The days where I feel most productive all have something in common: I budgeted my time well. When I'm at my most productive, I start the day with a plan and stay focused on my to-do list, which means that not only do I get more done in a shorter amount of time, I also produce higher-quality work.
No matter your profession, time management matters. But it's all too easy to form bad habits that, once ingrained, are hard to break. Sometimes, you just need a little extra outside help to get yourself on track.
The apps below will help you organize and utilize your time in a more effective and productive way.
1. Todoist
Price: Free (Todoist Free), $4/month billed annually (Todoist Premium), $5/user/month billed annually (Todoist Business)
Available On: iOS | Android (Desktop and web apps also available)
Todoist is a task management app that allows you to assign to-do items due dates, as well as tag them with different project labels. You can add tasks from your desktop or phone. As a fun added bonus, you can rack up "Karma points" by completing tasks consistently.
Source: Doist
2. Calendar
Price: Free (Basic), $10/month billed (Pro), $12/user/month (Business), and Enterprise plan (Contact for free estimate)
Available On: iOS | Android (coming soon on Android)
Calendar is an AI-enabled digital calendar, scheduling, and time management solution for individuals and teams. It brings together your Google Calendar, iCal (Apple Calendar), and Outlook Calendar into one dashboard view that you can customize and share.
The digital calendar syncs across devices as well as offers a virtual assistant that can learn your schedule and begin taking over meeting planning, invitations, and scheduling changes.
The paid versions also add meeting transcriptions and a wide range of analytics so you can see how you spend your time in meetings and with people.
Source: Calendar.com
3. Be Focused Timer
Price: Free
Available On: iOS | Mac
This timer provides a handy way to track blocks of work and allows you to track your past work history. Manage your tasks, track your goals, and customize work interval duration to maximize your productivity.
Source: Xwavesoft
4. Focus Booster
Price: Free (Starter), $2.99/month (Individual), $4.99/month (Professional)
Available On: iOS | Android | Web App
Focus Booster also uses the Pomodoro Technique model for tracking work, but provides a deeper dive into exactly where your time is going. You can link revenue, meetings, and projects to your Pomodoros so you gain a birds-eye view of the impact of your work.
Source: Focus Booster
5. Kiwake Alarm Clock
Price: $7.99
Available On: iOS
Kiwake is an alarm clock app that infuses your daily alarm with a bit more meaning -- and removes the temptation to snooze. Users have to physically get out of bed, play a brain game, and review their custom goals to shut off the alarm.
Source: Kiwake
6. Loop - Habit Tracker
Price: Free
Available On: Android
Many of us find ourselves being unproductive at work because we just can't shake our bad habits. This app makes it easier to form productive rituals in and out of work -- just set a goal in the app and access dozens of preset "recipes" of behaviors you must repeat on a daily basis. Over time, these behaviors will become second nature.
Source: Loop - Habit Tracker
7. Focus@Will
Price: $9.95/month each (2-5 users), $8.95/month each (6-50 users), $6.95/month each (51-150), $4.95/month (151-250 users)
Available On: iOS | Android
Developed by three neuroscientists, Focus@Will hosts a proprietary collection of music that's been mixed and edited to serve a specific neurological purpose. You can choose from different genres and customize energy level, and Focus@Will serves up a collection of tracks specifically designed to help you concentrate and achieve flow.
Source: Focus@Will
8. Freedom
Price: $6.99/month, $2.42/month for one year, or $129.00 yearly
Available On: iOS | Mac | Windows
Sometimes you just need to go cold turkey. Freedom blocks websites and apps that pull you away from what you're supposed to be doing -- for example, social media and news sites.
You can customize recurring "work sessions" that'll start automatically and cut off access to distracting content so you can focus.
Source: Freedom
9. Noisli
Price: Free on desktop, $1.99 for app
Available On: Web app | iOS | Chrome extension
Noisli provides ambient background noise that blocks out outside distraction and helps you focus only on your task at hand. You can choose from one of their preset combos, or adjust categories like nature sounds or ocean waves to create your own custom mix of noise.
Source: Noisli
10. OmniFocus
Price: $39.99 (Standard), $79.99 (Pro)
Available On: iOS | Mac
See your work in a variety of ways, view your calendar, add new tasks, customize review intervals and more. Plus, sync your data between multiple Macs -- and even iOS apps using OmniFocus.
Source: Omni Group
11. Forest App
Price: $1.99
Available On: iOS | Android
Want to put down your phone and focus? Plant a seed in Forest. As time goes by, the seed grows into a tree. Give in to temptation and leave the app? Your tree will wither. And Forest partners with real tree-planting organization, Trees for the Future, to plant real trees.
Source: Forest
12. Asana
Price: Free (Basic), $9.99/user/month billed annually (Premium), $19.99/user/month billed annually (Business), Contact sales (Enterprise)
Available On: iOS | Android | Desktop
Asana is a task manager you can use to keep track of your day-to-day activities. It also allows sales reps to manage leads and customers, and collaborate with their sales team.
Source: Asana
13. Toggl
Price: $9/user/month (Starter), $18/user/month (Premium), Custom pricing (Enterprise)
Available On: iOS | Android | Desktop
Toggl is a time tracker that will help you boost your productivity. Keep track the tasks or areas of your role that are taking the most time. And evaluate where your daily processes and habits could be improved.
Source: Toggl
14. Remember The Milk
Price: Free (Basic), $39.99/year (Pro)
Available On: iOS | Android | Desktop
This app allows you to create to-do lists and get reminders via email, text message, and more. Plus, you can connect it to your favorite apps like Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar.
Need a reminder to send a resource to a prospect? With this app, you can even attach documents to your tasks so you don't forget them.
Source: Remember The Milk
15. Trello
Price: Free; Business Class, $9.99/user/month; Enterprise, $20.83/user/month
Available On: iOS | Android | Desktop and Web
Trello allows you to keep track of tasks, collaborate with colleagues, and assign due dates. Customize boards, create cards, and drag them to follow your progress.
You can even add "Power-Ups" like Calendar views or Map view to adjust your to-do list based on how you focus best. Turn on notifications, so you never miss a deadline, and use their web-based app, desktop variations, or their mobile apps.
Source: Trello
Time management is crucial for salespeople. Make the most of each of your daily hours with these helpful apps, and feel a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of your day. To learn more, check out these time management hacks for sales reps next.
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