The best apps help you save time and your sanity. You need to choose wisely to be sure the online apps you incorporate into your workflows, actually support how you do work. Since optimizing time is essential, any app that saves you a little time and keeps you organized is worthwhile checking out. But buyer beware! Not every app will suit each person.
If you’ve been lost in a sea of productivity apps trying to choose which is best for you, here are some of the best online productivity apps and online tools to help save you time, keep you sane and feel more organized and productive.
So whenever you have some downtime, check these tools and productivity apps out! Many are low or no cost, which is always a blessing in the early stages of business! All of these are worth noting, and some on this list I can’t run my business or my life without!
1. Evernote
This online app can store anything from recipes to your favorite blog posts, to websites you’d like to remember. Everything is visually stored, and you can tag all your items with special and meaningful categories. Evernote is a must-have if you are a visually-oriented person! And if you like apps for note-taking, learning how to take notes is also helpful. Whether you like to mindmap, create lists, or compile notes in a notebook, there are productivity apps to help support your unique style.
2. Pinterest
This little social media site is the best way to share images, vision boards, pictures, and graphics. Find someone who is already a member, and get an invitation… Then, create your own Pinterest board and ask friends to follow and join you!
3. iCal, Outlook or Google Calendar
Seriously? If you don’t have an online calendaring and scheduling tool – it’s time… If you are running your own business, and have a family to care for use different colors to differentiate tasks for each person in your family or on your team. If you prefer to write things down to remember them, you can always print out your online calendar in a weekly view – – but without the automatic reminders buzzing my phone and calendar, there is NO WAY I would be able to manage all the tasks and appointments on my list! Choose a format – move over to it, and be consistent for 21 days. Then see what you like or don’t like – and adjust.
4. Remember the Milk, Cozi & Toodledo
Each of these tools is a Productivity/Task Management App that will help you remember things you forget! Depending on your cell phone preference, some work better with iPhones, and others work better with Androids. Do a tiny bit of research, and get one of these tools ASAP… You have way too many things to juggle to NOT use one! This article explores even more productivity apps.
5. SendOutCards
I have found SendOutCards to be a great way to save time and stay productive. Talk about an easy way to keep in touch, this one-stop-shop is one of the best apps for not only my business but also my personal mailings. If you like the high-touch appeal of sending a REAL card in the mail, SendOutCards allows you to do that from your desktop! Upload your database, and use it for direct mailing, staying in touch and other client-nurture activities. It will help you maintain a high-touch appeal in a cyber world. I’m a distributor so, even business use earns me cash back! To try it out – Click here.
6. Asana
As a business owner, to stay productive and healthy, you need to delegate or share tasks with others to get them done. One of the best productivity apps is my free account with Asana. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to manage tasks, projects, and team members. I’ve used it to manage every business and personal project for the past 7 years.
7. Dropbox
This online, cloud-based repository will help you stay productive. Use it to store, share and catalog large files. I couldn’t run my coaching workshops and programs without it! With Dropbox, you can upload anything from your desktop – and allow others to download to their devices by sharing private links. You can store documents in folders and allow full-folder accessibility to save time! The premium service even allows you enough space to back up your entire website too! This service is free, but for higher storage usage, fees apply. (This free service can be compared to the old MobileMe application or iCloud by Apple.)
8. TimeTrade
My coaching business requires me to manage MANY different schedules and allow my clients booking access to my calendar in case of emergency reschedules. Things change (almost) daily sometimes, so having an online calendar that is accessible and viewable by my clients is essential. (This is a paid service, but essential for making meetings and schedules work for MANY people.)
9. Carbonite or Mozy
These premium services (paid) back up your hard drive and any files, giving the extra security you need in case something goes wrong! Each requires an annual contract that is worth its weight in gold if you’ve ever had a catastrophic crash! Think of it as backup insurance for your computer. (This is a paid service, but essential for securing and restoring your data.)
10. Canva.com & Picmonkey.com
I love Canva! I use it for so many things that I place on social media! I also love Picmonkey! Both are on my best apps list and two of my favorite tools for business and pleasure! They are each a little different, but so simple to use. I upload a picture, overlay my Sane Spaces logo, and add a favorite quote. In a few minutes, I can post it to Facebook, Pinterest, and tweet it! (These free services can be compared to Pixlr.com and ipiccy.com.)
11. IFFT
IFTTT (rhymes with gift) stands for “if this, then that.” It’s a website and mobile app you use to create custom automation between online services and a device. It’s similar to Apple Shortcuts and helps you create automated sequences and reminders. For instance, you could program the following: “If I have an appointment on my calendar, then text me the name, time, and address.” IFTTT helps you create reminders and complete mini-tasks to help you stay productive.
12. Join.Me
This is a simple and effective screen-sharing service. If you need to communicate with others and need to share computer displays, Join.Me can help you work easily together! And of course, it is FREE!
13. Hootsuite
With Hootsuite, I can post ideas, quotes, and announcements easily. To stay organized, I create a spreadsheet with all the things I’d like to post in a month. Using a spreadsheet to stay organized makes it simple to add tags add links back to my site and do it all as one uploaded file.
14. FreeConferencePro.Com
Each service provides a free call-in number and a web-based dashboard to manage and view all the telecall activity. And of course, each service allows you to customize your greeting and record calls! If conference calls help you run your business, it’s worth the fifteen minutes it takes to create your own account.
15. iXpenseIt
This app helps you take a picture of receipts & stores the data for you for later. This one is especially great if you need to track expenses against your budget or for your business. If you really want help with
, check this post out.
16. Bar Code Scanner
If you like to ask for the best price and negotiate, this is a must-have! A Bar Code Scanner helps you to search for products and pricing at other stores. This app will surely save you time and money.
17. Bills Organizer
Have trouble staying ahead of when bills are due? This app helps keep you organized and shows when bills are due!
18. PayPal
In the early days of business, before I was ready to make a monthly payment to invest in a shopping cart, I couldn’t run my business without PayPal. It allowed me to invoice clients, receive payments and send payments to others via a Merchant Account. If you’re in the early stages of your business, check out PayPal Merchant accounts. Although transactions cost about 3%, it’s totally worth having the ability to process online transactions!
19. MailChimp
If you just building your business, it’s a really good idea to begin collecting emails. One of the best ways to do this is to create a free offer or opt-in where people can provide their email in exchange for something you offer. Providing potential clients and customers a taste of your expertise and following up with a newsletter to keep in touch is a great way to build followers.
MailChimp is a very robust and free service (for your list of up to 2,000 subscribers) to help you create monthly or weekly newsletter templates and allows you to even sent auto-response (pre-scheduled message sequences) when people sign up. If you’re just starting out CHECK IT OUT! It is free (and really cute…) until you reach 2000 subscribers! (Other email programs to consider: Constant Contact, Aweber, Infusionsoft.)
20. AnyMeeting and Zoom
Go Virtual with your webinars and meet with others across the world. AnyMeeting is a FREE webinar and web conferencing tool. You can also pay for a subscription and larger web conferencing line for ridiculously low monthly fees. To check them out – click here.
In Conclusion
There are many, many, many, many productivity apps out there to help you do whatever you need to do more efficiently and effectively. The BEST productivity apps will all depend on you and your productivity style! Knowing about your productivity personality style is a helpful key to unlocking which apps will work best for you and your specific needs.
Do you need help getting your business in gear? Would you like to chat about using some of these tools in your business? If you need systems to help you get more done in less time so you can spend MORE time generating income, click here to schedule a complimentary coffee date to see if I can help!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.