Your time is important, and to successfully fulfil your responsibilities, you must be productive. Your productivity may rise tenfold with the right set of programs. If you want to work smart, you must use the appropriate tools to save time, manage your tasks, and improve productivity.
Unless that's what you want, productivity apps aren't about forcing yourself to work more or more efficiently. They essentially propose to improve or simplify anything a little unpleasant.
Many productivity applications do tasks that you would normally perform manually, such as copying and pasting data across apps or transcribing audio, automatically. Others enhance your quality of life by organizing you so that you don't have to use as much mental effort trying to recall where you jotted down crucial information or what you need to accomplish next. They alleviate the burden. And wouldn't a lighter load be beneficial for all of us?
We've compiled this list of the greatest productivity programs for Windows PCs since it can be challenging to decide which of the numerous productivity software options are worthwhile. Learn more about the tools you'll need to improve your workflow by reading on.
1. Microsoft 365
The best office productivity suite is Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), which is great for both businesses and students. You're probably already utilizing an older version of Microsoft Office for daily tasks, but Microsoft 365 gives you access to the company's top products.
Famous legacy programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook are included in Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 has One Drive built-in along with a variety of Office suite programs.
You not only receive the greatest office productivity tools with Microsoft 365, but you also get a reliable cloud-based integration that enables you to access your work practically from anywhere and securely store sensitive information.
Microsoft is without a doubt the industry leader in office productivity software, notwithstanding some criticism that Microsoft Office has received.
The nicest thing about Microsoft 365 is how easy it is to use. If you have a Microsoft account, you may use the web-based Microsoft 365 applications for free. You must first select an appropriate plan if you wish to install Microsoft 365 on your Windows computer.
2. Google Workspace: Apps for teamwork and productivity
Although there are other office software options, Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, is still the first cloud-based option and one of the top business office options because of its broad variety of features and capabilities that rivals cannot match.
The greatest productivity tools enable raising team productivity easily and uncomplicated, whether they are used in the office or remotely.
No matter where a person is, they can keep in touch with the rest of their team and provide the most recent information and updates that everyone needs by focusing on collaboration and project management. This may be done on a departmental or project-by-project basis, allowing managers to ensure that the proper individuals are in charge of each job.
3. DocuSign
In the past ten years, if you've needed to sign anything, you've probably used DocuSign. It is a web-based solution for processing contracts and other papers that need signatures. The mobile apps from DocuSign make it simple to review and sign a file using the touchscreen and finger of your phone. Even if your employer doesn't need DocuSign, you could find the app beneficial at home the next time you need to sign anything from a lease agreement to a permission form. If you only need to sign documents, you may use this program for free. Plans to send documents and collect signatures begin at $15 per month.
The services of DocuSign are accessible through a free mobile app or by paying a monthly subscription. Documents and signatures are uploaded and encrypted, and a special hash is generated. The hash of a signed document will not match the data kept by DocuSign if it is later modified, indicating that the document has been altered or hacked. The corporation avoided wasting printouts for signatures in 2018, and as a result, 608,000 barrels of oil and more than 20 billion pieces of paper were also conserved.
4. Asana
Companies like Intel, Uber, Pinterest, and TED all utilize Asana as their primary means of communication. Asana has been around since 2008, making it an industry veteran in the collaborative space.
It is intended to make it simple for businesses to monitor employees' performance and get the greatest outcomes. You may use the platform to make to-do lists for ongoing projects, set deadline reminders, and submit requests to coworkers. Within the app, team members may also assign comments to postings.
All of your projects may be arranged in a list or board format, and a search feature makes it easy to find earlier work. Asana is, in summary, a highly efficient approach to maintaining extreme organization and encouraging dialogue with updates on the state of the job.
5. Bitrix24
Collaboration, instant messaging, telephone, project management, document handling, scheduling, and personnel management are just a few of the powerful business capabilities offered by Bitrix24.
If you want simplicity, concentrate on the excellent CRM, which is a potent system on its own. It is possible to keep track of contacts and discussions, assign leads to sales managers, send emails, record talks, and produce estimates and invoices. The mobile app makes it simple to obtain in-depth information that keeps you current.
