10 Best Productivity Apps
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 30 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.
Productivity apps can help you organize tasks, manage deadlines, and keep your team on track. But with so many choices, it’s hard to know which one will actually make a difference to your work.
I’ve tested and reviewed the best productivity apps for project managers, focusing on what matters most—efficiency, collaboration, and ease of use. In this article, I’ll break down my top picks and what sets them apart.
Whether you’re looking for automation, better communication, or smarter task management, there’s an option here for you.
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Compare Specs Side-by-Side
Here is a convenient table where you can compare the tools we just covered in the overviews.
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | monday.com Users can follow up with team members on active tasks, ensuring everyone is on the same page. | Best for custom workflows and task boards | 14-day free trial + free plan available | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
2 | Guru Guru's AI writing assistant provides real-time suggestions, helping users create accurate knowledge cards more efficiently. | Best tool for searching through all your apps to surface answers quickly | 30-day free trial | From $10/user/month | Website |
3 | Zoho Projects Zoho Projects’ built-in timer is a time-tracking tool that helps team members manage their time better and track the progress of their work. | Best productivity app for end-to-end project management | 10-day free trial + free plan available | From $4/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
4 | SaneBox Automatically upload attachments to cloud storage and get a link in return. | Best for increasing productivity by streamlining your email inbox | 14-day free trial | From $7/user/month | Website |
5 | MeisterTask MeisterTask offers a visual, Kanban-style interface, making it easy to track progress and manage workflows. | Best for brainstorming, ideation, and task management in one | Free trial available | From $8.25/user/month (billed annually) + free plan available | Website |
6 | Kintone Kintone’s drag-and-drop interface lets you quickly create and customize apps for every process, every department. | Best for building custom productivity apps | 30-day free trial | From $24/user/month | Website |
7 | Trello Trello's user-friendly interface is styled as a Kanban board, allowing users to view and update task progress as work is completed. | Best for card-based task lists and Kanban boards | 14-day free trial | From $5/user/month (billed annually) + free plan available | Website |
8 | Hubstaff Time tracking software for web or mobile that lets you track what team member is working on what task in what business category. | Best for managing remote and field teams | 14-day free trial | From $4.99/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
9 | Visor Visor's robust interface makes it easier for teams to collaborate. | Best for its user-friendly interface | Free plan available | From $9/user/month | Website |
10 | Focus Booster Focus Booster serves a wide range of purposes, and offers timers, notifications, and scheduling for optimal productivity. | Best for the Pomodoro productivity technique | 30 day free trial | From $2.99 | Website |
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Wrike
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
actiTIME
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
monday.com
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Best Productivity App Reviews
These are my top selections for productivity apps and software. I’ve reviewed each tool’s best use case, standout features, and integrations. I’ve also included pricing information and a screenshot of each platform’s user interface.
monday.com is an easy-to-learn project management app that doubles as a productivity tool with key features that that help you manage tasks and the workflows that carry multiple tasks from start to finish. It's a great team productivity tool for getting a clear view of the work that needs to be done and the status of each task at a glance.
Why I Picked monday.com: monday.com is vaguely similar to a spreadsheet at its core, but a much nicer-looking project management tool that lets you quickly toggle between multiple views of work even for repetitive tasks(view as a list, on a map, on a Kanban board, in a spreadsheet, and other views). It also provides alerts, notifications, and the ability to attach files and communicate with colleagues.
monday.com Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a customizable task board for managing task status, assignee, due date, hours spent, etc. Users can upload and attach files to cards, make comments, mention teammates, set reminders, and more. You can measure your productivity through reporting dashboards that can collect data from multiple boards.
Integrations include Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform and many more, accessible via Zapier.
Guru
Best tool for searching through all your apps to surface answers quickly
Guru is an advanced search and knowledge management platform that's designed to help users find relevant information quickly. Their advanced AI-driven search feature can search all your apps, documents, and slack #channels for answers — either directly in Slack or via a Chrome extension — making it easier to find information fast.
