Alongwith the rest of the world, we tend to be obsessed with productivity. We wantto produce more in less time. We want to do so without negatively affecting thequality of our products or services.
The digital age has proved to be both ablessing and a curse in this respect. New technologies have provided us withhigh-quality productivity-boosting tools. At the same time, it has placedgreater demands on us to become more productive.
The rat race is still with us, and it’sfaster than ever.
We’ve discovered areas where technology isindeed a friend. One of those areas comes in the form of smartphone apps andother productivity apps. These wonderful creations help us manage our projectsand our personal schedules. They help us organize errands, and even plan ourmeals.
We’re pleased to present for yourconsideration the top productivity apps for 2019.
1.Mason
Masonprovides increased productivity with a capital P. This front-endfeature-building platform for product design teams allows them to quickly,economically, and efficiently create high-quality front-end features for theirapps.
Mason’s feature-building process is a modelof efficiency and high productivity, but where this tool really shines is whereit enables teams to skip wireframing and prototyping, documentation, QAinspection and coding as they proceed through design and product deployment.
Teams can also make changes to theirfront-end creations quickly; even after a product has already been deployed andis in maintenance mode. In fact, any authorized product stakeholder who has aMason account can add features and make changes to a product that’s up andrunning.
Mason’s building blocks and visualinterface are key to designing and building software features for websites,apps, and other digital products. If you’ve been looking for a UI/UX tool thatcan create a software feature faster, with great precision, and save you timeand money, give this productivity app a close look.
2. Proto.io
Proto.iois an easy-to-use web application which designers, developers, productmanagers, and entrepreneurs can use for prototyping when designing mobile andweb apps. Nor coding skills are required neither are any special design skillsrequired to build either low-fidelity or high-fidelity prototypes.
Proto.io consists of three environments:the Dashboard, the Editor and the Player. Proto.io’s Dashboard providesinvaluable version control assistance which is especially important duringrapid prototyping activities. The Editor takes care of the entire process ofprototype-building, and the Player displays in your browser what you’veaccomplished and in addition, it plays a major role in user testing.
Proto.io 6, the latest version of thisproductivity tool, features a redesigned user interface, new state transitions,easy sharing options, a new Proto.io app for Android and iOS integration withuser testing platforms, and more.
3. monday.com
monday.comis a centralized team management tool that helps teams manage every aspect anddetail of their day-to-day tasks, and plan, organize, and track their work in asingle visual and collaborative space.
Once you’ve decided upon what’s important andhelpful for your team, monday.com will capture and visualize the requisiteinformation so you can see who’s in charge of what, track time, and generallyspeed up workflow and throughput.
Project leaders and team members alike lovethis productivity-boosting team management tool because of the culture oftransparency it promotes and supports. When all parties concerned can view thesame information, it gives them a greater sense of importance and empowerment.
monday.com is currently managing the work ofmore than 50,000 teams in 76 countries. It’s an intuitive, beautifullyorganized team management tool that helps connect people to processes.
4. ActiveCollab
Thelatest version of this popular project management software features a host ofnew and enhanced features and is better in almost every way you can think of.Of particular note is the task dependencies with automatic reschedulingfeature.
In new Active Collab, when a change is made to aparent task, each child task is automatically updated and rescheduled –removing excessive busywork.
5.Nutcache
Nutcacheprovides an all-in-one project management software solution that helps projectmanagers and teams manage tasks smarter and with greater efficiency. Itpromotes team collaboration from a project’s initial planning and estimatingtasks through final billing.
Nutcache also performs time tracking dutiesand automates expense management and invoicing. This app’s flexibility andsimplicity has made it a popular and useful tool to help teams organize anddeliver work on time and within budget.
Lucidchartbelongs in your project management toolkit if your team is spread acrossdifferent locations and team members are working on a mix of differentoperating systems.
Lucidchart also saves time and eliminatesmisunderstandings and misconceptions because of its ability to help youvisually communicate complex ideas or make technically-oriented presentationsto non-technical audiences. It does this by providing a library of usefulshapes to create virtually any type of a presentation diagram.
Top 5 Productivity Tips to Achieve More and Create Peace of Mind
Tip #1. Write it down.
Make a habit ofwriting down every task to be done and every commitment you’ve made. Trying toremember something you committed to last week? Or, maybe, something you shouldhave added to your to-do list? This can often prove to be distracting andenergy-sucking.
Tip #2. Do the task you dread doing first.
Since you’re goingto have to do it eventually, do it now. You’ll feel good about yourself onceyou’ve done it.
Tip #3. Take breaks – religiously.
You can devote yourfull attention to a task for only so long before the law of diminishing returnskicks in. Experiment with the Pomodoro (Tomato) principle. Take a 5-10 minutebreak every 40 minutes – whatever works best for you. Doing so will help you mentallyand physically.
Tip #4. Exercise
We’re not talkingabout extreme sports training. Walk, jog, stretch, or practice somemuscle-strengthening exercises. Do this daily or several times a week. Healthypeople are more productive.
Tip #4. Learn to say no.
Say yes toeverything and everyone and you end up letting everyone else control your life.Pick and choose tasks and commitments judiciously and you’ll be far moreproductive.
Conclusion
Take the aboveproductivity tips seriously and make a habit of following them. You shouldstart noticing some very positive results in a short time. If you can use oneof more of the productivity tools listed above so much the better.
You’ll have morecontrol over your work, you’ll be more productive, and you’ll feel much betterabout yourself.
