There are not enough hours in a day. You’ve probably mumbled that phrase in front of your screen. With the endless flow of meetings, emails, and instant messages, free time is becoming scarce. Time management has become a world of apps, software, and hardware whose sole purpose is to ensure that every minute spent at work is productive.
That’s not counting with mobile devices. Even though the press keeps reminding us that mobile devices are distracting and overworked, according to 70% of respondents in our Laptop Productivity Survey, their mobile devices would have no negative effect on their work-life balance. For some of them, it would even be the opposite. In the same survey, 45% of people who work with their mobile devices said they use five or more apps to help them be more efficient. With your cell phones close at hand, why not use them to your advantage rather than to your detriment? From calendars to tomato timers, here are the best time management apps to organize your life.
Best free time management apps
-
Evernote
Notes, memos, images, checklists… whatever you want! Not only does Evernote store them, but it makes them easily accessible by searching with optical character recognition. Still a fan of pencil and paper? Take a photo of your handwritten note and store it in Evernote for easy access and sharing.
-
Grammarly
If you’re like me, you read your emails three or four times before hitting the send button. Then you stop looking at them for fear of missing a spelling mistake. With Grammarly, worry no more: this free app listens to your writing like a second pair of eyes, noting both misused words and those you use too frequently. She takes care of all the grammar checking so you can focus on the important work.
3. RescueTime
We squander a ton of life on the Internet. This free time tracking app tells you precisely where you spend your time and how much of it you waste, helping you find a balance between productivity and relaxation. Receive detailed reports including time spent on specific websites, track your accomplishments and completed tasks, and find out how much time you spend in meetings and on your emails to better manage your work time.
-
Pocket
How many times a day do you stop to read an interesting article or watch a funny video someone sent you? If it’s cutting into your productivity, try Pocket. This productivity management app helps you maintain momentum by marking articles as favorites to read later. So, once your work is done, you can immerse yourself in plenty of exciting content.
Best time management apps for Android
-
Pomodoro Timer
Do your 10-minute breaks often last up to 30 minutes? Set yourself a limit. Thanks to the Pomodoro timer, you determine the duration of your work sessions and your breaks, to easily carry out your tasks without getting stuck on one of them. ($2.50)
-
Pushbullet
Sometimes we need to put our phones away to focus on work. With Pushbullet, you can get all your notifications straight to your computer, so you won’t be amazed when looking at your phone. Close the gap between your phone and computer to manage which notifications you want to receive or not, and get back to work right away. ($4.99 per month)