Work hard, play hard, right? Well- when you play as hard as we do, you can bet we’ve got lots of tools that help us work hard, too. The thing is- sometimes working hard also means working smarter. With today’s technology- there are so many tools out there that can help up your productivity and make your job easier! Here are some of our favorites:
1. Evernote
Stop depending on Post-its for important information! Now, there’s a website/software and app called Evernote that is an amazing place to store notes and collaborate with members of your team. Best of all- it’s free! We love Evernote because it’s easy to use, and can sync with your computer and all of our other mobile devices, too. Simply open up a note, jot some info down, and add a categorizing tag or add to a specific library- and then it will automatically sync itself. Start a team notebook, and keep lists with handy checkboxes anyone can edit to keep your entire team organized and focused while working on specific project. And it’s also compatible over different operating systems- so your die-hard Mac fanatics and PC lovers can both use it. Now that’s teamwork!
2. Hootsuite/Buffer
Social media is important- that’s nothing new. But it can get laborious and tiresome to log in to each of your social media platforms to post content everyday! That’s where Hootsuite and Buffer come in. With these online social media managers, you can manage all of your platforms in one convenient place. Each of them offer different perks –so look into both and see what works best for you! Either way, you’re bound to take a lot of the hassle out of social media management. Now, being social is only tiring when you’re forced to go to your 10 year high school class reunion.
3. StayFocused
This is an extension for Google Chrome that helps you stay on track by blocking specific websites that are a tempting distraction to you. You can tailor it to your specific weaknesses by telling it to block certain websites, and at certain time periods. For example- if you know you tend to find yourself down the Youtube rabbit hole often- you can block that site during your work hours. Facebook and other social media sites are also common targets, of course. If you don’t want to cut yourself off completely- you can even just set time limits for yourself, limiting your use on certain sites to 30 minutes a day, for example. While it may seem harsh to use a browser extension to monitor your own internet usage- it can be a lifesaver for people who find themselves mindlessly clicking over to time-wasting sites when they want a break.
4. 1Password
Never have to check to the “I Forgot My Password” box again with 1 Password- a password storage vault that keeps all of your passwords in one convenient place! Organize them however you like- keep it for all your personal use, or have a company 1Password for important passwords to remember. This comes in handy especially for web development or IT companies that often have to manage different log-ins and credentials for many clients. It’s available for Mac computers and also an iPhone app.
There are tons of other great apps and browser extensions out there- it just takes some searching! But hopefully these can help you get off to a more productive start. Do you have any favorites? Let us know in the comments!
