Someday, artificial intelligence will break time boundaries, days will have more hours in them, but still not enough for us. The thing is, it’s not about how much time you have but how you use it. In this sense, technologies can help us today.
“Time is money” is a well–worn cliché and although it sounds hollow, it is by no means devoid of meaning. Poor time management costs companies millions of dollars, reducing the productivity of individual employees and managers. For a variety of reasons, a modern person often does not have enough time to cope with all the tasks. Fortunately, new technologies, like work management apps and time management apps, come to the rescue.
We’ve tested a variety of high-quality apps for managers that can help you plan, prioritize, and tackle your tasks more efficiently.
Top work management apps
1. Any.do
With Any.do, you can add tags, reminders, subtasks, and attachments to each task. The Priority function will help focus on what is important and keep it in mind. You can also create task lists that can be shared with friends and colleagues to plan joint projects.
You can use the Focus mode to stay motivated. As long as you stay focused on your work, the tree in the app will keep on growing but if you leave the app, the tree will die 🙁
Another useful feature of Any.do is the Smart Grocery Lists, which will automatically sort your groceries into their respective aisles for a convenient on–the–go experience. This is how you can see all the groceries you need from every aisle at once.
The paid version of the app will allow you to create recurring tasks, attach files of any size, use custom themes, color tags, icons, as well as create location–based reminders.
Platforms: iOS, Android. A desktop version and an extension for Chrome are also available.
Pricing: The basic version is free, the premium version of the app costs $4.99 per month same pricing is maintained for a Team plan.
2. Todoist
Todoist is the main competitor and a great alternative to Any.do. The app doesn’t have a self–destructing tree, but you can divide tasks into projects and subprojects, add tags, change themes, add comments, attach files, and manage collaborative projects.
An additional motivating feature is built–in productivity tracking. Some features, which include reminders and email tasks, are only available in the premium version of the app.
Todoist has a lot of outstanding features, which can look a bit overwhelming at first. Thus, we recommend you check the user manual first. This will help you understand how to better design and organize your projects, work with tasks, marks, and filters, learn what tags to use to customize tasks, etc.
Some users are put off by the need to learn all features of the service, but trust us, Todoist is totally worth your time. Once you understand all the features (it may take you up to an hour) of the app, you will get a reliable and convenient every–day scheduler and helpful assistant.
Another benefit of the app is its templates that can help you quickly create a to–do list and organize other lists, starting with shopping ending with a social network content plan. Find the right one on the app’s official website!
Platforms: iOS, Android.
Pricing: The basic version is free. The Pro version costs $4 per month.
3. Things
When you’re juggling multiple projects and tasks, it’s important to have a reliable assistant to help you organize and navigate your workload quickly and easily. Things is a powerful time management app for iPhone that provides balanced solutions to streamline task organization and increase productivity.
Designed with a clean, easy-to-use interface, Things allows users to efficiently manage their projects and tasks, with enough options to clearly assign responsibilities. This makes it an ideal choice for individuals and teams looking to improve their workflow and stay focused.
Creating new tasks quickly is the main requirement that a high–quality organizer must be able to do. Different time management systems offer different tools, but almost all TM app developers want you to use your inbox instead of keeping everything in your head.
Too lazy to carry a notebook and a pencil, too lazy to reach for the smartphone and open the app, too lazy to type, etc. – it’s all so inconvenient! This is when Things + Siri (Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) come to the rescue.
You can tell Siri to “remind” you of any task, or you can tell her to “create a task” in Things and tell what you want to be reminded about. Just make sure she understands you (tip: use phrases that start with “In Things, remind me …” and contain “…my shopping list,” “my errands list”, etc.
With Things, you can use projects and areas to create structures, large–scale goals, and break them into small tasks, group projects by subjects/responsibilities, etc. There is also an active pie chart icon that shows the progress in front of the project name. You can create sections to help sort out tasks into categories or stages in the project.
In Things, the structure, task features, and logic are identical to the desktop app. But the interaction methods are adapted to smartphones. All frequently repeated actions can be quickly performed using swipes and the keyboard. To go to the desired section/project or find a certain task, just swipe down – the app will open a quick search. Usually, a few first letters are enough to find what you need.
Platforms: macOS, iPhone, iPad.
Pricing: $49.99 (macOS) + 15-day free trial. $19.99 (iPad), $9.99 (iPhone).
