Productivity Apps to Stay on Top of Working From Home amid COVID-19

Feeling unproductive while working from home? Before you self-flagellate and think you're just not working hard enough, keep in mind that we're still in the middle of a health crisis, so it's only normal for your productivity to wax and wane.

For us, we believe productivity isn't an isolated mysterious code to be "cracked," but an amalgamation of good, daily habits and practices nurtured through time. Habits, as we know, rarely take overnight to form and while the exact time is contested, we sure believe it takes more than just one day. Here are some apps that can help you form good habits and practices to be more productive not just in working from home, but, ultimately, in your daily life.

Be Focused

Ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique? It's a time management system that breaks your day up into 25-minute fragments, separated by five-minute breaks. Thinking of working for a straight hour may feel cumbersome, but halving this into two 25-minute bursts doesn't sound so bad.

To help you integrate the Pomodoro Technique in your work and study, try out the Be Focused app, a simple Pomodoro timer that helps you get things done by allowing you to break your day up into tasks. You can also customize your work interval and short and long breaks however you see fit instead of just sticking to the typical 25-5. Available for iOS and Android.

Todoist

To-do list apps run aplenty, but Todoist is one of the best ones you'll find out there thanks to its various features. Stay on top of things through its Quick Add feature, which lets you capture and organize tasks in seconds. It also allows you to mark tasks according to priority levels, delegate tasks to other people, add tasks via email, and view a visualization of your productivity by week and month.

Toggl Track

Ever wondered why you seem to have unfinished tasks by the end of the day? Try out Toggl, which allows you to track how much time you spend on each task so you can make the necessary adjustments where you see fit and boost your productivity for the day. You can track your time through Toggl's web, desktop, or mobile application. Apart from its One-Click Timer that syncs all your entries automatically, Toggl also offers background tracking, which auto-tracks every app and website you use for more than ten seconds.

Freedom

Now that you’ve identified which apps and websites you spend the most time on, check out Freedom to help you limit your use of such websites and apps. The Freedom app, available on Android, OSX, and Windows, allows you to block websites, apps, and the internet for a specific amount of time so you can focus on what matters. Find that you keep checking Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit while working? You can block these apps for, say, thirty 30 minutes to an hour or however long you need, so you can put your mind to finishing your deliverable. This is perfect for procrastinators and their "just a minute more" delaying tactics!

Coffitivity

There are three types of people in the world: those who can work with music, in total silence, or with some type of noise in the background. Website and app Coffitivity mimics the sounds and noise of a café, which is perfect if you do most of your work or writing in a café but suddenly couldn’t because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Put your headphones on and choose among Coffitivity’s free café library. We recommend tuning into “Morning Murmur” for the right amount of background noise, from random clings and bumps to laughter and gentle, incomprehensible chatter. A hack: play a jazz album simultaneously with Coffitivity for the perfect café ambience.

Noise Generator

Coffitivity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. There are some of us who function the best when listening to signal noise. Check out the free app Noise Generator, which allows you to customize your noise, from brown noise and pink noise to white noise, blue noise, and purple noise.

Down Dog

Last on our list is the app Down Dog yoga, which allows you to customize your fitness level, time, pace, instructor, music, and goal, among others, for the perfect yoga plan. If you find yourself groggy and struggle to focus throughout the workday, which in turn affects your productivity, that’s probably because you haven’t been moving much. With Down Dog, you can allot even just five minutes for a quick yoga session, something you can squeeze into your coffee break or do during your Pomodoro break.