Do you want to manage your time more efficiently in 2022? Here are the 5 best free productivity tools to help you save time and boost your productivity.
We all want to work smarter, not harder and there’s a ton of productivity tools available to help you do that. Some are free while others charge a fee. However, many paid productivity tools also offer a free version, so there’s really no need to spend money on productivity tools.
Here’s a list of free productivity tools that can help you manage your time more efficiently.
Google offers a powerful suite of collaboration and productivity tools called Google Workspace. All you need to do is to create a Google account. Note that you do not need a Gmail account to have a Google account, however, Gmail is an integral part of the suite that can pull everything together for a more seamless experience.
You’ll have access to Google Calendar, Chat (for messaging), and Meet (for video and audio meetings).
Google Drive is where you can keep all Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms and share it with other users. You can also save these in other cloud storage applications like Dropbox, Box, or Egnyte or on your desktop computer.
Alternatively, Windows users can also leverage Microsoft 365 which offers a similar range of collaboration applications for home, student, and business users.
The point is, you need look no further than your computer for free productivity tools.
10to8 is an appointment scheduling software that makes it easy to set internal and external meetings and do a host of other tasks.
If your business is appointment-driven, it features an online booking system with a reminder feature. The system will automatically send clients a booking reminder via text, email, or voice call so that missed appointments are minimized.
10to8 integrates with other calendar applications such as Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, video conferencing software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and CRM systems like Salesforce. You can also link it to PayPal or Stripe to accept payments when clients make bookings.
Toggl is a time-tracking app that’s ideal for freelancers and small teams. The free version is more than adequate to track how much time you spend on certain projects and you can add up to 5 users. Features include:
This is a goal-setting app with a twist. Beeminderis a personal productivity tool that can help you achieve quantifiable goals, i.e. a goal that can be measured by numbers. Here are some examples:
Here’s the catch. If you can stick to your goals, you pay nothing. If you don’t, you’ll be charged $5.
The idea is that a financial penalty will help you commit more strongly to hitting your goals. The minimum is $5 but you can increase the amount if you feel it will motivate you more. Should you wish to no longer pursue a goal, you can end it at no charge.
Distractions are a major productivity killer. LeechBlock is a free productivity tool designed to block distracting websites. LeechBlock can be added as a browser extension on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi.
Once installed, create a list of sites you want to block and when to block them. Then enjoy working without the temptation of watching that video that just popped up on YouTube or checking your latest Facebook notifications.
Boosting your productivity in 2022 doesn’t have to cost a cent. Save time and money with these 5 free productivity tools.
