The Best Productivity Tools for Work and Life

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Being productive is about reaching your goals and defining your priorities. Most of that is accomplished through discipline and willpower. But with all the increasing distractions, it’s hard to get everything done.

There are some productivity tools, both physical and digital, that can help you stay on track. They can be used at the office, while working-from-home, or in your everyday life.

Staying productive isn’t always convenient. And many don’t realize that a simple app or an ordinary item can make things easier. These tools are here to help you accomplish more.

Whiteboards

Having a whiteboard or a few can do you wonders. Writing down or outlining your daily agenda on a whiteboard will keep you organized.

Breaking down your goals into achievable tasks each day makes even the biggest projects doable.

It’s a great feeling wiping off one of the goals you set for yourself. You can also add any reminders or upcoming events.

A whiteboard is just a great way to brainstorm and organize your thoughts. Having it in words will make it a reality. And seeing a visual reminder of what you need to get done keeps you focused.

Kitchen Timer

Yes, a kitchen timer. But not to time what you’re cooking, it’s to time yourself. Timing yourself ensures that you will stay on task.

The hardest part is usually just starting. Having a timer to break down how long you will work on something really helps.

You may think a project will take too long and get overwhelmed. Tell yourself you will work on something for 1 hr. and set the timer.

You can use the built-in timer on your phone or one on a computer. I like having a physical timer. It works as a visual reminder as well. Here is the stainless-steel kitchen timer I use.

Post-it Notes

A classic office supply that still has a lot of uses in today’s digital world. Post-it notes make it convenient to write down quick notes and more. They should always be near you and your workspace.

You can stick them just about anywhere. It’s a great visual reminder. But don’t go overboard, or you will end up with too much clutter.

Google Drive & Google Docs

Google Drive and Google Docs are great productivity tools. It’s perfect for collaborating with others or keeping your team organized. You can create docs and allow others to edit them or leave notes.

Multiple people can work on the same files at the same time.

Many professional businesses use the Google ecosystem. It also works great for side hustles and small businesses. The best part is you get 15GB of free storage, which is plenty to start out with.

StayFocusd Chrome Extension

This handy Google Chrome extension helps to eliminate time-wasters.

When you’re working, it’s easy to get distracted by social media or other unproductive websites. You can tell yourself I’ll only check Facebook or Reddit for 10 minutes but end up sinking an hour into it.

The StayFocusd extension will block time-wasting websites after you’ve spent a specified amount of time on them. At that point, you’ll realize it’s time to focus on what matters and will be less tempted to scroll for memes.

Notebooks

Physical notebooks are still a very needed productivity tool! You can use them to plan, journal, brainstorm, and more. I keep multiple notebooks for different projects.

Have a set of notebooks and good pens in your workspace. They’ll allow you to record your ideas outside of the digital realm.

It’s refreshing to occasionally turn off the screen and focus on pen and paper.

Digital Notebooks

Note apps are incredibly helpful and convenient. If you are not already using one, I have no idea how you manage.

Because I use Apple products, I am a big fan of the Apple Notes app. It syncs up between my iPhone and MacBook and is really simple to use.

You can make lists, take notes, save important links, codes, and more all within the Notes app.

Another popular note app is Evernote. It is more fleshed out than Apple Notes and comes with some advanced features. For Windows users, check out is Microsoft OneNote it’s another excellent note-taking tool.

todoist

There are many different ways to create a to-do list. If you are looking for a more sophisticated and organized method, check out todoist.

The app makes large projects more approachable and keeps all your tasks organized.

It has a lot of features that you won’t find with other to-do list apps. You can get productivity reports, cross-platform support, team sharing, and more.

todoist has both free and paid plans.

Grammarly

Grammar is important in many different settings, both professional and personal. If you write a lot, Grammarly is a must-have. It will help you spot errors and construct better sentences.

It can make suggestions that are a bit robotic, so human proof-reading is still necessary.

Grammarly works on your computer, Google Docs, websites, Microsoft Word, and on your phone. They offer both free and paid plans.

Buffer

Social media management can take up a lot of valuable time. Buffer makes it easy to manage multiple social media accounts. You can schedule posts at peak times and measure performance.

Scheduling your social media posts and being consistent will help increase your following.

Buffer works with all the popular social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Use their free plan or upgrade to a premium one that fits your needs.

Hypefury

Hypefury is similar to Buffer but is only for Twitter. It takes your Twitter game to a whole new level.

Consistent posting can be difficult without a schedule. Many times you’ll go to tweet something but quickly get distracted by other content.

Using Hypefury will not only make you more productive. It will also grow your Twitter account.

It has several features that allow you to fine-tune your tweets. My favorite feature is the automatic retweeting of popular tweets to keep your feed active.

Try it for free for 14-days.

Zoom

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, video conferencing is now in full swing. Zoom is a great productivity tool that allows remote sharing of your screen.

Collaborating with others online has never been easier thanks to this technology. You can use it to hold important meetings or just connect with friends and family.

Virtual tools like Zoom save a lot of time and make it possible to network overseas.

Zoom has free and paid plans suited for any small business.