Our hunter-gatherer ancestors might not have viewed productivity the way we see them now. Their primary concern might have been not to be eaten by the predators. So, their go-to productivity tools revolved around the use of stones.
But now our survival stories have evolved in attending meetings or weddings, preparing sales reports, dealing with budgets, or facing academic pressures. As most of our day-to-day challenges are deeply rooted in computer codes, we heavily rely on tech-driven virtual productivity tools to find an escape.
These tech-driven productivity tools play a great role in our survival stories. It becomes a part of the solution in utilizing time and organizing our lives.
However, finding the appropriate productivity tools requires a lot of energy since we have too many options to choose from. The question is which one can serve our priorities!
Notion
When it comes to achieving productivity through software tools, Notion is a platform that stands out. It gives you the privilege to capture your thoughts and plans. It is one of the most discussed productivity tools on social media. Many academic influencers would suggest you use it.
In Notion, you can jot down your academic notes, prioritize day-to-day tasks at your 9-5 job, share your project’s progress with your clients, outline your goals, create wishlists of books and movies, maintain journals, track your reps for muscle building, document your random thoughts, and many other things—all in one place. You do not require separate applications.
Interestingly, Notion is known as a second brain. It works as a mind map as well as a database. Some users express the app as a tool for brainstorming.
It is super flexible and highly customizable, letting you get creative. Its blocks are highly adjustable. In Notion, you can easily upload files and export your workspace in various formats, including HTML, Markdown, and CSV.
Users can integrate Notion with other productivity tools such as Slack, Zapier, Box, DropBox, Nightfall AI, Adobe XD, Google Workspace, and dozens of other tools.
Platform
Notion is available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Additionally, Notion has desktop applications. That means you can run it on both your Windows PC and Mac. You can run it on your browser too. This cross-platform allows you the flexibility to access your data more effectively.
Pricing
Notion is free. However, Notion offers three additional plans as part of its pricing model: Notion Plus, Notion Business, and Notion Enterprise.
Notion Plus: $8 per user per month when billed annually, or $10 billed monthly
Notion Business: $15 per user per month when billed annually, or $18 billed monthly
The premium versions will provide additional amenities that the free version cannot. One of them is limitations in sending invitations to guests. In the free version, you can invite only ten guests, whereas Notion Plus and Notion Business, the paid versions, allow you to invite 100 and 250 guests, respectively.
Everything is in one place. It could be one of the reasons that might make you feel slightly overwhelmed initially. However, there are ready-made templates that can be effective in that case.
Another piece of good news is that experienced users have been publishing numerous high-quality content pieces on how to use Notion.
Trello
You are running a startup marketing agency with a team of four employees. You have dedicated employees. However, you still have not achieved the desired output due to a lack of collaboration with your employees.
Now you wish for a freeware application that solves your problem while being easy to use. Then, Trello can be a good choice for you.
So, What does Trello bring to the table? Before discussing its functionalities and core benefits, let’s imagine a world without modern technology.
So, what would you use then as a platform to manage your workflow? It could be a whiteboard where you write down the list of tasks to do, tasks you are working on, and the output you have just finished. It is pretty simple, right?
Yes, Trello is doing the same but it is on your device. It is the virtual whiteboard that helps you smartly manage your workflows to achieve productivity. Trello is a minimalistic product management tool where you can invite people to collaborate.
In Trello, you start with a board that represents your particular project. Then, you create lists. In the lists, you would include cards which are basically your tasks. You can level these cards. It will help you to decide which task needs to be delegated.
If you set a deadline for a task, you will receive notifications. You can get a bird’s eye view of your workflow while you go deep into the task.
Not everyone on the team is super tech-savvy. If the space is complicated, it would require a training program which costs you money as well as your valuable time. If the complexity is overwhelming for your collaborators, it could disrupt productivity. That is why apps like Trello is a game changer for small business owners. Its simplicity makes it stand out among the other productivity tools.
