Working from home has maintained popularity over the last few years, with many companies electing to allow employees to remain fully or partially remote. Working from home has many benefits, such as better work-life balance, flexibility with your day, and no more commute. However, working from home can also come with challenges like feeling isolated, being easily distracted, and needing more structure. Thankfully, many apps help you stay productive and organized while working from home, allowing you to manage your tasks, communicate with your colleagues, and be more efficient.
Communication Apps
Communication is integral to collaborating with co-workers, but it can often be a struggle when working remotely. Several apps help colleagues stay connected and help with their collaboration and productivity when working from their homes. Slack is a popular communication app used for real-time messaging and allows employees to share files and organize projects easily. Zoom and Google Meets are beneficial when setting up team calls or holding virtual meetings. It will enable you to communicate face-to-face with co-workers even when you are not in the same location, which is helpful because tone can be lost in email or text messages. Asana is a valuable project management app with built-in communication features for colleagues to share projects, assign tasks and deadlines, and track progress while working remotely on the same projects. Proofhub is a great communication tool for remote employees to collaborate on shared projects and provide each other with feedback.
Scheduling Apps
Because working remotely offers a unique sense of flexibility and all the employees are not in one location, scheduling is essential. Many apps are available to help employees manage their time effectively while maintaining a healthy work-life balance when working remotely. Calendly is a scheduling app allowing users to input their calendars so co-workers or clients can schedule meetings without going back and forth about availability. Robin is a great scheduling app for hybrid work situations because it allows employees to book desk space and maximize engagement and efficiency. It can also be used as a conference room scheduling app for those needing to collaborate in the office. Float is another scheduling app useful for remote work because it allows users to create schedules for specific projects, monitor their team's workload, and send out reminders about projects.
Storage Apps
When working remotely, it becomes more difficult to maintain open storage space when sharing files and accessing work from home. Storage apps are essential in managing productivity and efficiency when working remotely. Dropbox is a cloud storage app that allows users to store and share files and back up documents. It integrates with Microsoft Office and Adobe so users can edit and collaborate on documents in real-time. Google Drive is another cloud storage app that lets users collaborate in real time and access their work from any device. It is linked to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, ensuring consistency across all projects. Tresorit is a valuable storage app that helps keep file sharing secure and is encrypted to protect individuals and their organizations. Along with offering security through emails and file sharing, it also allows for digital signatures and pulls data reports.
Time Management Apps
Working remotely can be difficult when it comes to managing your time effectively. Not having direct supervision and being allowed to work in the comfort of your own home can make for the temptation to focus on other tasks around you instead of on your work. However, several time management apps can help you to keep focused and productive when working at home. Clockify is an app that tracks the time you spend working on projects at specific times throughout the day, which can help keep you accountable for staying on task. Trello is an app that lets users create boards for projects and tasks, set deadlines, and help avoid procrastination. Forest offers a unique twist on time management apps by having users stay focused on their necessary tasks by growing virtual trees. Users set a timer, and a tree will grow as long as they remain focused on the task. If the user leaves the app while working, the tree will die. This makes a fun, unique way to stay on task while working remotely.
