10 apps to slay your productivity killers

You get up, or get into the office and you’re raring to go. On the journey to work or over your first coffee or juice of the morning you went over the day in your head, full of enthusiasm and drive. 

You knew exactly what had to be done. It was going to run like clockwork, like a well-oiled machine. By lunchtime you would be bubbling with the satisfaction of ‘getting it done’. 

Because there is no better feeling than being on top of things, being the master of your to-do list. Being ahead of the game.

But then. Reality bites.

You hadn’t thought about the sneaky little productivity killers. And they are lurking everywhere. You take a little longer sorting out that paperwork, you spend too long on that email and get sidetracked on social media.

Before you know it, it’s lunchtime and you are still faced with a mountain of work, and the sinking feeling of the prospect of not getting it done. Couple this with the feeling of anger and disappointment and you feel empty, tired, frustrated and even overwhelmed.

You are suffering from ‘organisational drag’.

And it sucks.

But don’t worry. Get tooled up with these amazing apps that will slay all those productivity killers, leaving you free to get it done.

Get organised

Serene is a productivity app for ios designed to help you set clear and manageable goals. It offers you the option to set time limits and deadlines, keeping you on track. It also has some nifty little features like a website blocker and phone silencer. 

Todoist is similar, available for android and ios. It also helps you break down tasks, setting a clear time limit and priority for each.

Trello is a simple, easy to use project management app that combines to-do lists, boards and instant messaging to keep track of what you are doing and keep those communication channels open and focused.

Get in the habit

Loop – Habit Tracker is an android only app that helps you focus on the things you want or need to spend more time doing. If you are always neglecting a task, this app will help you form better habits so you get everything done, not just the tasks you love doing.

Forest is a quirky little app designed to keep you off your phone and focused on work. Available on ios and android only, it gamifies the whole process. If you leave the app for a quick browse, a tree you have been growing, dies. And no one wants that. We love trees, right?

Notion is a collaborative app which enables your team to create a single location to store and access all the important information and documents you need. You can create a task/team Wiki, share docs and edit them live.

TickTick unlike TikTok gamifies the whole to-do list idea instead of making you put your back out filming a ridiculous new dance craze. We all love the feeling of ticking things off a list. TickTick’s USP is that it rewards you with achievement scores for getting things done on time. Double bonus.

Stay focused

RescueTime is an app that runs in the background, tracking the time you spend on different tasks, applications and websites. Through the report it produces you are able to see where you are most and least productive.

focus booster uses the Pomodoro technique to maximise your focus and productivity. It is based on the principle that human productivity is maximised in 25 minute bursts followed by a 5 minute break. This app uses smart timers and produces reports so you can monitor your focus in action. 

Freedom is an app that is based on research that reveals that we lose 23 minutes every time we check an email, social media or respond to a notification. Essentially it is an app designed to block out all distractions – websites, apps and email so you can focus on a single task at a time.

So now there are no excuses. And more importantly, no going home or signing out with the feeling of a wasted day, or the dread of what you still have to do tomorrow. Get the apps, slay those productivity killers and get it done.