4. RescueTime
RescueTime is a fantastic tool to help you understand how you spend your time online and offline. If you’ve ever struggled to stay focused or wondered where your hours are going, this app is for you. It maximizes the benefits of other productivity tools and helps you determine which ones are most relevant. So if you’re overwhelmed by choice, RescueTime is the perfect solution.
RescueTime analyzes your day, identifying what you spend more and less time on. It helps you better understand how your time is spent and organize it. Among many features, the app sends you notifications if you take too much time to complete a certain task. It also provides detailed reports and performance ratings.
RescueTime sits in your PC’s memory and automatically records what programs and how many of them you use, generating visual reports.
Keep in mind, though, that RT is no substitute for a timekeeping app if you want to keep track of your performance activity. Otherwise, if all you need is to know, say, how much time it takes for you to learn some new research & development techniques, this app is your perfect choice.
Once you launch the app, you can work in peace, forget about the app, and check it in the evening to see how your day went. Or you can check it early next week when you have your past week’s report in the mailbox.
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Rescue time has a free trial. The 1 month price is $12 and the yearly price is approximately $78.
5. Focus@will
This 8–year old music app is designed by a professional team of world–class scientists and musicians and represents the result of their experience in neurological research. Focus@will can help you focus on the main things and reduce your stress levels. By choosing a proper soundtrack, this app will put your brain in a state of maximum productivity.
Now you may wonder, what kind of black magic is this? No worries, you will not turn into a zombie, trust us. In order to increase your efficiency, the app will take a short survey before you start using it.
For example, it will find out if you tend to think logically or abstractly. After that, you will be able to choose among thousands of high–quality tracks in various categories e.g. Classical Piano, Cinematic, Ambient, Water, Classical Plus, Uptempo, etc
The benefits of focus@will are as follows:
- Unique music compositions that encourage you to focus deeply;
- Designed by a professional team of scientists, musicians, and platinum-selling producers;
- Tracks your behavior and shifts according to it;
- Encourages you to stay focused for up to 100 minutes straight.
Will Henshall, the head of focus@will, says the startup has raised around $3.5 million within a year since its launch in 2012. And it really works! According to the developers, most active users noticed a 200–400% focus duration increase!
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Sonos devices.
Pricing: Pricing: Starter package $ 0/Forever. Individual: $ 3/Per Month. Professional: $5/Per Month.
6. Nirvana
Nirvana is a new service based on David Allen’s famous Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. The main goal of the project was to free people from remembering a large number of tasks and help them focus on completing the main one. For this, the app features various filters including deadlines, projects, performers, and so on.
You can add new tasks either directly in the app or by sending an email to a dedicated address. Depending on the deadline and category, specified when adding an item, the task gets into one of the following sections: “Next,” “Waiting,” “Scheduled,” or “Someday.” Moreover, you can assign various tags to tasks and combine them into projects.
You can also sort out your tasks by duration and complexity. The most important and urgent tasks can be marked with “stars” and automatically transferred to the Focus folder. With built–in filters and a convenient search engine, you can easily find those tasks that meet your criteria so that you don’t miss anything in a rush.
Nirvana is a cloud–based service, which means it’s accessible from any PC or mobile device. Nirvana currently supports Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, macOS and Windows, iOS, and Android. Up to 5 projects can be managed in the app for free, for more you will need the Pro version ($5/month or $29/year).
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android.
Pricing: Nirvana Pro costs $5/month or $29/year. Lifetime access for $49.
7. Focus Booster
Focus Booster is a small app based on the Pomodoro Technique. According to the methodology, people are more productive if they alternate their work with short breaks. For example, 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. According to The Pomodoro Technique, these are optimal time intervals for alternating work and rest.
Basically, Focus Booster is a handy timer app with a sound signal, which can be used for any particular task. The app will constantly remind you of the time left, and after the sound signal, you can take a short break.
By default, FB is set to 25 minutes of working and 5 minutes of resting sessions. Then everything can be repeated as many times as you need. The new session does not start automatically – the program waits for you to click on the timer, which is also very convenient.
Platforms: Online, Windows, macOS.
Pricing: Free Starter package (30 days), $4.99/month (Professional), $2.99/month (Individual).