Trello has some other cool features. One of them is the ability to integrate with other apps like DropBox, Google Drive, Box, etc. You can upload files and share links. You also have the power to jot down personal notes that remain exclusively for your eyes only.
Platform
Trello is on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. It works on your computer, whether it’s Windows or Mac, and you can use it in your web browser too. This means you can easily get to your stuff wherever you are, however, you like.
You can get Trello notifications on Wear OS devices, and receive notifications on your compatible Android wearable.
Pricing
Trello has a free version with unlimited power-ups, storage (10MB/file), and many more features. Additionally, it has three more plans including Standard, Premium, and Enterprise.
Standard: $5 per user per month when billed annually, or $6 if billed monthly.
Premium: $10 per user per month when billed annually, or $12.50 if billed monthly
Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month when billed annually, with an annual price of $210.00 per user.
Google Calendar
At times, certain apps have a user interface that gives you the impression it does precisely what its name implies. Google Calendar is one of those apps. When you see it in your app list, it’s like having a digital calendar at your fingertips.
Google Calendar has a very particular task. That task is time management. It makes sure you never miss your upcoming events, or tasks, keeping you on top of your schedule with confidence.
Google Calendar is like having your very own Mr. Alfred Pennyworth, ensuring you stay punctual and organized. Okay, it might be a bad analogy! But it is an incredible assistant when it comes to time management and productivity.
When making an event, you have the flexibility to customize alerts, share it with others for notifications, and include attachments to describe the event.
As a freelancer working with international clients, it’s important to be aware of their holidays as well. Google Calendar provides the freedom to keep you informed about public holidays in any country. Even North Korea!
When you browse the Calenders of Interest on Google Calendar, you will find some interesting calendars and features including the global religious holidays, the sports events, and the phases of the moon.
Platform
Google Calendar is available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. If you want to use it on your desktop, visit Google Calendar.
Google Calendar is also available on Wear OS 3 (or newer) smartwatches.
Pricing
Google Calander is free of cost. However, it requires a monthly payment of $6 per user with a commitment period of one year to get Business Starter for Google Workspace which includes all the Google Apps.
TickTick
Ticktick is one of the most underrated productivity tools out there. You may ask why. If you’ve never heard of it, you might wonder what TickTick even does.
It does sound like something about time. Yes, the sound “Tick Tick”! TickTick is an incredible task and time management app.
To put it simply, TickTick is a to-do list app combined with a built-in calendar. You can organize your to-do list, schedule events, and receive notifications.
Apart from the powerful combination of to-do lists and calendars, TickTick offers three unique features that make it stand out in the list of productivity applications out there.
The first one would be Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Eisenhower Matrix. The matrix is all about prioritizing the urgency of the tasks. All the tasks do not have the same level of urgency.
This matrix categorizes tasks into four levels based on urgency. The first set demands immediate attention, while others are important but can be scheduled for later.
Some urgent tasks can be delegated to others. The remaining tasks are considered less important and may not be prioritized.
Ticktick brings the matrix into your phone so that you can prioritize your tasks regularly.
If you find it hard to concentrate, TickTick is here for you. The Promodo Timer, inspired by the Pomodoro technique, helps you work in quick sessions followed by short breaks.
Forming habits requires dedication, and TickTick’s Habit feature serves as an excellent tool for tracking and nurturing new habits.
Platform
TickTick is accessible on virtually all major platforms. TickTick is accessible on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and it also offers desktop applications compatible with Windows PC, Mac, and Linux. Furthermore, users have the option to run it directly in their browser.
TickTick runs on the Apple Watch too.
Pricing
TickTick is a freemium application. You can use TickTick for free, but if you want extras like calendar view, customizing smart lists, premium white noises, etc you’ll need TickTick Premium.
TickTick Premium: $35.99 per user when billed annually, or $ 3.99 if billed monthly
Finding the right app can be overwhelming, especially for a productivity tool to get your life organized. We’ve made a brief list of alternatives that can be used alone or combined, depending on your lifestyle.
Note that there are other great productivity apps too. Feel free to comment if you think one should be added to the list.
