There are many apps that save time and aim to make you more productive. There are, literally, thousands of apps around. But you don’t want to be spending hours finding the programs that are the most useful. At The Copy Collective, we have tested seven tools to help you become more productive.
Hemingway Editor aims to make your writing bold and clear. The program highlights text that is hard to read as well as errors and suggests alternatives. The program uses Hemingway’s writing style as a base. As with most programs, Hemingway Editor doesn’t understand the context of the work so always use caution.
RescueTime keeps track of what sites you have visited and the percentage of your time that has been productive. Graphs and charts make it clear when and how the most and least productive parts of your day are spent.
Losing time looking for lost login details is no longer an issue with LastPass. LastPass stores usernames and passwords and automatically fills in the information. A premium account gives benefits such as unlimited devices and sharing among your team.
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SelfControl (iOS) & Cold Turkey (PC)
SelfControl and Cold Turkey allow you to block distracting websites for a set period. Both applications cannot be stopped once the timer has been set; even by shutting down the computer or deleting the app. SelfControl and Cold Turkey are free applications, with Cold Turkey having a premium option, which includes the ability to schedule the times during which sites are blocked.
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Sidekick
Sidekick is a Chrome extension that allows emails to be tracked, allowing you to see who has opened your emails, how many times they have read the email as well as where and how the email has been read. Sidekick can also schedule sending emails. Sidekick has personal and business plans available.
Trello uses boards, lists and cards to organise information and tasks. Trello has a clear visual layout that allows for easy navigation. Trello has a free account and three paid versions. The free version permits unlimited contributors to be invited to a board making it great for teams.
If This Then That (IFTT) uses ‘recipes’ to let you automate your digital life. IFTT gives the option of creating your own ‘recipes’ or using those created by others and made public. IFTT allows you to make the most of your time, with the ability to toggle ‘recipes’ on and off rather than deleting and re-entering them.
While these apps may be familiar, we have found that they are some of the most effective when it comes to improving productivity in teams.