Working from home is becoming increasingly popular these days. The classic nine to five job sitting in a cubicle is being abandoned, and for a good reason, the perks of working from home seem to be endless.
Flexible schedules, a more comfortable environment, and saving money are all incredible benefits that working in an office doesn’t offer. Not to mention, cheaper car insurance when working from home is available due to far less driving.
All these benefits have drawn people to search for jobs that allow them to work at home. However, like all other jobs, working from home can be difficult. Staying on task, being organized, and having reliable communication can be tough to accomplish from behind a laptop.
Technology for Working from Home
To help home workers with daily tasks, thousands of apps have been designed to assist with everything from organization to proper exercise. Here are our choices for the best apps and software to improve productivity when working from home.
#10 – Zoom
Zoom is one of the most popular apps in the world right now. Though some people may be making jokes about it, it has provided those who work from home a great place to keep in touch.
Zoom is being used by small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike thanks to its easy-to-use video communication abilities. Whether you live in Texas or Hong Kong, the Zoom app is prepared to connect you.
Zoom has been so popular because it’s simple to set up and ready for hundreds of different users. No matter what kind of business you work for, communication is key to success. Thanks to Zoom, that is now easier than ever.
#9 – Seven
Studies have proven that regular exercise can improve memory and thinking skills. When working from home, it can be challenging to stay mentally healthy; that’s where Seven comes in.
Seven is for the moms who work at home and need a quick, effective, and personalized workout plan. Nobody has an hour to get to the gym, and memberships are awful to pay for. With this app, you have the freedom to set an allotted time for working out, customize workouts based on scientific data, and the ability to set specific goals.
Work is essential to living, but exercise will keep you alive and healthy long after you stop working.
#8 – Doodle
One of the most basic needs for working at home is a schedule. It can be extremely easy to get off task and miss due dates or meetings. Doodle is a simple calendar app where you can customize your day, week, month, and year.
The app allows you to create events, book appointments, and schedule meetings. The most popular feature of the app, though, is its integrated organizational software. As you put events or to-dos in your calendar, the app organizes them in an easy-to-understand format. This helps ensure you get your work done but also make time for that home improvement project.
#7 – Spotify
A study by Berkely shows that music can enhance our brain’s creativity and complex thinking skills. What better way to help bring happiness and productivity to your day than with your favorite tunes.
An incredible 248 million people use the Spotify music app every month. For just ten dollars a month, you get unlimited downloads and can listen to nearly every song in the world. Whether you want to play a particular artist, genre, or playlist, Spotify has everything you can think of.
Give your brain a boost, and listen to music.
#6 – Clockify
Among the most challenging parts of the at-home work atmosphere is the willingness for employees to skip out or fluff their work schedule.
Clockify is the best way to keep track of your employee’s work and productivity. The easy-to-use time-tracking system can help you handle your tasks, see the hours you work each day, week, and month, and see how much you’ll be paid according to your wages.
Whether you’re a supervisor trying to get a handle on your team, or a freelancer looking to track time on each client project, Clockify is the best in the business.
#5 – Nozbe
Far and away, time management is the trickiest part of working from home. There are distractions around every corner, and sometimes even chores sound more interesting than work.
Nozbe is a highly-effective task and project time management app. Available on phones, tablets, and laptops, Nozbe can operate a full team of tasks or a few individual projects. A simple menu, colorful patterns, and outstanding organization make this time management app a must-have for any home worker.
#4 – Google Drive
No matter what work you do, you probably need multiple programs and necessities to do one job. Google Drive allows you to keep spreadsheets, documents, videos, images, and mail all in one place.
When you work in an office, you and every other employee can easily rely on one another from room to room. When you work from home, you lose the ability to keep an organized system of everybody’s work. That’s where the Google Drive app comes in.
Whether you need a document shared with people on different corners of the globe or a spreadsheet edited by multiple people at the same time, you can rely on Google Drive to keep everything in one shared place.
#3 – Slack
Communication becomes more challenging when you aren’t simply a few steps away from your coworkers. If you need to make a phone call every time you have a simple question, nobody will get any work done.
Slack is a messaging board app that allows your whole team to communicate with each other. You can add specific people to your chat or message just one person. Slack is simple to understand and can be as easy as texting.
Forget video calls and voice meetings every time someone has a slight issue; Slack provides your entire business with a communication board that will allow you to feel like you’re in the same room again.
#2 – Forest
Forest is an innovative way to keep your mind on the task at hand. When you want to stay focused, you plant a virtual tree. Your tree will grow tall and wide the longer you keep working. However, if you lose focus, your virtual tree will wilt and die.
The Forest app utilizes a customizable stopwatch and a creative, ingenious idea to keep you focused on work.
#1 – Asana
The best app to help with working from home is Asana. Designed to keep tasks from every employee in your business in one easy place, the app is now being used by more than two million people.
The Asana software keeps track of tasks and subtasks, who they are assigned to, and when the project needs to be completed. For everything from article writing to business ideas, Asana is everything you can ask for in an organizational app.
Technology Makes Working from Home the Dream
Working from home can be incredibly rewarding for those who have the privilege to do it.
However, some difficulties accompany it as well. Thanks to apps and technology, organization, staying on task, listening to music, and countless other issues have been solved. Who knows, maybe you have the next best app idea sitting in your head right now while you work.
Ethan Lichtenberg writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsurance.org. He specializes in insurance, mental health, and travel writing. Ethan lives in sunny Tarpon Springs, Florida and has been working from home for two years.
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