“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” — Alexander Graham Bell

Let’s take a moment to mull over those words and rethink our activities over the last hour against those words. How much have we been able to concentrate on the work at hand?

Have we focused on the food we ate? Did we listen to our body speaking during the morning workout? Did we keep a tap on the number of times our thoughts wandered off? How much time did we actually spend on the excel sheet data we were analyzing? How much of a worrywart have we actually been today already?

World Productivity Day is all about that and more!

From being ‘busy’ to being ‘efficient’, the spirit of World Productivity Day

Observed internationally on June 20th, World Productivity Day is celebrated to honor productivity. At workplaces, people usually celebrate this day by incorporating new productivity tools and programs in place, so as to help employees be more efficient.

But productivity and the need to measure and improve it is not a new-age concept.

As early as 1924-32, experiments were carried out at the Hawthorne Works (a Western Electric factory outside Chicago) to understand if employee productivity would improve/reduce in higher or lower levels of light.

The spirit has not changed even almost a century afterwards. Organizations globally are relentlessly working on finding new methods for improving workplace productivity so as to boost employee productivity and drive them towards getting more done.

But productivity as a concept is not restricted to the workplace only. It can be mirrored into our personal lives as well. But of course, at times we all need that extra push to do better and make optimal use of time. And that’s where technology, namely mobile applications come into the picture.

Let’s have a quick look at the best mobile applications to improve productivity and focus.

Best Mobile Apps on Productivity and How they simplify lives

Thomas A. Edison, one of America’s greatest inventors, had commented, “There is no substitute for hard work.” While there is enough truth in that statement, organizations today think and act a bit different. Hard work without smart work is of little value to organizations, and productivity is the corporate buzz-word worldwide.

Not surprisingly, top mobile app developers are often busy building apps that accelerate productivity and performance, so as to help individuals and organizations get more done with less effort. And while sometimes technology can be distracting, here are some key productivity concepts and the top picks for Android and iOS apps that make it happen!

1.Time Management: When it comes to time management and productivity, an app like FocusList can be very advantageous.

At the outset it is a daily planner based on the Pomodoro technique of time management. It helps users to stay focused on a particular task, avoid unplanned distractions, and review performance against scheduled or estimated time.

Attention spans are dwindling, and this app helps to keep the mind focused on one task at a time.  It comes with a bunch of handy features and functionalities that help to concentrate on the immediate task and evaluate performance daily.

Users have the flexibility to plan their daily schedules by adding tasks, timebox each task by setting estimates, take planned breaks and evaluate performance by tracking time spent on each activity. There’s also an in-built timer that helps to keep track of the actual time spent on a task, against the time estimated, so as to self-evaluate productivity. History of the tasks performed can also be tracked effortlessly, along with the project duration, a stats-view and other elements that collectivity provide insight on efficiency and productivity.

Why we love the app: Because of its simplicity and ease-of-use, and the means to self-measure and evaluate productivity. Not surprisingly, FocusList is regarded among the best time tracking app among iOS users for getting done with daily tasks in time!

You can check the list of Best Time Tracking Software in 2021.

2. Prioritization: How many times has it been that we have a couple of things on our to-do list and are debating over which one to get started with? Innumerable times, right? That’s where Evernote simplifies things.

Multitasking is not everybody’s thing and inability to multitask often leads to reduced productivity. That’s why it is imperative to prioritize tasks and that’s where Evernote can be of help.

Technically, Evernote is not an app that will prioritize tasks for you, it is an app that will show all tasks and activities to you! An app that doubles as a personal notebook for writing down all kinds of notes, we consider it a must-have mobile app for professional and personal use. Available on the App Store and Google Play, the app can be used to capture ideas, develop a to-do list, set reminders, avoid missing deadlines and through all of this – prioritize tasks that are important.

Estimated to be used by 225 million users worldwide, Evernote helps users to prioritize tasks and focus on what’s important. It can also be used as a collaboration tool, helping teams share thoughts and ideas, store images, notes, documents, scans, clipped articles, etc. and access it even when offline. With its smart search tools, numerous format supports, and sync functionality with multiple devices, the app is also suitable for enterprise use for large projects.

Evernote comes with a free and paid version, with paid plans offering extended premium features.

3. Collaboration: There’s a lot that teams can get done when working collectively. And Trello is one app that makes collaboration work and is one of the most effective project management tools.

Available on iOS and Android apps, Trello offers free and paid plans. Easy to install and set up, it gives users the flexibility to customize their profiles and avatars to their liking and track all team/project tasks, updates, progress, files in one place.

Users can define projects and its requirements using the available tools such as ‘Boards,’ ‘Cards,’ etc., use the dashboard to organize and prioritize tasks, label and categorize cards, set reminders for task deadlines, interact with other project members or communicate via chat, share files/photos, automate boards using power-ups, check the activity log, use the voting feature etc. In short – a complete productivity platform, this app offers all the necessary features required to get the job done in time!

In addition to its basic and advanced features, Trelo also allows integration with other platforms namely Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, etc. to improve the overall experience.

Why we love Trello? Because of its simplicity in navigation and interface. Mobile app UI/UX is often the key factor that distinguishes apps and separates them from their competitors – and that’s exactly where Trello scores!

4. Meditation: Meditation might not fit into the exact definition of a productivity tool but it certainly helps to achieve it!

Research shows that regular meditation has helped the mind to find clarity, avoid distractions and concentrate on what’s important. And that’s probably why successful CEOs and leaders like Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Weiner (CEO of LinkedIn), Marc Benioff (CEO of Salesforce) and many others practice meditation!

And while there are hundreds of meditation apps available on the app marketplace, we recommend SOS Method to access workplace meditations for improving productivity. The meditation and mindfulness app comes with programs built for workplace stress, communication, focus, and productivity, etc. and can work in as little as 5 minutes! Users moreover can practice it anywhere, anytime, even from their work-stations in office!  

5. Saved for Later: The internet is full of information – and often so much that it is difficult to absorb and remember all of it. That’s when we need to ‘save it for later!’

Pocket is one such app that makes it possible! The Pocket app allows users to save videos, articles, stories from across the web or app. Curated content can be effortlessly accessed at a later time from any device (tab, phone, and desktop), even on offline mode. Users can also add tags to articles and adjust texts for easy reading.

Why we love it? Because it ensures that no piece of important information goes forgotten!

How to make the most of World Productivity Day

This could be the day when you could make a new beginning. Download a productivity app, set new goals to achieve, get organized and get going.

It should be realized that productivity is not a one-time activity, neither can it be followed on a particular day only. Productivity is a habit that requires determination and discipline – and complemented by technology, it can be enhanced!

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