A personal productivity/time management tool that runs in the background and tracks how you spend time on your computer and phone (which applications, which websites). It then provides reports and insights to help you understand and improve your focus (e.g., how much time spent on email or social media vs. doing design work). It even allows setting alerts or focus mode to block distractions. Many professionals use RescueTime to self-manage and ensure they’re allocating time to their most important work.
A password manager might not seem like a productivity tool, but it greatly improves efficiency and security. LastPass stores and autofills passwords for all your apps and websites, so you don’t waste time resetting passwords or trying to remember them. With a tool like LastPass (or 1Password, etc.), a small business team can also easily share credentials securely among members. It also often includes a password generator, freeing you from coming up with (and managing) strong passwords yourself.
Similar to LastPass, 1Password is another leading password manager. It’s very popular with tech startups and Mac users. By using 1Password, teams can maintain a central vault of logins, credit cards, and secure notes. Besides the obvious security benefit, it saves time – onboarding a new employee is as simple as sharing a vault of credentials, and they can log in everywhere without tedious setup. It also supports storing software license keys, sensitive documents, etc., making many routine accesses one-click.
Microsoft’s note-taking application, part of Office. It mimics a spiral notebook with sections and pages, allowing rich text, images, and ink (handwritten) notes. OneNote is great for meeting notes, research gathering, and brainstorming. Syncs via OneDrive so notes are accessible across devices. For those in the Microsoft ecosystem, OneNote serves as a central productivity hub for collecting information and ideas – often pre-installed, it’s a powerful tool that many don’t realize they already have.
An open-source office suite that small businesses or individuals use as a free alternative to Microsoft. While the desktop LibreOffice is more common, there are also online collaborative versions (Collabora Online) that can be self-hosted. It offers word processing, spreadsheets, presentations etc. The productivity angle: it enables those on a tight budget to have full document editing capabilities. However, it lacks the seamless cloud collaboration of Google/Microsoft – typically used for offline productivity.
Calendly streamlines meeting scheduling with automated calendar syncing, time zone detection, and customizable booking links. It reduces back and forth emails and integrates with major tools like Zoom and Google Workspace. Free plan is limited and advanced features require paid tiers.
The ubiquitous productivity suite for businesses, formerly MS Office. Microsoft 365 provides Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook email/calendar, OneDrive cloud storage, and Teams, all tightly integrated. It enables employees to create and edit documents/spreadsheets, manage email, and collaborate in real-time via cloud. With plans for businesses of all sizes, it remains a cornerstone of productivity – one of the two most popular business productivity suites alongside Google Workspace.
Google’s cloud-based suite for email, documents, and collaboration. Includes Gmail with custom domain, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides for online document editing, Drive for storage, and Meet for video meetings. Google Workspace is valued for enabling real-time, multi-user collaboration easily from a browser. Particularly popular with startups and modern teams – a top choice for business productivity and communication alongside Microsoft 365.
A versatile productivity app that serves as an all-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, databases, and wikis. Individuals and teams use Notion to organize their work and knowledge – from personal to-do lists and meeting notes to project plans and internal documentation. Its flexibility (templates, relational databases, Kanban boards) lets it replace several tools (Evernote, Trello, Confluence) with one, making it a favorite for boosting productivity through centralized information management.
One of the original note-taking apps, Evernote lets users capture and organize notes, web clippings, images, and more, synced across devices. It’s often the “external brain” for entrepreneurs and professionals, aiding productivity by keeping research, ideas, and to-do lists in one searchable place. Evernote also offers features like tagging, PDF annotation, and even task reminders. Though competition has grown, it remains a powerful personal productivity tool especially for those who started with it.
A cloud file storage and sharing platform that simplifies accessing files from anywhere and collaborating. On the productivity front, Dropbox Paper (its lightweight document editor) allows teams to co-author notes and project docs. But even just the core file sync saves time – ensuring you always have the latest version of files on whichever device. Many small businesses run on Dropbox as their informal file server, increasing productivity by eliminating “emailing attachments to ourselves” and reducing lost files.
Similar to Dropbox, Box is a cloud content management service but geared slightly more to business/enterprise with advanced admin controls and compliance. It enables teams to store, share, and collaborate on documents securely. Productivity is enhanced by integrations (Office 365, Google Docs can edit files in Box) and features like comments and tasks on files. Companies that need strict data governance but still want cloud convenience often choose Box to empower users without sacrificing security.