Why I Picked Guru: Guru employs AI to deliver instant answers within the user's workflow that are tailored to their specific role, location, and activities. The tool also facilitates the onboarding process for new hires, streamlines the creation, sharing, and organization of company documentation, and acts as a knowledge hub to disseminate educational content and troubleshooting guidance throughout an organization. The platform also integrates with a multitude of tools and services, enabling users to find answers and collaborate without leaving their workflow.
Overall, Guru is intended to eliminate the barriers created by knowledge silos and to improve productivity by automating information retrieval, thus allowing employees to concentrate on tasks that require human intelligence.
Guru Standout Features & Integrations
Features include enterprise AI search, an employee intranet, a company wiki, AI suggest and assist, custom branding tools, collaboration and feedback tools, mobile accessibility, and access controls and permissions.
Integrations include Trello, Cognito Forms, Jira Software Cloud, Confluence Cloud, HubSpot, Google Chat, Confluence Server, and GitHub.
Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management software that allows individuals and teams to collaborate, plan, and execute projects efficiently. The software enhances productivity by providing a centralized platform for task management, time tracking, document sharing, and team communication.
Why I picked Zoho Projects: It's a versatile software solution that different types of organizations and teams can use to manage their projects effectively. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to navigate and utilize, and it's user-friendly, with features that are easily accessible and organized logically. Their customizable user interface lets you choose the layout and features that best suit your needs.
You can create, manage, assign, and set task deadlines using Zoho Projects. You can also create task dependencies, ensuring that each job is completed in the correct order. It includes a calendar view allowing users to see their upcoming tasks and deadlines in one place.
Users can also track their time spent on each task, making it easier to manage their workload and allocate resources effectively. The time tracking feature can generate reports, providing valuable insights into team performance and project progress.
Zoho Projects Standout Features & Integrations
Features include collaboration tools that make it easy for team members to communicate and work together, a chat feature that supports real-time communication, and a comments section where team members can discuss specific tasks and projects. It also includes a document management system where team members can share and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Integrations are available with other Zoho apps, commonly used Google apps (Google Calendar, Drive, Spreadsheets, etc.), Microsoft apps (Calendar, Excel, Office 365, OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint), and other third-party apps such as Basecamp, Jira, Slack, Zendesk, and Zapier.
SaneBox
Best for increasing productivity by streamlining your email inbox
SaneBox is a productivity tool that helps you manage your email inbox more efficiently. It's designed to save you time by filtering out unimportant emails and organizing the rest into folders so you can focus on what really matters. SaneBox works with most email providers and clients, making it a versatile option for anyone looking to improve their email management.
Why I picked SaneBox: I chose SaneBox as one of the best productivity apps because it tackles one of the most time-consuming tasks we all face daily —managing our email inboxes. With the constant influx of emails, it's easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of important messages. SaneBox helps you regain control of your inbox, allowing you to focus on the emails that truly matter and be more productive.
Sanebox Standout Features & Integrations
Features: There are several features that make SaneBox stand out from other email management tools. First, its smart filtering system automatically sorts your emails into different folders based on their importance. For example, it moves unimportant emails to a 'SaneLater' folder, so you can focus on your most important messages first. It also has a 'SaneNoReplies' folder that keeps track of emails you've sent that haven't received a response, making it easy to follow up on those messages.
Another great feature is the 'SaneBlackHole' folder, which allows you to quickly unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters and promotional emails. Simply drag the unwanted email into this folder, and SaneBox will automatically unsubscribe you from the sender's mailing list.
Integrations: SaneBox integrates with many popular email providers and clients, such as Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and more. This means you can use SaneBox with your existing email setup without having to switch to a new platform. Additionally, SaneBox offers integrations with productivity tools like Evernote, Todoist, and Trello, allowing you to create tasks and save important emails directly from your inbox.
Best for brainstorming, ideation, and task management in one
MeisterTask is a versatile project management tool that combines intuitive Kanban boards with powerful collaboration and customization features, making it ideal for teams of all sizes. Its seamless integration with MindMeister for brainstorming and ideation, along with robust task automation and real-time communication capabilities, streamlines workflow and enhances productivity across projects.
