There are plenty of apps and tools to help you find a flow, eliminate distractions, and keep your productivity high. Yet, with so many of tools and apps available, it can be daunting – and time consuming – to try to find the best and test them all.
Rather than trying each new app, only try apps that will help you in a specific area. There are several areas each and every business should consider in their app arsenal:
- Calendar
- To-Do List
- Clipper/Bookmarks
- File Sharing/Saving
- Collaboration/Projects
- Financial/Billing/Expenses
- Communication
- Social Sharing
If you’re the type of person always on the lookout for new apps and tools, visit Product Hunt or Top Alternatives.
Personally, I have one requirement of an app: Be device ubiquitous. I want to be able to sync to every device or at least be cloud based so I can retrieve or use from any device.
As introduced in a previous article on productivity apps, an acronym to keep in mind when choosing a new app or tool is:
E.A.S.Y.
E – Efficient
A – Affordable
S – Sustainable
Y – Y as in Why the work is being put in play
E (Efficient): Once the work is put into place, strive to make sure your work doesn’t get bogged down with time – your are out to save time, maybe even make time if possible – so your business can operate in a more lean or efficient manner.
A (Affordable): You also want to make sure anything you put into place is affordable, and the tools or subscriptions to outside services is as close to zero-cost as possible. Of course, you get what you pay for, but you never want to put a cost-center into place when you’re trying to reduce time and costs.
S (Sustainable): Remember that before you start a new process or practice, you should consider different scenarios and potential interruptions. You want to make sure adding a new app or tool is at the very least – a sustainable one.
Y (Why are we doing this?): This “Why?” is a question to ask at the beginning, middle, and all the way through. It is, in part, how you will measure the success of the trial or implementation — so you stay on track.
Sometimes it’s not the best idea to look for that cool tool. It should also be E.A.S.Y.
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