An AI-powered writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, and clarity in real time as you write (in emails, documents, social media, etc.). For professionals, it’s like having an editor watching over their shoulder, helping produce clear, mistake-free communications quickly. The premium version also suggests style improvements and tone adjustments. Grammarly saves time in proofreading and prevents embarrassing errors, thereby streamlining the writing tasks that occupy much of knowledge workers’ days.
A popular to-do list and task manager app that works across devices. Todoist allows you to capture tasks, set due dates and recurring reminders, and organize by projects and labels. It’s lightweight yet powerful (with natural language processing for dates and integration into email/Slack). For personal and team productivity, Todoist helps ensure nothing falls through the cracks. It’s often the entry point for individuals trying to get more organized and then scales up with them (it has sharing features for small teams).
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Google’s sticky-note app for capturing quick notes, lists, and reminders. Keep is simple but effective for productivity — you can jot down ideas on the fly (especially via mobile), set location or time-based reminders (“remind me to call the client at 10am”), and color-code or label notes. It integrates with Google Drive (notes can be dragged into Google Docs). Many people use Keep for day-to-day personal productivity alongside the broader Workspace tools, because of its speed and ease of use for ephemeral info.
Knowledge sharing and enterprise wiki tool with AI-powered search. Guru stores company information (policies, SOPs, FAQs) and delivers “cards” with instant answers wherever your team works (via browser extension or integrations). Aids collaboration by ensuring everyone finds up-to-date info quickly.
Kanban-style board app for task collaboration. While often classed under project management, many teams use Trello as a simple collaboration tool to organize ideas and tasks visually on boards. It supports file attachments, comments, checklists, and real-time updates for team coordination.
Microsoft 365 provides additional collaboration tools like SharePoint (for intranet portals and document collaboration) and Yammer (enterprise social networking). SharePoint allows teams to co-author documents and build shared sites; Yammer enables company-wide conversations and communities in a social feed format.
Video conferencing service within Google Workspace. Allows easy scheduling via Google Calendar and one-click browser-based meetings (no software install). Supports screen sharing, recordings, and live captioning. Integrated with Gmail/Calendar, making it a convenient collaboration tool for Google users.
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Collaborative digital whiteboard similar to Miro. Teams can brainstorm, plan, and design together using templates for flowcharts, mind maps, and agile rituals. Emphasizes support for facilitators (timers, voting) to run engaging remote workshops and creative collaboration sessions.
Google’s cloud productivity and collaboration suite (formerly G Suite). Includes Gmail for business email, Google Drive for file sharing, Docs/Sheets/Slides for real-time co-editing, and Google Meet for video calls. Widely used, with real-time collaboration and accessibility via browser.
Pioneering cloud file-sharing and collaboration platform. Allows teams to sync and share files across devices seamlessly. Offers commenting, version history, and integration with Microsoft and Google docs. Often used as a simple collaboration space for documents and media.
Cloud content management and collaboration platform geared towards businesses with higher security needs. Enables file sharing, live collaborative editing (with Office/Google integrations), and workflow automations. Popular for its granular access controls in enterprise settings.
Team workspace wiki for creating, sharing, and organizing content. Teams use Confluence to document project plans, meeting notes, and knowledge bases. It integrates with Jira and offers powerful versioning and commenting for team knowledge collaboration.
Online whiteboard collaboration tool. Allows distributed teams to brainstorm visually on an infinite canvas with sticky notes, diagrams, and drawings in real time. great for creative brainstorming, product design sessions, and remote workshops.
All-in-one workspace blending notes, wikis, task boards, and databases. Teams use Notion to collaborate on documents, manage projects, and track knowledge in a highly customizable interface. Known for flexibility – can serve as notes, task manager, or lightweight CRM.
Team messaging and collaboration app (similar to Slack) with built-in productivity features (shared to-dos, polls, notes). Markets itself on being lightweight and affordable, with integrations to bring emails, calendar, and third-party apps into the conversation.
Enterprise-grade video conferencing and team collaboration tool by Cisco. Offers secure video meetings, webinars, team spaces for persistent chat, and whiteboarding. Often used by distributed corporate teams requiring robust security and PSTN telephony integration.
