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5 Apps for Productivity


Happy New Year and welcome back! Today, I wanted to share some apps and programs that help you be more productive. Take a look and see if any meet your needs as you launch your resolutions for 2026!


1. Notion

Best for: Organizing personal projects or small team planning.

What it does: Notion is an all-in-one workspace for notes, task management, project planning, databases, and collaboration.

How it helps: It replaces multiple tools (like Trello, Google Docs, and Evernote) by letting you organize everything—goals, to-do lists, calendars, content ideas, or even meeting notes - all in one customizable space. Great for personal use or teams.

  • Free Plan Includes:

    • Unlimited pages and blocks for individuals

    • Real-time collaboration with up to 10 guests

    • Basic databases, kanban boards, calendars, and templates

  • Paid Plans:

    • Plus: $10/month per user (or $8/month billed annually)

      • Unlimited file uploads, version history, more guests

    • Business: $18/month per user (or $15/month annually)

      • Advanced permissions, SAML SSO, private teamspaces


2. Todoist

Best for: Staying organized with task lists and small projects.

What it does: Todoist is a clean, intuitive task manager with smart scheduling, reminders, and priority tagging.

How it helps: It helps you break your work into actionable steps, set deadlines, and stay focused. You can also integrate it with tools like Gmail, Outlook, and Slack to turn emails into tasks instantly.

  • Free Plan Includes:

    • 5 active projects

    • 5 collaborators per project

    • 3 filters

    • Task reminders via mobile notifications only

  • Paid Plans:

    • Pro: $5/month (or $4/month billed annually)

      • 300 projects, reminders, themes, task durations, calendar sync

    • Business: $8/month per user (or $6 billed annually)

      • Shared team inbox, admin roles, priority support


3. RescueTime

Best for: Tracking how you spend your time and improving focus habits.

What it does: RescueTime tracks the time you spend on applications and websites and provides detailed reports and productivity scores.

How it helps: It shows where your time is really going and nudges you toward more focused, goal-aligned work. You can set alerts, block distractions, and even use it to track personal goals like reducing screen time or increasing deep work hours.

  • Free Plan Includes:

    • Basic time tracking

    • Daily summary emails

    • Productivity scoring

  • Paid Plan:

    • Premium: $12/month (or $78/year)

      • Focus sessions

      • Goal setting with nudges

      • Distraction blocking

      • Deeper insights and reports


4. Zapier

Best for: Automating repetitive tasks between apps.

What it does: Zapier automates workflows by connecting your favorite apps (like Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, Notion, etc.) without coding.

How it helps: It eliminates repetitive tasks like copying and pasting data or manually triggering notifications. For example, you can automatically save email attachments to Dropbox or create calendar events from Trello cards—saving tons of time.

  • Free Plan Includes:

    • 100 tasks/month

    • 5 single-step Zaps (automated workflows)

    • 15-minute update time

  • Paid Plans:

    • Starter: $29.99/month

      • 750 tasks/month, multi-step Zaps, filters, formatters

    • Professional: $73.50/month

      • Unlimited Zaps, custom logic paths, 2-minute update time


5. Clockwise

Best for: Creating uninterrupted time blocks and smarter meetings.

What it does: Clockwise is a smart calendar assistant that optimizes your work schedule for focus time, meetings, and breaks.

How it helps: It automatically moves flexible meetings to create blocks of uninterrupted work time. It's especially useful for people with meeting-heavy schedules who want to protect their focus time without constant manual calendar shuffling.

  • Free Plan Includes:

    • Smart calendar optimization for individuals

    • Focus time protection

    • Meeting scheduling help

    • Slack and Google Meet integration

  • Paid Plans:

    • Teams: $6.75/month per user (billed annually)

      • Team calendar insights, analytics, advanced preferences

    • Business/Enterprise: Custom pricing

      • Admin controls, reporting, priority support

 

Which of these have you tried? What worked (or didn’t work) for you? What other apps or programs have worked for you?

 
 
 

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