Eight Productivity Tools You Should Be Using in 2020
You cannot accomplish goals without the necessary tools. Building a house cannot happen without a hammer,
or creating a software program is impossible without essential programming apps. The same is also valid
for productivity. You can start to improve your productivity with different practices and techniques.
Nevertheless, your productivity is going to be the most effective—and long lasting— when you combine it
with the right tools.
You need the right productivity tools if:
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You cannot seem to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
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Time seems to just disappear throughout the workday.
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You are finding it hard to delegate.
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Your output has taken a significant dive.
So, where should you start? How can you better monitor your productivity? Take a look at these eight productivity
tools you should be using in 2020:
Time Tracking App
Where does the time go? Well, whether you are a freelancer, solopreneur, or the owner of a mid-sized company,
a time tracking app enables you to answer the question effectively. Most apps will allow you to simply turn on
a time tracking program that allows you to monitor the amount of time you spend working in a day.
If you are working with freelancers, or even have staff, these apps can also be used to take timed screenshots
to ensure everyone is staying on task. Additionally, time tracking apps help you to stay productive by tracking
what you are spending your time on, and can even integrate with accounting tools to quickly invoice for the time
spent working. For this one, check out Toggl and
Harvest.
App Blocker
It is tempting to change tabs to scroll Facebook, Instagram, or just to keep an eye on the daily news. However,
before you know it, that five minutes have turned into 40 minutes of retweeting, sharing, or endless scrolling.
There is nothing wrong with taking a break, but your rest periods should be timed and strategically planned
throughout the day.
An app blocker tool can prevent you from straying from your work task. These tools can block apps, allow you to set
times for breaks, and even prevent you from accessing the internet. According to a workplace distraction study by Udemy,
65 percent
of respondents described Facebook as a top workplace distraction. If online—and specifically social media—distractions
are a big deal for you, give
StayFocusd
or
Strict Workflow.
a try.
Task Delegation App
Are you still using emails to delegate tasks? Is it hard to track who is doing what? It may be time to invest in a
task delegation app. While there are a variety of choices out there, at their simplest, these apps make it easy to
delegate projects. For example, tools like
Trello
allow you to create boards to sort projects by priority and progress.
Asana
and
Todoist
make it easy to set up to-do lists for individuals while making task assignments straightforward. Participants can
also monitor due dates in a calendar view.
You need to know who is working on what, when they will be done, and the deliverables. This category of apps can
accomplish all three, and will be sure to give you peace of mind in 2020.
Cloud Drive
As surprising as it is, some companies are still not using cloud-based storage systems and drives. It can be challenging
to move to something new, but these apps can be just what your company needs to improve productivity. Here are the three
main reasons these tools are excellent for getting work done:
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They allow you and any other leaders to determine who is allowed to access specific documents or folders.
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Those with access can easily find what they need, regardless of whether they are in or out of the office.
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Most allow for team members to work on documents or projects simultaneously.
Finding passwords, providing access to documents, requiring individuals to have to come in the office to work on things,
or for one person to be able to work on a project at a time significantly reduces productivity. Fortunately, cloud drives
allow you and your team to be at their most productive. There is a wide range of options out there, but
Dropbox
and
Google Drive
are two of the most widely used. So, put them on your list to research.
Communication and Collaboration Tools
A report of over 100,000 employees in the UK and the US found that communication barriers cost the average company
$62.4 million
in lost productivity. Your team cannot move forward with lackluster communication and collaboration policies and tools.
Today, organizations have to manage asynchronous and synchronous communications efficiently. In other terms, the
determination of what should be sent over email and what should be discussed over instant messages or other forms of
real-time communication.
These become an even more significant issue when remote work enters the picture. Tools like
Slack
allow you to organize chatrooms by teams or topics, while
Skype IM
or
Google Hangouts
enables your staff to speak with one another in real-time. Poor communication can tank your productivity, so be sure
to invest in a tool that makes discussing work straightforward and more streamlined in 2020.