8. Notion
Notion is a new service designed to combine all your tasks and information in one place. And it’s actively gaining popularity. In the app, you can create to–do lists and schedule your time, create a custom database, manage projects, and organize your tasks.
Notion has so many built–in features for organizing and filing information that it gets both appealing and discouraging at the same time. If you are ready to spend time to understand all the features of the service, it will successfully replace both Evernote and Google Docs. The dev team has created dozens of templates for basic tasks. You can create templates yourself and share them with other users.
Notion is also compatible with many popular services, e.g. Slack, Google Drive, Figma, Invision, Latex, Twitter, and others.
Platforms: Web, PC, Android, and iOS.
Price: Notion offers several pricing plans: the Free plan is $0 for individuals, featuring a collaborative workspace, basic analytics, and the ability to invite 10 guests. The Plus plan is $10 per seat per month for small teams, adding unlimited blocks and file uploads, while the Business plan is $15 per seat per month for growing businesses, including SAML SSO and a 90-day page history. The Enterprise plan provides advanced security features, with pricing available upon request.
9. Timetastic
Timetastic is more than just a streamlined way to book time off work – it’s a better way of getting to grips with staff absence. No more dealing with paper forms and updating messy spreadsheets. You get a central, up-to-date record of absences, so you can plan better, and work smarter.
Timetastic provides an easy way for your team to put in their sick-leave notice, so you don’t have to worry about updating your company calendar or their individual sick leave balance. It can handle any type of absence – annual leave, sickness, maternity and paternity, unpaid leave, compassion, and meetings.
Every member of staff gets a personal calendar and summary. You can see and track time off, and make plans for this year or next. Public holidays from over 3,000 regions are supported in Timetastic. From UK to the USA, Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, we’ve got you covered.
Using the calendar integrations you can sync Timetastic directly into a calendar of your choice; Outlook, Gmail, and Apple are all supported.
The best part is, that Timetastic also has a mobile app so everyone in the team can manage and track time-off balance on the go
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Pricing: Business – $1.30 (per user per month), Pro – $2.50 (per user per month)
10. Toggl Track
Toggl Track is an easy-to-use time-tracking app that helps you see where your time is going. Whether you’re a freelancer juggling multiple clients or part of a team managing projects, Toggl Track makes it easy to keep track of your hours and increase productivity.
One of the best things about Toggl Track is how easy it is to use. You can start and stop a timer with just one click. If you forget to track while you are working, you can manually add your time entries later. That way, you never miss a minute of work.
The app also lets you organize your time by creating projects and tasks. This feature makes it easy to see how much time you’re spending on each project. Plus, Toggl Track generates detailed reports that give you insight into your work habits. You can find out which projects take the most time and where you can improve.
Toggl Track integrates with 100+ popular tools like Asana, Evernote, Trello, and Slack, so you can easily integrate time tracking into your existing workflow.
Platforms: web, iOS, and Android.
Pricing: The Free Plan is great for individuals and includes basic time tracking features, while the Starter Plan costs $9 per user per month and adds project management and team reporting. For more advanced tools, the Premium Plan is available for $18 per user per month, and there’s also a custom-priced Enterprise Plan for larger organizations.
11. Everhour
Everhour is a great time-tracking and project-management tool. It helps you manage your time effectively, whether you’re a freelancer or part of a larger team. With Everhour you can easily track your hours, either by manually logging them or using a timer. This makes it easy to see where your time is going.
You can also organize your work into projects and tasks. This way you can assign tasks to team members and set deadlines to keep everyone aligned and focused. Everhour allows you to set budgets for your projects, so you can monitor costs and make sure you stay within limits. You can also run detailed reports to gain insight into productivity and identify areas for improvement.
Everhour also makes it easy to collaborate. You can leave comments on tasks, see who’s working on what, and keep communication flowing.
Platforms: browser extension, iOS, and Android.
Pricing: Everhour offers a free plan for small teams without the integrations. Team plan with all features and integrations costs $8.50 per user per month.
12. Monitask
Looking for a way to keep track of your projects and time? Monitask is a handy time-tracking app that helps you manage your work efficiently. Whether you’re a freelancer or part of a team, Monitask makes it easy to monitor how you spend your time so you can stay productive.
One of Monitask’s best features is its time tracking. You can track how much time you spend on different tasks and projects. You can start and stop timers or enter time manually, giving you the flexibility to fit it into your workflow.