Why I picked MeisterTask: MeisterTask excels as a productivity app by offering a streamlined, intuitive interface that simplifies task and project management. It effectively combines customizable Kanban boards for visual workflow management with powerful features like task automation, due date reminders, and time tracking to enhance efficiency.
The app facilitates seamless collaboration through easy file sharing, commenting, and task assignments, keeping teams aligned and focused. Its integration with tools like MindMeister for mind mapping ensures a smooth transition from brainstorming to execution, making it easier for users to turn ideas into actionable tasks. MeisterTask's focus on user-friendly design and practical functionality makes it a valuable tool for individuals and teams aiming to boost productivity and achieve their goals more efficiently.
MeisterTask Standout Features and Integrations
Features include Kanban boards, task automation, mindmeister integration, customizable workflows, project templates, time tracking, file attachments, due date reminders, collaboration tools, activity streams, mobile apps, secure data encryption, multiple integrations with other tools, personalized dashboards, and flexible project views.
Integrations include Slack, Dropbox, Github, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Trello, Asana, MindMeister, and hundreds more through a paid plan with Zapier.
Kintone is a customizable app platform used by teams at Volvo Trucks North America, Japan Airlines, Shiseido, and over 23,000 organizations worldwide. Their unique approach allows you to build a wide variety of customizable “apps” either from scratch, using templates or from your existing spreadsheets, for data management, business processes, and workflows. Kintone apps can be customized for project management, sales CRM, customer databases, expense reports, shared to-do lists, equipment management, product feedback, and much more.
Why I Picked Kintone: Kintone lets you build no-code task management apps by dragging and dropping elements that you want to see onto the page: rich text fields, date fields, drop-down menus, number fields with built-in calculations, spaces for attachments, user or group selection menus, related data from other apps, tables, and more.
Once you’ve built the app you want, you can use it to more easily manage whatever data and tasks you and your team need to track. And with custom notifications and reminders as well as detailed permissions settings, your project tracking solution can look and work however you want it to.
What makes Kintone particularly great for project tracking are the features to filter and prioritize tasks by data field or team member to generate custom reports or dashboard views, as well as the ability to automate reminders and handoffs between team members for multi-step workflows.
Kintone’s built-in communication features also allow teams to discuss projects directly in the app and in topic or project-based threads. Dedicated “spaces” organize everything your team needs for your project, including task-tracking apps and searchable conversation threads.
Kintone Standout Features & Integrations
Features include project management, dashboards, resource management, analytics, calendar management, conversion tracking, employee onboarding, forecasting, lead scoring, timesheets, collaboration support, reports, pipeline management, budgeting, and process modeling.
Integrations include Slack, Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Tableau, Dropbox, Salesforce, HubSpot, Eventbrite, WordPress, QuickBooks, MailChimp, and many more through a paid plan with Zapier or via API integrations.
Trello is a Kanban board app that can be used to organize tasks visually. It’s user-friendly, with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to learn. This popular tool can be used to help you visualize your deadlines, items in progress, and completed tasks, enabling you to make informed decisions about what to work on next according to the big picture.
Why I Picked Trello: Trello is a popular project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate on projects visually and intuitively. It uses a system of boards, lists, and cards to represent tasks and workflows, allowing team members to easily see what needs to be done, who is responsible for each task, and what the status of each task is. Trello can be customized to fit a wide range of project management needs, and it offers features such as due dates, checklists, attachments, and team member assignments. Its flexibility and ease of use make it a great tool for teams of all sizes and types, from small startups to large enterprises.
Trello Standout Features & Integrations
Features include boards, to-do lists, task management, workflow management, priority labels, due dates, file sharing, communication, a mobile app, and third-party integrations/add-ons.
Integrations include 200+ apps and tools your team depends on, like Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce, Dropbox directly into your Trello boards. (Note: Some connections require an additional subscription fee.)
