Productivity tools are a necessity when it comes to getting more done. You may think you can get by without them, but once you start using them you really start to understand just how valuable they are.
See it like this…
You can hammer a nail into a wall using your hand if you’d like. It will be painful, it will be time consuming, but you can more than likely get that nail through the wall.
But, if you use a hammer instead? Way faster and way less painful (assuming you don’t smash your thumb).
This is your life with productivity tools. Faster, easier, less painful, more efficient. That’s what you’re after.
38 Powerful Productivity Tools You Can Use To Get More Done
I love technology. I love using it in my daily life and I love using it to speed up tasks that are normally very time consuming.
Automating repetitive tasks is the best.
But when it comes to new tech, I am skeptical. Companies go out of business, or get bought out, or change their product 1000 times before deciding on what they actually “do.”
It’s a headache. And I don’t want you to have to go through that.
So for each tool referenced below, I have made sure that:
- I’ve either personally used them and trust them
- Or trust the sources that suggested them
As you go through the list, keep an eye out on the tools that grab your attention. Give them a try. You don’t need to fully commit to changing how your life functions, just sample them for a day or two.
If they work, keep using them. If they don’t, ditch them and try something else. It’s all about experimenting.
Master your time
Productivity tools are great. But let’s take a step back and consider why productivity is so critical overall.
First, let me share with you something important: I believe that you can create your ideal life by fully utilizing your 24 hours each day.
That by being effective with your time, and by working in the right direction, you can create the ideal life that you’re after.
And, in this case, ideal life means to simply have a life where you control your time. If you wake up tomorrow and decide to make pancakes all day and watch movies. You can. Or if you choose to spend your days traveling the world, you can do that too.
The ideal life is one where you get to decide how your time is spent. It’s one where you’re the master of your 24 hours.
Relevance
You may now be asking yourself… ok, but how is this relevant to productivity tools?
Simply, because your ability to be productive directly relates to how your time is spent.
If you waste your time, you will take longer to achieve your goals, longer to reach your ideal destination, and longer to get to where you want to go.
But if you harness productivity? You’ll be moving faster than ever before.
So keep that in mind as you move through this article. See each tool as a way to help you move faster and more effectively towards your ideal life.
If you’re new to this way of thinking, I recommend you start with our goal setting guide. After all, you need to know where you’re trying to go before you can set sail for it.
From there, check out our guides to productivity and time management to answer any other lingering questions.
And with that, let’s move forward.
What are productivity tools?
So… what are productivity tools? As you may have already gathered, productivity tools are really anything that allows you to be more productive.
In other words, they are a means to getting things done faster and more accurately. Productivity tools are anything that help you achieve that aim. That could be through:
- free apps
- software
- books
- courses
- other posts
Really any resource that allows you to enhance your productivity efforts can be an effective tool.
Now before we move into the actual list, I just want to point out that some of the links listed below are affiliate links. If you click a link that I recommend and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission to help me keep this great site running.
Don’t worry though, the links don’t affect the pricing or product in any way. Plus, as I’ve already mentioned, the tools listed below are all highly recommended.
Why are tools important?
Now that you know what productivity tools are and how they fit into the grand scheme of things, it’s helpful to understand why they are so important.
Simply, because they are an extension of yourself.
You can try keeping track of every little reminder bouncing around your brain, but chances are high that something will slip through the cracks. Instead of that though, you can use a simple tool to keep track and remind you as needed.
See it like outsourcing your brain power to someone whose main job is just to do that one task.
Sounds great, right?
In a nutshell, that’s what productivity tools are and that’s why they’re so useful; because they help you to automate repetitive tasks, stay better organized, and free up your focus so that you can work on what matters most.
And with that, let’s jump into our full list of productivity tools.
Productivity tools to help you get organized
Being disorganized is one of the best ways to slow yourself down and waste time. Instead of letting clutter dictate your days, use these tools to stay on top of your digital life and beyond.
Evernote – This is a great free app that you can download across all your devices. See it like a digital piece of paper. You can take notes, create notebooks, whatever you want.
Notes – The Notes app that comes on most smartphones is another great free tool that you can use to keep your digital life in check. Jot down ideas as they arise and come back to them when you have more time later.
Mint – This is one of my favorite free productivity tools when it comes to getting organized, especially when it comes to finances.
Mint syncs with your various financial accounts and lets you view all of them in one place. It’s a great way to stay on top of your finances without having to login to each individually. Plus it’s free!
Bullet Journal – Bullet Journaling, or BuJo for short, is a wonderful productivity tool that you can use to keep your reminders, ideas, and notes in one place. It’s grown in popularity over the years and is one that qualifies as both a tool and a system.
Bonus: get bullet journal ideas < there.
Reminders – Similar to the Notes app, most phones also come with a free Reminders app. This is the ideal tool for reminding you to complete a task at a certain time.
Productivity tools for students
Whether in a classroom or as a student of the world, there are numerous productivity tools that you can use as a student. Ranging from easier ways to pay friends, to better ways to get around, here are several productivity tools for students.
Venmo – This tool easily allows you to send and receive money from friends. Does someone owe you for that movie ticket? Do you owe your friend money for dinner? You can easily send money back and forth through Venmo.
