Then That) to Automate Tasks
IFTTT allows users to automate tasks based on IF AND statements used in coding, but you need no coding experience to use it. For example, the app will post an Instagram post if it’s Tuesday. You can get creative with your IF AND statements to create endless combinations.
8. Toggl as a Time-Tracking Tool
It’s important to track your time to understand how long it takes for you to complete specific tasks and improve on your numbers. Toggl can help you do just that by adding a small widget at the top of your browser. Then, at the end of the week, Toggl will send a report to see your time stats.
9. Unroll.Me for Email Clutter
Looking over email clutter is incredibly stressful for most entrepreneurs, but they get so many messages a day it’s hard to go through the list and delete them all. Unroll.Me can compile all the emails you need into a neat box while also unsubscribing to email lists you don’t read.
10. LastPass for Password Keeping
All of the powerful online tools you’re going to use to boost productivity require a password. If you use the same password for each software or website, you could leave your company open to hackers. LastPass saves all your passwords for you and creates more secure passphrases.
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11. Todoist for a Simple, Yet Effective, To-Do List
This to-do list tool has been around for some time, but it’s gone through a few critical changes. Todoist uses a color-code system to organize and separate tasks, sub-tasks, projects, and dependencies. You can attach due dates to tasks and categorize them based on priority.
12. Freedcamp for Organization and Project Planning
Freedcamp is another to-do list app and easy-to-use software that has a lot of functionality for free. You can add team members by syncing Google Calendar in the free version, but when you pay for Freedcamp, you can integrate add-ons, like invoices, CRM, and metric tracking tools.
13. Hemingway Editor for Better Content Creation
Copywriters swear by Hemingway, as it checks their grammar, highlights difficult passages, and locates adverbs and passive voice that may bog down your writing for free. SEO prefers blog posts that have a Grade 7 to 8 readability, as it makes the content easier to understand.
14. StayFocused to Help You Avoid Time-Wasting Websites
If you’re having a hard time staying away from websites that take up too much of your time, the free Chrome extension StayFocused can block specific websites for you. You can customize its functionality by limiting how long you can spend on your favorite pages or how often you stream.
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15. Pocket for Saving Interesting Blog Articles, Images, or Videos
It’s hard to remember a cool image, blog post, or video you saw after a long work session, so it’s tempting to look at it immediately. Unfortunately, that can make us go off task, but Pocket, a free bookmark toolbar that syncs to your devices, can save your articles with a click of a button.
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