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5 productivity tools that will literally change your life

If you’re looking for a productivity tool to help increase your personal or team performance, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve put together this great list of five productivity tools that will literally change your life. Increased productivity means better employee performance, increased profits, and increased quality of work. Keep reading to learn about the best tools to help increase your productivity and where to find them.

 

  1. Trello

 

Managing projects can be stressful without a unified platform to delegate, plan, and track projects on. Trello solves this problem by providing an easy-to-use, effective platform for teams to use to increase the quality and efficiency of their work.

The intuitive interface is easy to learn, so introducing your team to the platform and getting them adjusted to how it works should only take a few hours, if that. Projects can be broken down into smaller “cards”, which can be delegated to specific team members and even granted time limits. These “cards” can be arranged into columns, which represent phases of the project.

You’ll never have to track your team down to get status updates again. Within the Trello interface, you’ll always know who is working on which part of the project, and how far along they are in their task(s).

Trello is free to use, but if you’re looking for some extra features, you can always sign up for a premium plan, which starts at around $9.99/month. These premium plans provide extra support, more user profiles, custom backgrounds, and unlimited boards to work with.

 

  1. Google Calendar

 

Google Calendar is perhaps one of the best free tools available to professionals. Increasing productivity begins with proper planning, and that’s exactly what Google Calendar does well. Google Calendar allows you to set appointments, reminders, and dates. You can even invite team members or attendees directly from the calendar if they have a Gmail account.

With Google Calendar, you’ll also get access to several other tools. Your Google account comes complete with Gmail, Google Drive, and much more. You’ll have 15GB of free online storage space,  and access to Google Contacts to keep track of email addresses and phone numbers. With better organization, you’ll find your productivity will be much higher!

  1. Slack

Communication is an integral part of increasing productivity. With better communication, tasks are better delegated, expectations and deadlines are clearer, and everyone on the team will be on the same page. If you’re still communicating with our team by email only, you’re already falling behind.

Slack is a messaging app that will help keep the entire company in contact with each other. It’s essentially a chat room for your organization, connecting departments and employees in an efficient and simple way. Slack has excellent integration tools as well, so you can combine it with your other productivity tools for maximum efficiency.

Both private and company-wide messaging are features of Slack that set it apart from other messaging apps. While Slack does have a free service, it also offers paid options that come with extra features. Plans start at around $6.67/month, and comes complete with voice and video chat as well! If you’re struggling to communicate effectively with your team, Slack may just be the tool you need to bridge the gap.

 

  1. Hootsuite

 

While social media acts as an excellent marketing tool for businesses, it can be difficult to manage and keep updated when you’re trying to run a business or focus on other tasks.

Running a social media page can take up a lot of time; time you could spend completing more important tasks.

Queue the Hootsuite Platform. Hootsuite helps to manage, plan, and update your social media accounts so your customers are always updated with the latest company information, and you’re always connected to your customers in an effective way. Hootsuite can help you plan your posts, track performance, and even filter conversations for increased relevance.

Hootsuite takes the stress out of managing your social media accounts, leaving you the time you need to succeed in other areas of your business or life. Hootsuite starts at $29/month for one user and ten media accounts. If you’re a larger business or organization, enterprise plans can be acquired for custom pricing based on your specific needs.

  1. Toggl

 

There are many apps that track time out there, but Toggl is certainly one of the best. You’ll be able to track the time you and your team members spend completing tasks, making invoicing simpler and identifying efficiency gaps easy.

Toggl is an easy-to-use platform, so you’ll have no trouble mastering the simple interface and getting your team back on track.

With reminders and even idle reminders, you’ll never have to worry about distraction making your days inefficient. You’ll be reminded when deadlines are ahead, and you can export your reports into just about any format you want. With mobile and desktop integration, you can take Toggl with you everywhere, keeping you on-time and on-task no matter where you’re working from.

Toggl offers a free thirty-day trial, with Free, Starter, and Premium options, complete with their own extra features depending on the plan you choose. Enterprise options are also available with custom pricing, based on the specific needs of your company or organization.

Take back your time with Toggl, and begin restructuring the hours of your day for maximum productivity.

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