The pandemic and quarantine forced many companies to work remotely. And in general, going online is becoming a fashion trend. However, there are unique apps and services to keep things from getting stagnant and make it easier to fight laziness at home. Also, check apppearl choices to find programs that allow you to limit your access to social media and become more productive.
We have compiled a list of services that make you stay productive while working from home.
Communication
Discord
Discord is primarily famous for gamers but also for teamwork and communication with colleagues. There is video chat and voice conference. Closed groups and rooms are easy to use for different company departments.
Teamspeak
Like Discord, Teamspeak was initially adopted by gamers, especially fans of online games. But the ease of use and the low weight made this program popular among various categories of people.
Teamspeak is suitable for the remote work of a small team. In addition to video chat, there is a text chat. The application is convenient to create theme rooms for departments, work on projects, or gossip with colleagues.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams program is designed for efficient team communication. It also has a minimalistic and pleasing-to-the-eye design. Besides the standard audio and video calls and online conferences, it is possible to upload and store files and work together. It is important to keep your shared files properly protected by using a third-party backup solution for Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 suite applications. Learn more here about this reliable backup solution.
Zoom
A popular video collaboration software with quick rooms to create and a link to connect. The latter are encrypted and password-locked if needed. In addition to video chatting, chat is available in the room. Zoom has a paid and a free version. In the first case, the maximum price tag is $20, and many extra features for teamwork. But if you only need to call a team once a week, the free plan will do. Only here, the group video conference time is limited to 40 minutes.
Task Tracking and Efficient Work
Toggl
The popular service Toggl also helps keep track of working time, not the management, but the employees themselves. Therefore, the program is suitable if you have decided to control your time and not waste it on nonsense. Through Toggl, you can monitor time and set tasks, and keep track of their implementation in the calendar.
Cold Turkey
The Cold Turkey app helps you work efficiently by blocking those sites you spend too much time on instead of doing business. There’s a free version that’s good enough, but there are also paid options with advanced self-monitoring features.
My Hours
My Hours helps you keep track of time at work, what you do, and what tasks it’s spent. The free version is enough for one user, but you’ll have to pay $6 a month per person if you want to track team occupancy.
Pomodoro Tracker
It’s a classic and minimalistic Pomodoro timer with which it’s convenient to divide up tasks by time and not be distracted by other issues. There is the customization of time blocks, languages, and different nuances. The standard tracker is automatically set to 25 minutes.
Collaboration
Trello
Trello is the most popular service with kanban boards. It is a powerful, easy-to-use program suitable for self-monitoring, freelancer work, personal case management, or a large team project.
Each task in Trello is a card to add photos, people, documents, links, comments, and more. Cards are divided into subject columns, and those are divided into boards.
Trello is also connected with other applications and services, including Google Docs and Slack.
ZenKit
ZenKit is a variation on the kanban board theme and is the closest competitor to Trello. The service has an uncomplicated menu and a more minimalistic design. The tasks are viewed as cards and a calendar, like in Trello, and as an ordinary list.
Slack
Multifunctional messenger for office workers and remote workers is probably the best solution in this segment. This stylish, handy, and versatile program is excellent for teamwork. But it is limited in its free version (although it is enough for small companies) and loads a lot of RAM.
Working with Documents
ZenPen
A minimalistic online text editor supports formatting and saves your work in a Markdown, HTML file, or standard text document. ZenPen is suitable for focused work – besides a blank sheet, there are only a couple of essential tool icons, including full-screen mode.
Google Docs
If you’ve been working in Word for a long time and want to try something modern and simple, then Google Docs is all yours. Every letter you type is instantly saved on the server, so you don’t care if the lights go out or your PC fails.
Google Docs has a vast selection of tools and settings, publishing ready-made documents on the Web, inserting tables, graphs, and so on.
There are also opportunities for teamwork in the service when you can involve one person, a department, or the entire team in a project in the form of a document. Employees are allowed to leave comments, edit the file, or view it.
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is an alternative to Google Docs, with advanced to-do planning, personal journaling, or a large collaborative project. The app is less geared toward deep text editing, although there are plenty of similar features, and is more suitable for remote or office teamwork.
Deferred reading
Pocket saves articles, news, reviews, and other found materials for deferred reading. So if you don’t have time now but want to read the material you’ve seen, you can save it in Pocket and even put a tag on it to find it quickly later. The service has handy extensions for browsers. The Instapaper app does the same, and its super minimalist design appeals to ascetics.
Feedly
Feedly is the evolution of RSS feeds. It is a convenient aggregator of news and articles, which is used not only by global media but also by the PR industry and ordinary users. Here you can create thematic boards and add publications that write on the topic, so you can read only them and not be distracted by unnecessary things. In addition to the free plan, there are paid plans, but the features of the Free version should be more than enough for the average remote worker.
