5 time management apps for busy professionals
Effective time management is an essential skill in any line of business, but especially for sole traders and self employed professionals where time really is money. Time management is all about effective planning, setting achieveable objectives, delegating and prioritising; yet it can be difficult to balance these tasks with the running of day-to-day business activities.
The rise of smartphones and tablets has led to a mass of time management and productivity apps that can make life a lot easier for business professionals when planning workloads and keeping on top of appointments and deadlines. Here are five apps that could help to manage your time more effectively.
Evernote
Free and paid premium - Windows, Mac, Web, Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry
Evernote's slogan is "remember everything, capture anything, access anywhere, find things fast", and it seems to deliver on all of these promises. Evernote is cloud-based, meaning that saved URLs, notes for a presentation or ideas saved to your phone are accessible at any time from any location - particularly useful for professionals who are on the go. It also helps you organise your thoughts and tasks - so if you have a brilliant idea while you're away from the office, jot it down in Evernote and you can retrieve it when you return. It also allows sharing, helping you to collaborate on projects with colleagues.
Reminders
Free - Mac, iPhone, iPad
Reminders comes as standard on iOS devices and is included with Mac OS X Mountain Lion upwards. Although simple, it is very effective, allowing you to make daily to-do lists, checklists and set alerts for important events. There is also the ability to set a reminder to alert when you arrive at a certain location - for example, to remind you to give someone a call when you get back to the office.
Wunderlist
Free - Windows, Mac, Web, Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry
Its sleek and minimal design is great for organising projects or categories of to-dos. Wunderlist can sync with the cloud and you can add tasks via e-mail, but what really sets it apart from other time-management apps is its extremely straightforward, user-friendly interface. If you're looking for an easy to use time management app, this is probably it.
Hootsuite
Free and paid 'pro' versions - Web, Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry
With social media playing an increasingly important part in business, this app can really help make your campaigns more efficient. The app was originally designed for Twitter but has now been expanded to cover most social media platforms. It allows you to manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard - so you can post and reply to messages on your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts from one place. It is ideal if you have a strong social media presence or spend a lot of time posting updates, as it gives you an overview of all the activity going on and the ability to action it instantly. You can also schedule tweets and updates to be posted at a certain time and day. The web app is the most powerful, but the mobile apps offer excellent scaled-down capabilities.
Daily Agenda
£1.49 - iPhone
Daily Agenda lets you organise your calendars in one place and keep track of all your appointments for that day. Designed for busy professionals who have back-to-back appointments, it displays the time elapsed in your current appointment and a countdown to the next one. It automatically syncs with the existing appointments in calendars on your device, eliminating the need to add or change events yourself.
Please note: Markel UK do not endorse or recommend any one product and this information is intended as a guide only.
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