Trello – As a busy student, you probably have a lot that you need to keep track of. Enter Trello. This is a great tool to help you stay organized, productive, and working on the right task.
Udemy – Want to take a course or two online? This is my favorite place to do it. They have online classes in dozens of genres and categories. Plus, they often run massive sales that discount the courses and make it even cheaper for you to enroll.
Uber – Need to get around without a car? Consider using Uber. It’s an easy to use car-hailing service that allows you to take a car anywhere.
Lyft – An Uber competitor, Lyft also does a great job of taking you to where you want to go. My suggestion? Download both and when it’s time to leave compare prices on both apps and go with the cheapest option.
Productivity courses
Yes, courses. Remember, anything that allows you to be productive is considered a tool. So a course that teaches you how to do more with your time definitely counts!
As far as courses go, I highly recommend my goal success course.
Each module is jam-packed with actionable, step-by-step lessons to help you:
- Recognize the kinds of goals you should set
- Structure them in a smart, thoughtful way
- Take action on them
- And finally achieve your goals once and for all
It’s the perfect course for someone looking to create their ideal life through time mastery.
You can learn more and enroll in the course < there.
Productivity tools for business
Looking to enhance your productivity in the business world? This is the section for you. The tools listed below are ones geared towards helping you get more done and move faster so that you can build out your work life better than ever before.
Skype – Plain and simple, Skype is a free instant messaging tool. As long as you have WIFI, you can send messages to other Skype users for free.
Slack – See Slack like a combination of Skype and Facebook groups. In other words, Slack is a tool that allows you to message directly with people, while also building out a community and keeping your team on the same page.
Buffer – If you work in the world of social media, you probably don’t want to be glued to your phone all day every day posting new content. Instead, use Buffer to schedule and post on your behalf.
Canva – Need to design something but don’t know where to start? Check out Canva. Another great free tool, Canva allows you to easily design and create a multitude of aspects for your business.
HubSpot – If you work in the world of sales, or if you just have a lot of clients to manage, HubSpot is there to help you handle it all in one place.
Upwork – If you’re too busy to take care of a certain aspect of your business, you can consider hiring a freelancer to help do it for you. And if you’re looking for a freelancer, Upwork is the place to go.
Google productivity tools
I’m a huge of Google’s products. They are generally free and are generally awesome. Some of the top ones that you can use to boost your productivity include:
Google Docs – Basically a piece of digital paper that you can access from any Google-connected device. Google Docs is a great way to stay organized and productive. Personally, I use Google Docs a lot in both my personal and professional life.
Google Sheets – Another great free tool. Sheets is a spreadsheet (like Excel) that you can access from your Google devices.
Google Forms – Need to make a survey? Forms is the place to do it.
Google Drive – If you are looking for a place to store all of your files in the cloud (so that you can access them from any Google-connected device), Drive is the tool for you.
Google Calendar – Keep track of your life and events using Google Calendar.
Productivity Books
Similar to courses, there are several books that you can utilize to help enhance your productivity. Those books include:
The 4-Hour Workweek – One of my favorite books. Learn how to design an amazing life for yourself.
The Power Of Habit – Learn to identify and change the habits that surround you.
How To Win Friends & Influence People – Become a better communicator, learn how to better understand others, and how to best present yourself out in the world.
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People – Apply the 7 habits and become an effective person yourself.
Find even more books here.
Productivity tools for health
Productivity tools don’t just apply to work or school, they also apply to your health. Use these productivity tools to enhance your health and live a healthier life.
MyFitnessPal – Track your caloric intake and weight loss journey.
Strava – Going for a run or ride? Use Strava to track your mileage.
Headspace – If you need a moment for meditation, use Headspace as your guide.
Calm – Similar to Headspace, another great app for peace and meditation.
Other productivity resources
Use these posts as other free tools that you can use to improve upon your productivity efforts:
- How To Set Goals (When You’ve Come Up Short In The Past)
- 62 Productive Things To Do When Bored – These Are A Must!
- How To Be Productive – 12 Habits Of Highly Productive People
- 5 Time Management Tips To Try When Working From Home
- Time Management 101: An Expert Guide To The Pomodoro Technique
- 16 Powerful Goal Tracker Tools To Ignite Your Goal Setting Efforts
- 20 Productivity Hacks You Can Use To Be 400% More Productive
Best productivity tools
Whew! That was a lot of tools that we covered. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, don’t fret. Start with just 1 tool and slowly work your way down the list.
Want to know what I recommend starting with? Here are my recommendations for each category:
- Organization: Mint
- Students: Udemy
- Courses: Goal success course
- Business: Canva
- Google: Google Docs
- Books: The 4-Hour Workweek
- Health: MyFitnessPal
- Resources: How To Be Productive: 12 Habits Of Highly Productive People
Moving forward
Whether they are digital productivity tools (like apps or software) or physical ones (like books or BuJo), be sure to use productivity tools to your advantage.
As I’ve mentioned continuously throughout this post, don’t worry about changing your entire workflow in one day. Instead, just start with 1 tool and try it out for a little while.
There’s no rush.
If after a few days you love it, keep using it. If you decide that it doesn’t work for you, stop using it, come on back to this post, and try out something else.
Keep trying, iterating, and improving. Keep taking positive steps forward and keep making progress in the direction that you want to go.
References:
