Quicksilver is a fast and free productivity application for the Mac, allowing you to save time and improve your efficiency. For a deeper dive into the topic of handy apps, take a look at our roundups of best timesheet apps and best project management. We hope that this list of best productivity apps for Mac has helped you to find some handy tools to improve your time management, increase your efficiency, and boost your creativity. Mac Productivity Apps: In Closing.The same report from Buffer also lists the most common struggles remote workers say they encounter.It’s telling that the most common problem cited is struggling to unplug after work and I can say this is something I definitely have problems with. One of the key supposed benefits of remote working is achieving a better work-life balance and another one is that it boosts productivity.This is all great, in theory, but reality shows us that achieving these benefits doesn’t come automatically. Freedom works on Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome, and Linux devices.With this in mind, it’s important to consider the challenges of getting tasks done from the comfort of your own home – as well as any implications this might have on the rest of your home life. Blocker - Freedom blocks distractions so you can be more focused and productive. According to Buffer’s 2019 State of Remote Report, despite having the freedom to work from anywhere, the vast majority of remote workers (84%) still prefer to get things done from home.Hook connects a raft of great apps on macOS such as DEVONthink, OmniFocus, RStudio, Craft, BBEdit, Sublime Text, OmniOutliner Pro, Curio, nvUltra, Marked2, TextMate, Scrivener, Tinderbox, Bookends, GoodTask, Nisus Writer, PDFPen, Skim, Obsidian, BibDesk, Sketch, OmniGraffle, EagleFiler, Keep It (by Reinvented Software), Things, HoudahSpot, Path Finder, Trickster, LibreOffice, MaiMate, Airmail, Apple.
Productivity Tool Free Productivity ApplicationHowever, the focus of this article is the individual remote worker who calls their home their office. Top 10 apps for remote working at homeWe’ve previously looked at the best productivity tools for teams, apps for distributed teams around the world and automation tools for small businesses. More challenging is the issue of distractions at home and this is something else I have to be really disciplined with.I can also understand motivation being a problem when you remove all the gentle nudges of having superiors, teammates and that sense of being at work.These are challenges we’re addressing in this article and all of the apps we’re looking at today will help you overcome these. Toggl: Keep track of how long it’s really taking you to complete tasks. Zoom: Video and voice calls for groups and one-to-one. Slack: Team communication, the way it should be for remote workers. Serene: A tool that cuts out distractions, helps you stay focused and complete tasks faster. There are tools you can use to improve your own workflow, impress your bosses and turn remote working into a truly life-changing move.Here’s a quick summary of the tools we’ll be looking at in more detail: I’m not here to recommend expensive business-grade tools that your company should be paying. Zapier: Save time on repetitive tasks and switching between apps by automating processes (e.g.: automatically saving Gmail attachments to Google Drive). Chrome Remote Desktop: Access your computer securely from any device and screen share with teammates for stronger collaboration. Spark: A smart email client that stops your inbox getting in the way of productivity and turns it into an asset. Calendar: Manage all of your calendars and events in one place, arrange meetings without dozens of emails. This is based on studies that show multitasking drastically reduces productivity while others point ongoing distractions and/or multitasking can even damage your brain.The second key role Serene plays is blocking access to distracting websites and apps during work sessions while also silencing your phone. First, Serene encourages you to set a single daily goal and stay focused on achieving that throughout the day. There are two key principles behind the app, both of which are backed by a series of scientific studies. Each of these recommendations will increase your productivity and I fully expect you’ll be using eight or more of these after reading this article (or similar alternatives to each individual tool).Serene is a free app for Mac that helps you achieve maximum productivity every day. #2: Slack (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android & web) Free version, paid options from £5.25/monthper userSlack is a massaging platform designed for teams and it’s the ideal communication tools for remote workers. This makes a huge difference compared to thinking about the working day as a 6-8 hour stint where you naturally step off the gas between breaks.Serene divides your day up into a series of short work sessions and regular breaks, giving you maximum focus while working and enough breaks to keep your mind fresh throughout the day.Serene is still in the beta stage of development but you can request an invitation to try it out here. However, the best thing I find about this feature is it keeps me motivated to work at a solid pace and get the task done before the countdown hits zero. These sessions run for 20-60 minutes, another feature based on studies that show the human brain tens to start losing focus on a task after 20 minutes.This concept is so well established there’s an entire productivity method developed around it, called the Pomodoro Technique (essentially, working in 25-minute bursts).During sessions, you can access site or apps on your block list and Seren with automatically silence your phone so notifications don’t distract you from the task at hand.A countdown timer gives you a constant reminder of how much time remains for each session. Phone silencer: Automatically put your phone on silent mobile while working to avoid unnecessary distractions.Serene asks you to set a daily goal, which can be broken up into multiple work sessions or tasks – as long as they all contribute to the day’s end goal. Focus music: Play background music to help you keep your focus. Clear formatting in word for macScreen sharing: Allows team members to show their work to others in real-time for stronger collaboration.Now, the key things to understand about Slack as a remote worker is the pricing policy. Voice & video calls: Voice and video calls directly from within Slack. File sharing: Drag-and-drop file sharing for PDFs, images, videos and other common files types. Statuses: Users can set availability statuses to focus on individual tasks as needed. Instant messaging: Live communication between every team member for seamless collaboration. Team members can also chat outside of main topics in separate threads which prevents these messages from interfering with the most project-centric conversations. Video meetings: Remote teams can run video meetings and one-to-one video calls. That said the standout product for us (and the majority of other remote teams I’m in contact with) is Zoom Meetings & Chat, which offers video and voice calls for serious teams. #3: Zoom (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android & web) Free version available, paid versions from £11.99/monthper hostZoom offers a full suite of video conferencing and communication tools for businesses. This can improve collaboration within office environments but the real benefit of Slack is for remote workers who need to collaborate with team members in other locations – one of the most common problems cited by remote workers. Ideally, your business (or the company you work for) will pay for a team version of Slack to provide everyone with a fully-collaborative workspace.However, the free version of Slack means small teams within a business can use the tool between themselves to improve their workflow. Crucially, paid versions only require hosts to pay a monthly fee rather than everyone who attends meetings. Once again, there’s a free version of Zoom, which will be enough for a large chunk of smaller teams. File sharing: Share files during and outside of video/voice chats for collaboration between members.Group video meetings and voice calls are made easy with Zoom. Messaging: Team members can send messages using Zoom. Webinars: You can also use Zoom to host webinars.
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