20 Productivity Apps You Didn't Know You Needed From note-taking to goal setting, check out these helpful tools.
By Rose Leadem
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Whether you're taking notes, following up on emails or prepping for a meeting, with technology these simple tasks shouldn't bite into too much of your time. Luckily, there's pretty much an app for everything.
Related: 5 Ways to Keep Your Productivity High All Day
From note-taking to research, there are a number of apps out there today to help maximize your productivity. The app Charlie puts together information on a person you're meeting with. Braintoss will turn your thoughts, which can be recorded, photographed or typed, into clear transcribed text.
Not sure where to start? Here are 20 productivity apps you didn't know you needed.
BraintossBraintoss, $1.99
Braintoss can make sure you never miss a note or forget a thought. By speaking, snapping a picture or typing your thoughts, Braintoss will record your ideas and send them directly to your inbox. Braintoss will even transcribe any audio you record or images you take into text.
(iOS, Android)
FollowUpFollowUp, $0.99
When you're busy, it's easy for things to slip through the cracks. However, FollowUp wants to make sure you don't forget anything. FollowUp congregates all of your most important emails, text messages and unanswered phone calls in one place, so you're reminded to get back to them.
(iOS, Android)
MuzzleMuzzle, free
When you're at work, the last thing you want to be bothered with are embarrassing messages from friends. While it's convenient to get your texts, Slack and other messages delivered straight to your computer, if you're sharing your screen for a meeting or presentation, sometimes it might be a good idea to hide any potentially embarrassing notifications. Muzzle will silence those messages from popping up on your screen while you're in screen sharing mode.
(MacOS)
Related: 9 Rules for Successful Time Management
UnclutterUnclutter, $9.99
For Mac users only, Unclutter will help you organize your to-dos, files and notes all in one place. It won't clutter your screen either -- Unclutter is only visible once you move your mouse to the top of the screen and scroll down with your trackpad. It aims to be a one-stop spot for all of your most important things, and it doesn't make your computer look unorganized and messy.
(MacOS)
YoinkYoink, $6.99
Another app for Mac users only, Yoink helps you simplify and speed up your daily workflow. By improving the process of dragging and dropping files on your computer, whether from the internet, different folders or hard drives, Yoink provides a temporary place to put all of these items. As a result, your desktop and other random folders are freed up of any screenshots, images and other content, and you don't need to spend excess time moving your mouse around organizing these items into various places.
(MacOS)
CushionCushion, $5+/month
As a freelancer, it can often be a challenge to take on the right amount of work and manage your time correctly. Sometimes you take on too much work and don't have a moment to take a break. For others, there might be too little work. Cushion, created by a team of freelancers, helps freelancers plan months in advance and provides a "bird's-eye view" of the entire year. It notifies users when they are available and when they are overbooked. The app also helps freelancers handle their cash flow too by tracking monthly financial goals, and assisting with invoicing clients.
(Windows, MacOS)
CharlieCharlie, free
Whether you're meeting a new client or going into an interview, it's important to know some background about who you're meeting with. Instead of taking the time to research people on the web, Charlie can do this for you. The app goes through hundreds of sources to create a one-page document with information about the person you're going to meet with.
(iOS)
HarvestHarvest, free
Harvest helps users track time spent on projects and helps make sure they're staying on budget. Great for businesses who work on a project-basis, the app also provides insights to help estimate future projects and a business' profitability. In addition to time tracking, it also assists with invoicing and tracks expenses.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
Related: 5 Daily Habits That Will Increase Your Productivity Levels
RevueRevue, free
Whether you're building a personal or company brand, a great way to speak to an audience is through newsletters. Putting together a newsletters can be time-consuming, but they can be really impactful in reaching out to people and starting a conversation. Revue makes creating and sending newsletters easier by providing templates and helping to send it out to your followers.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
Temp MailTemp Mail, free
Dealing with spam flooding your inbox can be stressful, and you have better things to do than go through and delete them. The Temp Mail app provides users with a disposable email address that they can use for 10 minutes to avoid any unwanted emails. That means when you need to provide your email to a website or sign up for something that might cause spam in your inbox, you can provide a temporary email and dodge any future spam emails.
(iOS, Android)
Awesome ScreenshotAwesome Screenshot, free
Sometimes it can be difficult to get the perfect screenshot off your desktop, and then once you've finally got it, you can't directly edit it. However, Awesome Screenshot helps users snap any part or all of a web page, and then lets them annotate, comment, blur sensitive information and share with others.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
Atlas RecallAtlas Recall, free
Few of us are born with a photographic memory, although with the help of today's technology, we can feel like we have this power. Atlas Recall creates a searchable index of all of your content, including browser history, email accounts, social media, chat messages and more. Calling itself a "searchable photographic memory," Atlas Recall helps users find anything they've come across on any device, apps and cloud services.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
ThingsThings, $9.99
To-do lists can get messy and congested, and the app Things seeks to fix that by helping users make the most of their day. For Mac and iOS, Things organizes your to-dos in different lists including today, this evening, upcoming, checklists and other customizable headings. It helps create an outline for not only your day, but months in advance.
(iOS, MacOS)
Related: 9 Free Apps That Immediately Make Life Easier
StridesStrides, free
Strides isn't just another daily to-do app. It helps you track your goals and habits, letting you know how close you are to achieving the goals you've set. It groups habits and goals in four categories: target, habit, average and project. It will not only help you reach your long-term goals, but also help you kick any bad habits.
(iOS, MacOS)
SquidSquid, free
Built for Android and Windows, Squid helps you save time by converting your handwritten notes and other documents into images or PDFs. You can annotate and write on the new images, and you can also scan and sign any documents without needing to use a printer or scanner.
(Android, Windows)
Realtime BoardRealtime Board, free
Communication is key when you're working with a team. Realtime Board is an online whiteboard designed for collaborative work environments that helps keep every team member on the same page. Users can work on research together, sharing images and creating mood boards, conduct visual brainstorming sessions, work on user experience and design together and more. Realtime Board puts everything in one place and lets every team member chip in and see what's going on.
(iOS, MacOS, Android, Windows)
PomelloPomello, free
If you're a Trello user, here's an app that will make organizing and completing your Trello tasks even easier. Pomello helps users stay focused on their daily tasks and long-term goals by sitting at the top of your window and letting you know when you should take a break, go to the gym or anything else. It connects with your Trello account and uses your Trello cards to help you create a schedule to get everything done.
(MacOS, Windows)
WorkflowyWorkflowy, free
Here's another app to help you organize your lists and ensure you stay on task. Workflowy is a tool for taking notes and making lists -- it gives users one place to help them manage all of the information they need on a daily basis.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
FeedlyFeedly, free
With the abundance of news outlets out there today, there's a ton of overlap when it comes to breaking news and other content. Feedly helps users quickly filter through articles published by their favorite news outlets -- allowing them to organize, read, save and share stories that they care about.
(iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows)
TimezoneTimezone, free
If you work with a remote team, with employees working across the world, Timezone will help you keep track of where your team is and what time it is in their location. This can help you plan meetings and calls that work with everyone's schedule.
(MacOS, Windows)
