Running Out of Time
– Ozzy Osbourne, 2001
As a small business owner, project manager, IT professional, or consultant in charge of a part – or a whole – of managing these all-important tasks, how can you remedy this disturbing lack of productivity? Short answer: must-have productivity apps!
Let’s take a look below at applications which can improve productivity and help you create a more improved (read: streamlined) business functionality. Let’s dig in!
Dropbox
Dropbox for Business is as good a place to start as any. Work on the go, sync all your work across a variety of different devices, and manage your team effortlessly. Collaborate with workers and clients from anywhere, backup all your most important files off-site, and don’t waste anymore time attaching files to emails (Dropbox provides users with the most up-to-date/edited files). They offer a free 14 day trial for individuals and businesses looking to see if the app fits their productivity boosting needs.
iDoneThis
Here’s the jist: every day you and your team members answer an email asking about what they’ve done with their day. The next day they’ll receive a rundown of what each team member accomplished the previous day. Sounds pretty simple, right?
iDoneThis serves as a way for small business owners to truly keep track of productivity. You’ll see who got what done and be able to celebrate those accomplishments. It’s a simple yet effective program meant to highlight spots where you need improvement and/or areas where you’re already being productive. iDoneThis offers a free 30-day trial period then $5 per person per month afterwards.
Asana
Asana provides a shared task list for a team of workers. It’s an online-only project management/collaboration/to-do list/organizer app which provides all the necessary tools to manage tasks, collaboration, teamwork, and more. Asana can be a very effective tool in cutting down on forgotten deadlines, showing each worker what their tasks are, and boosting productivity for the entire business.
Blossom.io
For startups looking to grow by leaps and bounds – and well-known brands, too – Blossom.io offers a product management tool to help manage the entire product development process, anywhere and everywhere: home, work, and remotely. Collaborate and share in a fun, intuitive, and creative way. Know the state of your project at all times, be able to focus on one thing at a time before moving on to the next crucial step, and create something – a new product, a better business, and a streamlined work environment – together!
Honorable Mentions
By honorable we mean pretty awesome. Here are a few extra must-have productivity apps for IT professionals, small business owners, project managers, consultants, and everyone in between:
- For small business marketing: Glyder;
- For android users looking for a Siri alternative: Maluuba;
- For business travel: TripIt;
- Successfully organize your tasks: Workflowy;
- Manage different passwords: 1password; and
- Take notes, save pics, and make checklists; remember it all with Evernote.
For a top 50 list, be sure to head over to Lifehack. And for a more condensed list, head over to Business Insider for a top 10 list!
CPA4IT
CPA4IT has more than 30 years of experience supporting IT contractors, consultants, small business owners, project managers, and beyond with a diverse range of accounting needs.
We specialize in small business accounting in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, and Montreal. For a chartered accountant near you, call 1-800-465-7532 today! Whether in Toronto or across greater Canada, we’ve got you covered!
