7 Must-Have Tools to Increase Your Business Productivity

Working for a thriving business is a great feeling, and it’s even better when it belongs to you. You may find yourself needing some guidance, however, as managing all those moving parts can be complex. Do you often wonder about how to boost your business productivity or get your colleagues all one page?

If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got recommendations for some helpful tools you can use to oil the gears and make operations run smooth.

1. Evernote

Digital note-takers will love this user-friendly app. Evernote allows you to take notes on any of your devices by using various templates. It offers plenty of document templates outside of note-taking, so don’t hesitate to apply it for other purposes. Create a calendar to schedule quarterly events, or design a goal tracker to manage your team’s progress.

Use the Spaces feature to combine everyone’s work and share documents. With Evernote’s secure cloud storage, you can share company information without stressing over compromised connections. Pair Evernote with Siri or Google Assistant to create notes without lifting a finger.

Get the basic version for free, or upgrade to business for $14.99 per month.

2. Monday

Say hello to your new favorite project management system. View all your teams and to-dos from one dashboard, and monitor your company’s progress as you move up in the world. Start with a template to fit your needs — are you tracking orders or do you need a place to view projects? Develop a tagging system, add locations and give performance ratings. Bring in teammates and easily assign them to tasks.

Monday also allows you to integrate outside apps for a more comprehensive experience. Access your Gmail with the click of a button, or add a file to your Dropbox without opening extra tabs. Select your software from basic, standard, pro or enterprise levels.

3. Google Drive

Most businesspeople know a thing or two about Google Drive, and for good reasons — it’s incredibly handy. Collaborate on projects in real time by working within the same space. Grant permissions for specific team members or leave it open-access. Eliminate the need to click the save button every five minutes with Drive’s autosave feature. You can wave goodbye to your days of hunting for backup files after computer crashes.

Choose Google Docs, Sheets or Slides to launch your next business venture. If you love using cloud services, you’ll enjoy this business productivity tool.

4. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is the platform for you if the bulk of your operations rely on social media interaction. This tool combines all your accounts in one place for easy sharing and direct statistics. Search hashtags and keywords to see what consumers and industry leaders are saying about you. Produce your content weeks in advance and schedule it to go live on specific days. You can even ensure that only approved content makes it through — has maintaining your brand image ever been so simple?

Choose from professional, team and business levels depending on your company needs.

5. RescueTime

Have trouble staying efficient at the office? Manage your time with this business productivity software. RescueTime tracks how long you spend browsing specific websites and gives you stats on where to reduce usage. Set daily limits to ensure you don’t go over time — if you do, you receive a notification nudging you to move to another task. The app’s Productivity Pulse lets you know how well you’re doing each day.

The days of losing hours surfing your social media feeds are over. Streamline your routine, and you’ll have more time to do things you enjoy. Get the Lite version for free, or upgrade to $6 a month per team member.

6. Trello

Leave your plain to-do list behind for a more flexible experience. Trello organizes your projects by using fun color-coded boards — then allows you to create cards within these boards for individual tasks. Use colors to distinguish high priority tasks and decide what you need to accomplish first. Attach pictures to your cards, organize them in chronological order or add comments for your colleagues. Trello offers you a focused space that makes establishing a workflow straightforward.

Get started for free or pick business class for $9.99 a month.

7. Pocket

Many people experience it — you see a fascinating article but don’t have time to read it. Bookmarking is convenient, but having different links across devices can cause clutter and confusion. Thankfully, you have Pocket to integrate your content. Save content from over 1,500 apps and access it offline for times when WiFi isn’t available. And for a sweet bonus? Pocket saves videos too. Eliminate boredom during long commutes to the office.

Try the free version or go premium for $4.99 monthly.

Productivity Made Simple

Buckling down with your efficiency doesn’t have to be a chore. Encourage imagination and fun with these business productivity tools. Your workflow will run with the ease of a new machine — and who doesn’t love that?