Hubstaff is a lightweight, native time tracking software that includes screenshots, time tracking, and project management tools. It’s been designed well with a simple interface and design that makes it really easy for your team to enter their time and for you to track their progress.
Why I Picked Hubstaff: When you’re working with a distributed team it can be hard to verify exactly what people are doing and how they’re spending their time so Hubstaff has some pretty handy snooping tools to give you insight into what your team is doing in the time they’re logging to your project with screenshots and activity levels. Now you can also see which applications your team members are using and what URLs they are browsing while they’re tracking time.
Budget management is helpful and straightforward—using Hubstaff, you can easily set time limits and budgets for your team to bill against with a maximum number of hours you want a member to be able to work in a week and the app will automatically prevent them from exceeding the limit.
Hubstaff Standout Features & Integrations
Features include task management, time tracking, collaboration, Gantt charts, resource management, budget tracking, reporting & analytics, mobile app, invoicing, screen capture & activity tracking, GPS tracking, and third-party integrations.
Integrations include Wistia, Databox, Seventh Sense, Zerys, PandaDoc, Aircall, Eventbrite, and dozens of other apps.
Visor is a cloud-based SaaS product that aims to help individuals and businesses manage their time and tasks more efficiently. It's best suited for individuals and teams who need a comprehensive and easy-to-use productivity tool that allows them to manage their projects, tasks, and time all in one place.
Why I picked Visor: I chose Visor as one of the best productivity software because it's an all-in-one solution that brings together task management, project management, time tracking, and calendar features in a user-friendly interface. I appreciate that I can keep track of everything I need to do without having to switch between multiple tools or apps.
Another great feature is its real-time collaboration capabilities, which allow you to work with your team members on projects, assign tasks, and track progress. This feature makes it easy to communicate with team members and stay on top of everything that's going on in your projects. It also has an intelligent scheduling feature that suggests the best time slots for each task based on your availability and workload. This feature is particularly helpful when you have a lot of tasks to complete and you need to prioritize your time effectively.
Visor Standout Features & Integrations
Features include API, dashboards, data export/data import, data visualization, external integrations, Gantt charts, project management, task scheduling/tracking, resource management and third-party plugins/add-ons.
Integrations include Jira, HubSpot, and Salesforce.
Does your productivity break down when you have trouble staying on track in the middle of the tasks you’ve set out to accomplish? Focus Booster is one of the productivity apps aimed at improving your work habits by minimizing distractions and maintaining a focus on the tasks at hand.
Why I Picked Focus Booster: Focus Booster is based on the Pomodoro technique, which is a method that uses time-boxing to complete tasks. This isn’t your humdrum checklist app: for people who want to understand how they work best, Focus Booster delivers a suite of useful tools for setting up your workday, tracking your hours, and analyzing both your time and your interruptions.
Focus Booster Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a pomodoro timer, to-do list, time tracking, goal management, dashboard reports, client management, billable hours, session replay, notifications & reminders, and labels/tags.
Integrations include Trello, Wunderlist, Asana, Basecamp, Todoist, Any.do, Omnifocus, Outlook, and Google Keep.
Other Productivity Tools
I haven’t had a chance to review all of these tools in-depth, but here are a few more to check out if the ones featured in this review don’t fit your needs.
