Time is money. However, time can often feel like the thing we have the least of. While it isn’t possible to physically create more hours in the day, we can call on tech to help us get more done, in less time.
Check out the apps below that can help you to maximise your day and claw back your time.
1. Freedom
First off you have to block out all distractions. Invites to parties, emails offering discounts on the shopping you haven’t started yet etc. Freedom allows you to block the internet and social media altogether, or specific apps or websites of your choice. You simply select the device and sites, decide how long you want this to be blocked for and get to work.
2. Wunderlist
The best ‘to-do list’ app out there. As well as allowing you to manage your own progress, the app allows you to share to-do lists with colleagues and assign tasks to individuals. This means you can collaborate seamlessly with your team, ensuring they are constantly up to speed and eliminating the need to constantly request progress reports.
3. Quandoo
Finding a great place to eat for a business or lunch with clients can be a tricky task. Quandoo offers an unmatched choice of dining experiences from Michelin-starred restaurants to local favorites. The app uses GPS to show you the eateries in your area and lets you earn loyalty points with those you like the look of. The app covers restaurants across Europe, Asia, Australia and South America, so you’ll never be short of ideas of where to eat wherever you are.
4. Doodle
Constantly caught in endless email chains with colleagues and clients trying to find a date for that meeting? Doodle solves this problem, allowing you to get a date in the diary with just one message, meaning you can spend more time on what matters – growing your business and keeping your clients happy. Simply suggest the possible dates, send to the participants via the app, email or iMessage and then let them instantly vote on which options work for them. Doodle does the rest, confirming the best date for everyone.
5. focus@will
This app is genius. It describes itself as a ‘neuroscience based music subscription service that helps you increase your attention span by up to 400%’. And it works. Put simply, it will curate a playlist specific to you and your needs at that time to help boost your concentration and focus levels.
All the benefits of a Spotify playlist without losing an hour creating it.
6. Slack
Billed as the ‘email-killer’, this app does just that. It feels like a mix between email and WhatsApp and simplifies messaging with colleagues or clients. You can set up different ‘channels’ so teams or projects are kept separate and all of your documents or conversations for individual projects are neatly filed together. The app has the option to enable push notifications so you’re never out of the loop.
7. Upwork
Ploughing time into a task you don’t have the right skills for isn’t productive. Upwork is the world’s largest online workplace, making it faster and easier for you to find and hire talented freelancers from around the globe. The Upwork Messenger App means you can also keep jobs moving while on the go. The app alerts you when jobs have been accepted or declined, and makes it easy to keep in touch with your freelancers.
About the author: Gabriele Ottino is the CEO of Doodle, a simple way to schedule events with groups of people.
