If you’re running a business, working in a business, or trying to be better at your job, then you probably want to be more efficient. It’s not something that you sacrifice health and happiness to achieve (got to have that balance), but being more efficient in your workday is probably something that you think about on your hours out of the office. Regardless of your industry, there’s a lot to do. Technology has made a lot of new things possible. Knowing all this, we’ve compiled 10 Technology Apps To Make Your Workday More Efficient.
Most of these are technology apps that you can download to your smartphone or desktop computer. Some will integrate with others apps. Some you might have heard of, and others might be new to you. What they all have in common is that they should make your more efficient in your workday.
We hope you find these technology apps as helpful as we do:
1. Basecamp 3
Basecamp 3 is a web-based collaboration application designed to help groups work together. Each “basecamp” is divided into six parts: group chat, message boards, to-do lists, schedule, check-ins, and docs & files. You can utilize these tools in a variety of ways to communicate with your employees and team members, whether they’re working remotely, or in the office next door. It’s best used as a mode of communication, rather than focusing on one or two niche items, so it’s best to think big picture with Basecamp 3.
2. Boomerang
Boomerang works with Gmail to let you schedule emails, set follow-up reminders, and helps to clean up your inbox. This is a crazy great tool for the busy folks among us (AKA…everybody). Boomerang allows you to control time (at least in terms of your Gmail) so that you can focus your energies and efforts on the things that make you or your business run. Think about it: you can write birthday or holiday notes and then set them to send months in advance. Communicate with others in different time zones. Write the email when you have the time, and set it to send at that moment so you don’t forget. You can even schedule emails to come back to the top of your inbox if you haven’t received a reply. This makes Boomerang and INCREDIBLE tool for outreach.
3. Join.me
Growing technology has allowed more people to work remotely than ever before. But meetings still need to happen (of course they do!). Join.me is a tool designed to connect multiple people from different locations using audio conferencing, video conferencing, and screen sharing. Join.me allows users to set up conference calls for multiple teams, bringing everyone together regardless of their physical location. Now, there’s a lot of these tools. Why Join.me? Number one, it’s fast and easy to use. It doesn’t require any sort of download to a device, and the quality of the audio and video component (not to mention the screen sharing) is top notch. Number two, it’s affordable! The basic package is free, and the upgrades will give you more options at a reasonable price. After setting up a meeting you can change presenters, change screen views, and loads of other stuff to make sure your meeting is as smooth and productive as possible.
4. Mailchimp
When it comes to email marketing, Mailchimp is top of the class. But what does Mailchimp do? Lots of things. Number one, it sets you up with a template for your email campaign, all you have to do is provide the recipients. Mailchimp also tracks data such as open and bounce rates, not to mention integrating into systems that you’re probably already using such as Google Analytics or Pardot. With this information, Mailchimp makes it easy to craft unique content based on what your subscribers are most interested in.
5. Producteev
Producteev is task management software, designed to get the most out of multiple teams. While something like Basecamp 3 revolves more around team communication, Producteev’s strengths lie in the micro part of the map. Producteev is excellent at setting up recurring tasks and deadlines for individuals or teams, with an easy to use tag system that makes it easy to recognize who’s taking care of what. The software is especially great if you’re on the run, with apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android, as well as integration with your Mac desktop.
6. Trello
Trello is an online tool used to manage projects and personal tasks. Think of a giant “to-do” board, maybe a huge dry erase board in your office. On this board you have all your projects displayed, and all team members can edit and update the board as they progress through their projects. This is what Trello is trying to do, but by putting it online, making it accessible from anywhere. Per their website, Trello adapts to your project, team, and workflow. This means you can set due dates, checklists, or whatever, and it will all be updated, to your whole team, in real-time.
7. Roboform
Do you constantly forget your passwords? Of course you do! Everyone does! That’s like asking if you like Beyonce (of course you do…everyone does…repeat after me). Roboform aims to solve the problem of passwords by consolidating all your passwords into one master password, essentially providing you with the increased security that comes with lots of different passwords, even though you only have to remember the one. It’s brilliant. Of course, this also applies to your usernames. Roboform can also autofill your name, address, contact info, and other information when you’re filling out forms from shipping to signup. Roboform also syncs information between all your devices, so you’re never locked out of a site.
8. Simplenote
The days of the pen and yellow legal pad are over. Or they should be (do it for the trees!). And even if you are still an aficiando of the old fashioned pen and paper, in today’s mobile world you’re probably jotting down notes on your iPad or smart phone. Enter Simplenote. It’s fast. It’s easy to use. And it syncs (reliably) between your devices. Why carry around a notepad and pen to write your ideas, when you can put them on your phone (which you’re carrying around anyway). Simplenote is basic and easy to use, just like a blank sheet of paper should be.
9. Unroll.Me
Unroll.Me is an app designed to erase clutter and organize your email. Does that sound like something that might make your life easier? Give you more time on the things that matter? Of course! Unroll.Me is a great tool to clean up the dreaded inbox. If you’ve been using the same email address for years, you know the amount of unwanted email that you get on a daily basis. And you know the feeling of dread when you have to go through ten steps to unsubscribe from lists that you don’t remember joining in the first place. It’s a pain, and it takes time. Unroll.Me makes it very easy to unsubscribe from email lists that you don’t want in your inbox, whether you’re on your computer or mobile device. It also erases clutter by “rolling up” emails that you select, delivering them to you in one singly daily digest.
10. Google Drive
Google Drive is all about storing your files in THE CLOUD (I always think THE CLOUD sounds pretty ominous…but it ain’t). Like Google, Drive is ubiquitous the world over. Through Drive you can work on the vast array of Google services such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Calendars (among other things). Google Drive makes it easy to update and communicate with multiple team members on documents from wherever. Anytime. Anyplace. If you’re already using Gmail for your email, Drive makes it easy to search for any file you need, whether it’s a shared spreadsheet with your team, or some personal photos from your recent vacation. There are some competing platforms such as Dropbox (a VERY successful company in its own right), but none will have the ability to streamline and keep all your stuff in one place the way that Google Drive can