The incredibly liberal free account from Bitrix24 allows 12 users and comes with 5GB of storage, while the Plus account includes more features.
Ultimately, Bitrix24 offers a complete set of tools on a single platform that will be especially helpful for small enterprises and start-ups to help them develop and prosper via increased efficiency.
6. Slack
One of the greatest communication tools available in Slack is It has developed as a crucial requirement in the workflow of enterprises over the last number of years. In terms of usefulness and aesthetics, Slack is a superb tool for work and collaboration.
Your staff may communicate individually, in groups, and even make audio and video calls using Slack. Organizations frequently create unique "channels" for every team to facilitate effective teamwork.
Slack, in addition to being used for professional communications, also fosters a feeling of community among employees by providing channels specifically for discussions about hobbies like sports, reading, traveling, and other pastimes.
To achieve the most effective workflow, you may even combine Slack with industry-leading products and bespoke apps. Slack may be integrated with a variety of systems, including OneDrive, Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, and Github.
Larger businesses are more likely to invest in a premium membership plan for Slack because the free version has limited capabilities.
7. Trello
Trello is a popular tool for recording, organizing, and sharing everything from simple to-do lists to complex project management operations.
It only involves dragging cards into a Trello board to get started. Cards can be used to represent distinct jobs, each with their own priority and due date. They may, however, be lengthy checklists with files and photos attached, as well as links to other websites.
There is also a large selection of power-ups or personalized cards. Box, Evernote, GIPHY, GitHub, Hangouts, Join.me, Mailchimp, OneDrive, Salesforce, Slack, SmartDraw, SurveyMonkey, Twitter, ZenDesk, and others are among them.
Trello comes with a ton of collaborative tools to help you manage your projects and a ton of smart features to make it user-friendly. For instance, the Cloud Aging power-up quickly ages cards that haven't been used in a while, possibly turning them yellow and even smashing them. This isn't just a novelty; it saves users a ton of time by making it quick and easy to find underused cards on even the busiest of boards.
7. Grammarly
Unlike basic spell checkers, Grammarly is a full-featured writing assistant tool (free; premium versions start at $144 per year). You may configure it to deliver ideas for whatever type of writing you're doing. For example, if you were writing a dissertation, you may put it up one way, and another way if you were writing a blog post, where shorter sentences and more informal language would be more appropriate. This writing tool corrects grammar and spelling as well as makes stylistic changes. It's ideal for everyone who requires a writing aid.
8. Buffer
One of the top social media management applications available is Buffer. You won't find a better program than Buffer if you're in charge of running the social media accounts for your company.
Posting, scheduling, and performance tracking are simple and effective with Buffer. You have control over how often you publish on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The scheduled time for posting will be automatically triggered for all queued posts.
A thorough analytics tool that displays the metrics that matter is also included in Buffer. To learn more about your followers and their interests, you may keep track of clicks, comments, shares, and likes.
The Buffer free plan, designed for people just getting started with social media, will get you going. However, you will need to buy the premium membership plan if you want comprehensive engagement and analytical capabilities.
9. RescueTime
RescueTime not only automatically counts the time you spend on different computer or mobile device tasks, such as visiting specific websites or using specific applications, but it also does so. RescueTime tracks your activity secretly in the background, calling no attention to itself.
Setting objectives and warnings for yourself is intended to help you develop better working habits. It allows you to track how you use your digital devices during the day and see how much time has passed. You may use the app's free version to analyze three months' worth of data, but subscription subscriptions (starting at $6 per month) have no such constraints and provide additional functionality.
The free version will do for most individuals, and the fact that it is available for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS means that work can be tracked across numerous devices and platforms.
10. SmartOffice 10
The most accurate representation of Microsoft Office products on a mobile app, according to SmartOffice, is now available. One of the few known free alternatives to the Android office suite is The company formerly offered a paid product but has now discontinued it in favour of this free version, which has all the tools needed to make innovative software.
This software is excellent for folks with limited storage space because official Microsoft programs sometimes take up a lot of disk space; it just takes up 16MB. The user interface is simple.
The program has password protection, so you may save any papers you've been working on with even more security. Users may quickly and simply edit and distribute Microsoft documents, and all files can be converted to PDFs if necessary. Access to services like Dropbox and Google Drive allows for the opening and saving of documents online.