- Collabio Spaces
For iPhone & Mac
- ClickUp
For in-app communication tools
- Slack
Instant messaging app for teams
- Lucidspark
For ideation and collaboration using an infinite canvas
- Wrike
Productivity app for team collaboration
- Hive
For flexible project views according to team needs
- Pneumatic Workflow
For unlimited workflow management
- Buffer
A social media management app for scheduling and tracking social media content
- Blink
For remote and async communication
- IFTTT
Low-code automation capabilities
- Asana
For a clean, simple, & easy-to-use interface
- Todoist
For building task lists with prioritization
- Missinglettr
Social media maintenance app with campaign automations
- Zapier
For creating automated workflows
- Just Say No
A productivity app designed to help you reduce distractions or bad habits
- Things 3
For drag-and-drop task lists
- QuuuPromote
A content promotion app designed to increase campaign reach
- Omni Focus
Productivity app for Mac users
- Quip
For integration with Salesforce
- Remember The Milk
Organize and categorize tasks, and set corresponding reminders
Selection Criteria for Productivity Apps
When selecting the best productivity apps to include on this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like the need for seamless task management and reducing workflow inefficiencies. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion on this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Managing tasks and to-do lists
- Facilitating collaboration and communication
- Integrating with third-party tools
- Providing scheduling and calendar features
- Ensuring cross-platform accessibility
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- AI-powered automation and recommendations
- Customizable workflow automation
- Advanced analytics and reporting
- Offline mode with sync capabilities
- Built-in time tracking
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- An intuitive user interface
- A minimal learning curve
- Mobile-friendly design
- Fast performance and responsiveness
- Efficient keyboard shortcuts and commands
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Interactive product tours
- Pre-built templates for quick setup
- Video tutorials and help guides
- Chatbots or live onboarding assistance
- Step-by-step migration tools
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Multiple support channels
- A comprehensive knowledge base
- Fast response times
- Community forums for peer assistance
- 24/7 availability for premium users
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- A free or affordable entry-level plan
- Transparent and flexible pricing
- Discounts for annual subscriptions
- Scalability with pricing tiers
- A money-back guarantee or trial period
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- High user satisfaction with core features
- Reports of consistent reliability and uptime
- Accounts of responsive and helpful support
- A strong adoption rate in various industries
- Positive feedback on ease of use
How to Choose a Productivity App
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:
Factor | What to Consider |
Scalability | Make sure the app can grow with your needs. Can it handle more users, projects, or automation as your workload increases? Look for flexible pricing plans and enterprise-level features if you anticipate scaling. |
Integrations | Does the app connect with your existing tools? Seamless integration with platforms like Slack, Google Workspace, or Trello helps prevent workflow disruptions and reduces manual work. |
Customizability | Look for features like custom fields, workflow automation, and adjustable dashboards to tailor the app to your team's unique workflows. |
Ease of Use | A complicated app will slow your team down. Prioritize intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop functionality, and minimal onboarding time to ensure quick adoption. |
Budget | Pricing varies widely. It's important to consider not just the upfront cost but also hidden fees for add-ons, premium features, or required integrations. Choose a plan that fits your budget without sacrificing key functionality. |
Security Safeguards | Ensure the app offers encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with security standards like GDPR or SOC 2 to protect your data. |
Collaboration Tools | Productivity apps should make teamwork seamless. Features like real-time editing, shared task lists, and built-in chat can help boost efficiency. |
Automation Features | Reduce repetitive work with task automation, recurring reminders, and AI-powered suggestions to optimize your workflows. |
Trends in Productivity Apps
In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different productivity app vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:
- AI-Powered Task Prioritization: More apps are using AI to suggest which tasks to focus on based on urgency, workload, and past habits. Some tools automatically reorder to-do lists or highlight high-impact work to help users manage time better.
- Focus Mode and Distraction Blocking: Many apps now include features that mute notifications, block social media, or set timers for deep work sessions. Some even track focus time and offer insights on how much uninterrupted work users are getting.
- Voice and Chat-Based Input: More apps now support voice commands, letting users dictate reminders or send messages hands-free. Others integrate with chat platforms so tasks can be added through simple text prompts.
- Embedded Analytics for Work Patterns: Instead of just tracking tasks, some apps now provide insights into how users spend their time. They analyze work patterns, measure productivity trends, and suggest adjustments to improve efficiency.
- Personalized Workflows With No-Code Builders: More apps are giving users the ability to create their own workflows without coding. Drag-and-drop automation, custom dashboards, and rule-based triggers help teams tailor tools to fit their specific work styles.
What are Productivity Apps?
Productivity apps are software that help individuals and teams enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in various tasks. These apps encompass a wide range of functionalities, such as task management, calendar and scheduling, note-taking, document editing and collaboration, time tracking, and communication tools.