Monitask also offers screenshot monitoring, which takes pictures of your work at regular intervals. This feature is great for accountability, especially when working remotely. It’s a helpful way to ensure everyone is focused and on task.
The app provides detailed reports showing how much time you’ve spent on each task or project. These insights can help you see where you need to improve and optimize your work habits.
For teams, Monitask has tools to manage members and their tasks. You can assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress, making collaboration much easier.
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Pricing: There’s a free plan for individuals that includes time tracking and reporting features. Pro costs $4.99/user/month and includes all features, such as screenshot monitoring and advanced reporting. Business costs $6.99/user/month.
13. TickTick
TickTick is a task management app that helps you keep your life organized and your productivity high. Whether you’re managing personal tasks or working on team projects, it gives you the tools you need to stay on track.
Create tasks, subtasks, and checklists with just a few taps. It’s easy to set due dates, reminders, and priority levels so you always know what needs to be done. If you prefer to see your tasks in a visual format, TickTick offers a calendar view that shows all your deadlines in one place.
Collaboration is easy too. You can share tasks and projects with others, making it easy to work with teammates or family members. Assign tasks and set deadlines together to keep everyone on the same page.
To help you stay focused, TickTick has a built-in Pomodoro timer. This technique encourages you to work in short bursts, which can help you be more productive and prevent burnout. The app also has customizable widgets for your home screen, so you can quickly access your tasks. If you like to work in low light, you’ll appreciate the dark mode option, which is easier on your eyes.
Platforms: Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS.
Pricing: TickTick offers a free version with basic features, making it a great place to start. If you want more advanced options, you can upgrade to TickTick Premium for $27.99 per year or $2.80 per month.
14. DoneDone
DoneDone is a straightforward task management app that helps teams stay organized and efficient. It’s all about keeping things simple so you can focus on getting the job done without having to deal with complicated interfaces.
With DoneDone you can easily create, assign, and track tasks. You can add details such as due dates, descriptions, and priority levels so everyone knows what needs to be done. The app also allows teams to collaborate seamlessly. They can comment on tasks, attach files, and share updates in real-time. It makes collaboration easy and effective.
One of the best features is the customizable workflows. You can set up different stages for your tasks to ensure they move smoothly through the pipeline. What’s more, DoneDone includes time tracking so you can keep track of how much time you spend on tasks. This helps you understand your productivity patterns and improve your time management.
Another useful feature is the reporting function. You can create reports to gain insight into team performance and project progress. This helps you identify areas for improvement and celebrate successes. DoneDone also integrates with other tools you may already be using, such as Slack and Google Calendar, for a seamless experience.
Platforms: Android, MacOS, iOS.
Pricing: The Collaborate plan is perfect for smaller teams and costs $5 per user per month. If you need more users, the Outreach plan costs $12 per user per month.
15. Clockify
Clockify is a time-tracking app for freelancers, small businesses, and teams. Time tracking is one of its main features.
You can either track in real-time or manually add hours. This makes it easy to log your work. Clockify lets you create projects and tasks, assign team members to different tasks, and see how much time is spent on each.
This helps you stay organized and focused on what needs to be done. You can export detailed reports for invoicing or further analysis. The app has a customizable dashboard where you can view time entries, projects, and productivity. This makes it easy to see where your time is going. Clockify also integrates with popular tools like Chanty, Asana, Trello, and Slack.
Platforms: web, Android, Linux, Windows, MacOS, iOS
Pricing: Have a free version. Standard ($5.49/seat/mo., billed annually) offers basic features, PRO ($7.99/seat/mo., billed annually) adds scheduling and expense tracking, and Enterprise ($11.99/seat/mo., billed annually) has everything PRO offers plus SSO and custom account control.
Conclusion
No matter what business field you are in, to keep up with your time, you need to manage your time properly and prioritize your tasks, without being distracted by minor things. However, knowing basic techniques of time management is not that necessary if you have special apps and time management tools designed just for that. By the way, the latter can sometimes be part of project management tools.
Whether you are a newly-established freelancer or an experienced entrepreneur, at certain business stages, we all face the illusion of distant deadlines, procrastination, and the lack of time–management skills. The apps in our review will definitely help you stay productive, organize your workday, and boost productivity in remote employees.
Focus on important tasks and use your precious time wisely!
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