5 min read
Smartphones are popular for gaming and social apps that waste time, but there’s more to phones than just that. In fact, you can start using your Android to boost your productivity today! With the right tools and apps, you can use your phone to save time and be more prolific at work. Here’s a little list of productivity apps we compiled for you to get started on being more productive:
Note Taking
1. Evernote
For people who like to take notes of everything (important), Evernote is a tough app to beat. The service gives you multiple notebooks into which you can save text notes, complex lists, images, and voice reminders. Users can even send content into an Evernote notebook by emailing it to a special address connected to their Evernote account.
2. Google Keep
Google Keep is one of the most simple and clean note-taking applications we have come across for Android.
While its functionality is similar to the other popular note taking apps out there, Keep has can easily win over them its amazing User Interface. One of the best thing about this application is that the notes that are taken automatically are synced to your Google Drive.
To-do & Task Lists
3. Wunderlist
Wunderlist is an alternative task management system which is suitable for work, play and small businesses. While containing standard features including to-do lists and file attachment to tasks, you can also connect to colleagues through the app in order to share tasks & projects, leave feedback and delegate responsibilities.
4. Any.do
Have you ever wondered why you can’t stick to your to-do list? Any.Do encourages you to build task-management rituals through the daily Any.Do Moment, which gets you to start each day by deciding which tasks you’ll complete, , which you’ll delegate and which ones you’ll put off. In other words, it makes you aware and mindful of your to-do list, forcing you to think about it rather than just glance at it every now and again.
Collaboration
5. Quip
Former Facebook CTO Bret Taylor launched Quip, a collaborative word processor, last year. The Android version arrived in December. You can even import files from Word, Dropbox, Google Drive and Evernote. Quip still feels a bit young to rely on solely for document creation, but it’s fresh and has plenty of potential. We’re expecting great things from Quip in 2014.
Documents & Storage
6. Dropbox
Dropbox relaunched its business service back in 2013 with a new solution for juggling both personal and work files. You can now pair a personal account with a corporate one and see two separate tabs from within the Dropbox app.
7. Google Drive
Google Drive is useful for storing things like notes, files, and images. A file, once uploaded, is universally synced and accessible from any computer or mobile device. Its built-in ‘scan’ feature is particularly useful for productivity. You simply tap a button on the app to capture an image of any physical document, Drive will then extract the text from the image and make it easily searchable for the future.
Get it here (if it is not already pre-installed on your Android)
Get it here
Get it here
Others
8. RescueTime
With so many distractions and possibilities in your digital life, it’s easy to get scattered. RescueTime helps you understand your daily habits so you can focus and be more productive. RescueTime runs in the background on your computer and mobile devices, tracking time spent on applications, specific websites, calls, etcetera and gives you detailed reports on where your time was spent. You can create website block lists, track productivity scores and set up alerts as well (for instance, warn you that you’ve been on Twitter for 30 minutes already).
9. AirDroid
When you’re at your desk, it can get annoying to keep grabbing your smartphone to send texts or transfer photos. So why not just do it from your computer instead? AirDroid makes it possible. Once you’ve installed the app on your phone or tablet, you simply pull up web.airdroid.com on your PC’s Web browser. From there, you can read and send texts, view your call logs, browse through your device’s storage, and wirelessly transfer files between your Android device and computer. AirDroid can even activate your device’s cameras and let you remotely peer through their lenses.
10. LogMeIn
LogMeIn is a secure application designed for Android and iOS. If you have a subscription with the service, you can access your desktop and work computers remotely and securely, edit files from your mobile device, remotely run applications and access content stored with cloud providers including Dropbox and Google Drive.
Do like the list we compiled? What are your favorite apps to help you get the work done and cut down procrastination? Share your comments with us and all the other readers.
