Time management and productivity have always been an emphasis in my client workshops as properly managing these areas can help better work and personal life. And these days when smartphones and other mobile devices are part of our everyday lives, I am always keen to discover new technology and apps that can facilitate improvement in these areas.
With my continued use of my iPhone and iPad, I have found and tested a number of apps that I believe have helped me become more productive in my line of work.
I select apps based on the following criteria:
- Versatility – Apps such as Evernote, Skype, Podcasts and mSecure easily sync with and have data available on on all my devices, especially mobile.
- Integration – I use Trello, Evernote and Dropbox as my primary data storage and task management apps as they easily work with other apps such as Penultimate, CloudMagic, Keynote, etc.
- Service – TripIt, OzWeather and mSecure are apps that provide a real service by accumulating and/or customising information.
- Portability – This function allows me to carry a wide range of resources with me in a convenient format reducing clutter and volume e.g. Kindle, Podcasts, Audible, Evernote, Newstand.
I have always preferred apps that are made for these purposes as they provide function and convenience for me. With that said, here is a list of my top productivity apps that I think could make a difference when you put them to good use.
Evernote – The most amazing tool for storing and organising all your information no matter what format you need – office, PDF, audio, video, webpages, text, voice, etc.
I use it to store everything except my main Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) which I still use conventional files storage mechanisms. All my resource materials and information is stored in Evernote. The best thing is that it is available on all my devices: desktop, iPad, iPhone and web. Seriously good. I have the premium business version as it facilitates better communication with my Team.
Trello – A great tool that I use to manage all my tasks. It provides Visual Task Management and Collaboration for me and the Team. Free for the basic version.
CloudMagic – An email app for use on my iOS devices. It has a simple logic and flow, and it integrates seamlessly with Evernote and Trello. Free as well!
Docs 2 Go & DropBox – Good apps for mobile data storage and file access.
Pages, Keynote and Numbers – Apple’s in-house apps for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations on your iOS device. These apps make it easier to access/bring documents and presentations with you wherever you go.
Penultimate – A digital handwriting app that allows me to write on my iPad with a stylus and easily integrates with Evernote.
TripIt – If you travel, you must use this! It organizes your travel plans in one place and links to Calendar apps seamlessly.
Oz Weather – A great and very handy weather app.
Kindle (and IBook) – Apps for business books on-the-run.
Podcasts – I use it to download great topics for learning on-the-go. I have also just started using Audible for listening to books (jury is still out on this!).
Newstand – The app I use to read “the Australian” newspaper and subscribe to my favourite magazines (like Top Gear) which I can view on my iPad. Very handy when I travel.
Skype and VSee – Communication apps that are great and easy-to-use.
mSecure – Password storage – Password storage – a must to have a great app that is available and syncs across all your devices.
LinkedIn – Probably the only social media app that I like. I prefer the iPad version to the desktop version.
Hootsuite – Social media posts made easy. iOS version is full-featured and easy to use.
Calendar and CRM apps – I make sure my calendar and/or CRM have great app versions that enable me to seamlessly operate on a mobile business which is why I use the Apple Calendar app and Zoho.
These are just some of a range of quality apps that I use that are specific to my industry, occupation and interests. You should know the apps that are relevant to you and your business.
What are your top productivity apps?
Russell
