We’ve all been there – not being able to motivate ourselves to get our work done or feeling like we’re not being the most productive with our time. There are usually so many distractions that can stop us feeling productive.
Sometimes, it’s hard to be in the right mood to work, especially if you haven’t got the best sleep or just haven’t had time to relax.
Over the years, I’ve found some really great ways to boost my productivity, and for almost all of these ways, there’s a fabulous app that can help me and I’m sure will now help you be productive in the way you work.
#1 Google Keep Note
I am a big fan of a checklist – having everything you need to do in one place and being able to tick off your tasks as you go is very satisfying! Google Keep Note is the perfect app for this and has some really great features.
- Create multiple lists for different projects or days.
- Organize your tasks.
- Set reminders or deadlines for specific projects.
- Add the location of events.
- Add collaborators for group tasks.
Being able to have multiple checklists all in one place is so much better than just one big list-it can help you break down tasks more carefully and to help you plan more efficiently so you can be more productive.
#2 Forest Stay Focused
Minimizing distractions is a must if you want to boost your productivity, and this app is an excellent cure for your procrastination. I find one of the biggest distractions is my phone – whether it’s constant flashing notifications or, even when it’s on do not disturb, procrastinating and endlessly scrolling through social media. An app like Forest Stay Focused is a great way to minimize this.
- Encourages you to stay focused.
- Set timers for the duration of focus time.
- Earn rewards by staying focused.
The aim is to grow trees, and if you pick up your phone and move off the app screen, your tree will have to start growing again. It’s great to give you a timed structure to your working day.
#3 Sleep As Android
It may not be an obvious reason for you not being able to work productively, but sleep can affect your motivation to work and focus. So, being able to get the best sleep can boost your productivity the next day.
The Sleep As Android app is one of the top apps and it also integrates with many devices that monitor sleep for a more in depth analysis of sleep data.
- Tracks your sleep cycle as to when you sleep the best.
- Offers sleep insights – tells you how well you slept.
- Includes’ smart wake up’ to help wake you up at the best point in your sleep cycle.
- Gives you a sleep score on your quality of sleep in terms of duration and how deep your sleep was.
- Can integrate with Spotify and Play Music as alarms.
By having a good night’s sleep, you will feel more positive about the day ahead and feel more productive. With the smart alarm feature, you will wake up at the best time for you. Also, knowing how well you slept can help you see how well you are going to work that day.
If you’ve not slept well, you won’t be as productive so, maybe set yourself some more manageable tasks. On days you slept better, you will be much more productive and be able to do so much more.
#4 Tide
In order to remain productive, it’s also essential to give your brain a break and relax. By taking some time to relax and meditate, it can actually boost your productivity and help you be more creative, come up with new ideas and solutions to problems you may be having.
An app like Tide is a great meditation app to help restore some balance in your life and improve productivity when you return to your work.
- Nature sounds to help you feel calm, focus and meditate.
- Mini meditations.
- Focus timer to help you concentrate on meditation.
#5 Boosted
Boosted is a great app for everything productivity-related. It can help you split your time into different tasks effectively and make sure you’re being productive in all aspects of your work and even your life.
By tracking how long you spend on various tasks, you can reflect on how productive you’ve really been and see where you need to focus your productivity next.
- Time track your activities.
- Organize your projects into smaller, manageable tasks.
- See an overview of time spent on different projects.
- Discover detailed reports on how you’ve managed your time.
#6 Trello
Originally a desktop application, this great productivity app, like many others, can help you plan and organize your work effectively to help streamline your tasks and maximize productivity. If like me, you’re more visual with your planning, this app will be perfect for you.
You can create boards for different tasks and projects as well as quickly move tasks around to help fit your schedule and track a project’s progress. Trello Boards are especially useful for collaborative projects so you can see the whole team’s progress which is really motivating.
- Organize your workload by projects and tasks.
- Create checklists for sub-tasks.
- Create collaborative boards and organize a project to help maximize group productivity.
#7 Habit Tracker
Why not make a habit out of being productive? All those little habits like getting up earlier, making your bed, having breakfast, taking time to plan your day – these are all small changes to boost your overall productivity. The best way to pick up a habit is to track it, and that is what Habit Tracker simply does.
- Measure and track multiple habits.
- Includes a streak counter and percentage successful for each habit.
- Set flexible goals as to whether the habit will be daily, weekly or monthly.
- Set reminders for your habits.
This app does exactly what you need to integrate these productivity-boosting habits into your day.
With these apps, you will be well on your way to saying goodbye to procrastination and welcoming maximum productivity in your life!