Task Automations
We’ve discussed task delegation, but there is another tool that can make completing projects a lot less complicated:
task automation technologies. These apps are excellent for taking repetitive tasks from workers and having a software
program handle them. There is a variety of examples of how this can work. Two of the top apps in this sphere,
IFTTT
(If This Then That) and
Zapier,
can cause various apps to communicate with one another. For example, you can make a Trello board from Evernote notes,
or create a to-do from a Gmail message. While it may seem challenging at first, mastering apps like IFTTT and Zapier
can improve your workflows and make your work life more straightforward.
Password Keeper
You may be wondering why we would include this as a productivity tool, but hear us out. Think about the last time
you couldn't locate your password. What did you do? You had to reach out to the person who knew it—and wait for
them, or you had to go through the “Forgot Password” process.
The other common issue that arises with passwords is a lack of security. How many times has an app been inaccessible
because of a breach or hack? Unfortunately, losing a password—or causing one to fall into the wrong hands, can sink
your productivity. You do not want to waste time finding a password or having to stop what you are doing to find one
for a new hire. As a result, we suggest looking into a tool like
LastPass
or
Dashlane
to securely manage your passwords and share them with those who need access.
Email Organizer
On average, professionals check their email
15 times a day.
In line with this statistic, Gallup found that it takes
23 minutes and 15 seconds
to recover from a distraction (an email would be in this category). If you are not careful, checking your email can
be a morning or afternoon-long activity. Hearing that email notification go off can distract you from what you are
working on, and have you losing precious time addressing something that could be handled later.
So, we would first advise you to turn off email notifications, so you have the opportunity to check them when you are ready.
Next, you would make your workday flow a lot more smoothly if you invest in an email organizer. A variety of email extensions
can sort through your messages, make specific types of emails priority, schedule when emails go out, and organize emails
according to your parameters. For this one, we would suggest you take a look at
Sortd
and
Boomerang.
The Right Productivity Tools Can Help You Take Control of 2020
At one point or another, we have all felt as if we have lost control of our work time. From unexpected workplace occurrences
to that project that required multiple re-dos, there are going to be instances when you feel the pressure. Fortunately, we
live in a time where some innovative people have created productivity tools to make your work life much more comfortable.
This year doesn’t have to look like 2019 when it comes to productivity. So, take a moment to see where you and your team are
struggling, create strategies to address these issues, and find tools that can help you implement the solutions. Before you
know it, you and your team will truly get to enjoy the advantages of exceptional productivity.
Sources:
2018 Workplace Distraction Report,
https://research.udemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FINAL-Udemy_2018_Workplace_Distraction_Report.pdf
How to Stop Wasting 2.5 Hours on Email Every Day,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabelacton/2017/07/13/innovators-challenge-how-to-stop-wasting-time-on-emails/#50e604649788
The Cost of Poor Communications,
https://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/the-cost-of-poor-communications
Too Many Interruptions at Work?,
https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/23146/too-many-interruptions-work.aspx
Tools:
Asana, https://app.asana.com/
Boomerang, https://www.boomerangapp.com/
Dashlane, https://www.dashlane.com/
Dropbox, https://www.dropbox.com/?_hp=c
Google Drive, https://www.google.com/drive/
Google Hangouts, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-hangouts/nckgahadagoaajjgafhacjanaoiihapd?hl=en
Harvest, https://www.getharvest.com/
IFTTT, https://ifttt.com/
LastPass, https://www.lastpass.com/
Skype IM, https://www.skype.com/en/features/instant-messaging/
Slack, https://slack.com/
Sortd, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sortd-for-gmail/aohlfneeliakfcefeffppfplagbccbni?hl=en
StayFocusd, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en
Strict Workflow, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/strict-workflow/cgmnfnmlficgeijcalkgnnkigkefkbhd?hl=en
Todoist, https://todoist.com/guide/getting-started?lang=en
Toggl, https://toggl.com/
Trello, https://trello.com/en-US
Zapier, https://zapier.com/