The primary goal of productivity apps is to streamline work processes, organize tasks, manage time better, and facilitate easier and more effective communication and collaboration. They are used both in personal and professional contexts to help users stay organized, focused, and productive.
Features of Productivity Apps
When selecting productivity apps, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Search and filtering: Helps you quickly find tasks, documents, or notes without scrolling endlessly.
- Task management: Helps you create, organize, and track tasks so nothing falls through the cracks.
- Collaboration tools: Allows teams to share files, comment on tasks, and communicate without switching between apps.
- Time tracking: Logs work hours and activity to help manage workloads and improve efficiency.
- Priority setting: Lets you rank tasks by urgency and importance to focus on what matters most.
- Offline access: Enables you to keep working even when you don’t have an internet connection.
- File storage and sharing: Keeps documents in one place and makes it easy to share them with others.
- Recurring tasks: Automates repetitive tasks so you don’t have to enter them manually every time.
- Calendar integration: Syncs with your schedule to ensure deadlines and meetings stay visible.
- Progress tracking: Shows real-time updates on tasks and projects to keep everyone informed.
Benefits of Productivity Apps
Implementing productivity apps can provide several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Better organization: Keeps tasks, deadlines, and files in one place so nothing gets lost or forgotten.
- Improved time management: Helps you plan your day, track work hours, and prioritize tasks more effectively.
- Easier collaboration: Lets team members share updates, assign work, and communicate without endless emails.
- Fewer missed deadlines: Sends reminders and notifications to keep projects on track.
- Reduced manual work: Automates repetitive tasks so you can focus on more important work.
- Greater visibility: Provides a clear view of workloads, progress, and bottlenecks in real time.
- More accountability: Tracks task ownership and deadlines, making it clear who’s responsible for what.
Costs & Pricing for Productivity Apps
Selecting productivity apps requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more.
The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in productivity app solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Productivity Apps
Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
Free Plan | $0 | Basic task management, limited storage, single-user access, and essential integrations. |
Personal Plan | $5-$15/user/month | Task tracking, calendar integration, mobile access, increased storage, and limited automation. |
Business Plan | $15-$40/user/month | Team collaboration, advanced reporting, workflow automation, priority support, and third-party integrations. |
Enterprise Plan | $40+/user/month | Custom security controls, API access, dedicated account management, advanced analytics, and organization-wide automation. |
Productivity Software Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about productivity apps.
What apps help with personal productivity?
Pomodoro Timer, Forest, Todoist, Tiimo, Bear, Notability, Forest, and Done.
These are tools we recommend you check out for personal productivity that may or may not have to do with your work as a project manager. Especially for those of you with kids who need to be full-time PMs, juggling all those extracurriculars.
How can I improve my daily productivity?
Believe it or not, many DPMs struggle with productivity. Everybody wants to be more productive at work, and it’s not only about having the tools, it also has to do with being disciplined and incorporating productivity hacks into your daily routine.
Here are 4 useful hacks to become more productive:
- Stay away from social media. This one is a big one. Since we handle team communications mostly online, our phones have become a very useful device to contact colleagues. The problem arises when you start switching to other apps or tending to your pending notifications every time you set eyes on your screen. Look for ways in which you can limit your access to certain apps from your phone settings. If you can’t, make some time for your phone using the next hack.
- Try introducing a working method, like Pomodoro. The Pomodoro method is a popular work methodology in which you break your day into periods of deep 25-minute focus followed by 5-minute breaks.
- Stay hydrated. Dehydration affects concentration, and you need to focus to be productive.
- Prioritize work. Not all tasks are born equal, although it may feel like it. Use a tool like the Eisenhower matrix to focus your efforts on the things that matter.
What is productivity paranoia?
Productivity paranoia is a phenomenon in which employers get scared that productivity is decreasing because they can’t “see” what employees are doing. This is mostly a consequence of remote work and the lack of trust in metrics.
As a result, employers might be hesitant to advertise new jobs as remote, increase the measures of control over employees (such as granular time tracking), or asking employees to return to the office part-time.