Several image formats, including PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP, are supported by SmartOffice. Also supported is wireless printing. More than 37 distinct languages are supported, and it works with every version of Word going back to 1997. The copy and paste choices seem overly convoluted, and as a result, can be challenging to understand, which is the only serious critique of this suite.
11. Toggl
It provides online time monitoring and reporting services through its website as well as through mobile and desktop applications. Toggl Track keeps track of time blocks that are opportunistically assigned tags, projects, and tasks. There is a free version of the service that is suitable for teams of up to five people. However, the premium versions of the service are marketed on the website.
Toggl is accessible on a range of platforms, and due to synchronization, you may transfer between devices while continuing to work. There's a lot to learn here, such as reminders, links to various programs and services, a Pomodoro timer, automatic detection of idle time, manual and automated activity monitoring, and much, much more.
Toggl's flexibility and customizability, though, are what make it so attractive. You can probably make everything you want to monitor bend to your will. Although the thorough reports are outstanding, it is unfortunate that this otherwise feature-rich program lacks an option for invoicing.
12. Zapier
Users may combine the online apps they use and automate operations using software called Zapier. The business is entirely remote. It links to more than 4,000 applications as of 2021, offering both free and premium options.
Zapier is a useful program to be aware of if you wish to automate part of your job. You may build automations between applications and services using this web tool. You may concentrate your attention on other, more crucial duties by automating routine chores like these. For Zapier, there is a free tier of service, and subscription options begin at $24.99 a month.
13. Teamwork
For small-to medium-sized businesses that must quickly get up and running with project management, Teamwork is a top-rated productivity tool. Making an account just takes a few minutes. It is simple to use. Both of those elements, much less both, are not characteristics of all project management platforms. Everyone involved in the project receives a login. High-level parts of the project, including establishing the start date, finish date, and milestones, are organized by the project manager or team leads. Then, team members make the process of working together on a big project more visible by using the app to see what tasks are given to them, provide updates on the status of their assignments, and more. There are a small number of free accounts available; otherwise, costs begin at a reasonable $12.50 a month.
14. Quip
An Android-compatible software package called Quip facilitates online collaboration. Bret Taylor, a former Facebook CTO, and Kevin Gibbs, the creator of the Google App Engine, started the business in 2012.
The spreadsheet and word processing capabilities of Quip's major features enable online collaboration and editing on the respective Android applications. The group's members may all simultaneously examine and modify documents and, if necessary, provide comments. Major players like Amazon and Dell use Quip, which has its own chat rooms.
Although Quip offers a free tier, it is determined by the user's activity rather than by how many days they utilize it. As a result, you will have more free time the more you utilize it.
15. Evernote
Evernote offers all-in-one scheduling assistance and is made to help you keep track of notes, projects, and activities. You can work anywhere because of Evernote's ability to merge text, photos, audio files, PDFs, and other documents.
The organization is made simple with note-taking templates, a web clipper, and useful scaling and resizing tools. Evernote allows you to easily sync and search for your schedule and notes since it collects data across devices.
The free version of Evernote's app offers note-taking and online clipping capabilities, while personal and business memberships give you access to greater storage space, offline working, and integrations with Slack, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams.
Free with fewer features, $15/user/month for Endnote Teams
Available on: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
16. Windows Notepad
Simple is generally preferable when it comes to brainstorming and plan structuring, and Notepad is the simplest option available. There aren't many tools that allow you to write down your ideas without becoming sidetracked by formatting or program capabilities.
Making the most of the desktop space is made possible by Notepad's text reformatting feature, which makes it superior to competing programs in this regard. Even though Notepad has been a part of Windows from the very first release in 1985, it's often hard to surpass the original.
Conclusion
When it comes to enhancing job efficiency, there is no magic solution. Professional output fluctuates from day to day, week to week, and month to month. However, employing time management techniques can assist you in better controlling your schedule, energy level, and concentration.
You may manage your time and duties with the aid of productivity applications. They help you stay organized and schedule your days and tasks. These applications aid you in managing your time more successfully by giving you advice on time management techniques.