Read all about it in our productivity paranoia article where we discuss the US and states that are most affected by this phenomenon.
How To Be Productive: The Eisenhower Matrix
Too often, we focus on productivity as a question of volume: how much am I making, and how quickly? To truly do impactful work, we have to reposition our thoughts on productivity: it’s actually about making better use of your time.
How do you make better use of your time?
First, we have to work out the most productive ways we can use our time. Stop and ask yourself:
- What’s the impact of me not doing this seemingly urgent thing right now? (Because that urgent thing is actually probably not that important!)
- What are my highest value activities? What’s essential?
- What can I (and only I) do that, if done well, will make a real difference?
A good way to answer these questions is by using a priority matrix to map out tasks according to their level of urgency and importance. I like to use the matrix below, based on the Eisenhower Matrix:

Eisenhower Matrix Explanation
A simple breakdown of this chart tell us how to approach a task:
Priority #1: It’s Urgent And Important. Do it.
Your top tasks need the “do it now” rule. Along the same lines, if you see a task that’ll take less than 2 minutes to do, just get it done right away (Why? Because it’ll take more time to put it on your to-do list and then schedule and prioritize it).
Starting a high-priority task and persisting with that task until it is 100% complete is the true test of your character. It’s not easy, but it’s how you’re going to be productive. This takes self-discipline, but we can make it easier on ourselves with a few productivity tools.
Priority #2: It’s Not Urgent But Still Important. Decide on it.
In this case, decide on any points that are blocking the task from moving forward. Decide on the ideal time, person, and method to carry out the task.
If something is important but not necessarily urgent, you need to take a moment to decide on a proper plan for dealing with it. Stop getting sidetracked—plan to do the important stuff properly.
We can find ourselves feeling totally overwhelmed because we’re being pulled in too many directions – it feels like there’s too much on our plate and no way to keep everyone happy. In order to make decisions that make the most sense for us, our team, and our projects, we need to have a clear view of all of our tasks, priorities, and progress.
The following productivity apps are especially helping prioritize tasks—for checking what’s in the pipeline, tracking progress, and providing all the information to make solid decisions as we manage our work.
Priority #3: It’s Urgent But Not Important. Delegate It.
In this case, we delegate the task to the appropriate person so you can focus on important tasks.
Some people have an easy time delegating tasks, while others feel a really strong impulse to just “do it myself”. However hard it may be to offload tasks to other people, it’s really pretty simple to hand off tasks to a machine. As Thako Harris explains:
A flexible tool lets you automate repetitive tasks and streamline your processes, so you can focus on the actual work. The right tool will save time and reduce errors.

There are tons of productivity apps that we can use to do more with less time by adding more automation to our workflows, letting an algorithm handle the busy work.
Priority #4: It’s Not Urgent And Also Not Important. Delete it!
Finally, we can sometimes be more effective by doing less. There are endless opportunities (and plenty of productivity apps to help you) to say “yes” to great ideas. At the same time, being able to carry them out requires you to say “no” to the right things. Learn to set boundaries and say no.
It’s great to be nice and kind and help people out. The problem is, we don’t always have the time. That leaves us a wide-open opportunity to under-deliver or not deliver at all. You’re not going to do anyone any favours if you commit to something you can’t actually deliver your best work on.
And yes, there are productivity apps that you can use to move tasks off your plate and develop boundaries by giving you a system for just saying “no”.
At the end of each day, spend 10 minutes planning out what your day will look like tomorrow—what will you do, decide, delegate, and delete?
Then, have a look at the productivity apps in this overview. I’ve chosen ones that can help you carry out the important work of being effective with your time by automating, tracking, syncing, and reminding—leaving you with more time to do the work that matters most, and do it efficiently!
Become Your Most Productive, Efficient Self!
Hopefully the time-saving tools and tips in this article have helped you get one step closer to your most productive self. Remember that productivity takes practice, and your value at work isn’t measured in the number of to-dos you tick off your list each day!
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