One of the most challenging adjustments for many people working from home has been learning to manage their own time and stay organized. In an office environment, there are other colleagues and a usually rigid structure to the day to ensure that you stay on task and get everything you need to down in a day.
You have to hold yourself accountable for managing your time to ensure that you stay on track at home. Luckily, there are several super helpful programs are designed to make it easy to plan your time.
Here are four of the best programs to help you manage your time and work efficiently.
#1: Notion
Notion is a relatively new program that has been attracting a lot of positive attention for the sheer level of customization that it offers, especially for a free piece of software.
Notion is free to use and syncs across all platforms and devices for personal use. There are options to pay for a premium package that allows content sharing with friends and colleagues and other useful features. The free version works great for most people using Notion for simple organization.
Notion feels very much like it is trying to be a virtual bullet journal, just like with a bullet journal; every page is completely blank and can be customized by the user to suit their workflow.
Notion pages can contain a mixture of text, pictures, excel charts, drop-down menus, calendars, and several other features. Pages can also be linked and cross-referenced, which is particularly useful when planning out and organizing tasks.
It can take a little while to get used to the freedom that Notion offers, and you could easily spend whole days designing the pages within your Notion. It is worth the time commitment, though, because a well-designed Notion page can completely change how you plan and manage your time.
There are thousands of page templates available, both from Notion themselves and other users. Templates are a great way to get started and understand how Notion works before planning out your pages.
#2: Evernote
Evernote is a virtual notebook that you can take with you everywhere that you go. Evernote syncs your notebooks across your computer, phone, and tablet so that you can write notes and check calendars no matter where you are.
You can create as many notebooks as you wish within your Evernote account so that you can separate your notes easily. You can also create to-do lists add pictures, files, and calendars, making your Evernote books the only tool that you need to track and organize your life.
With Evernote, you can organize all of your notebooks, post-it notes, and scraps of paper lying around your desk into one neat and tidy location.
#3: Trello
Employers commonly use Trello to track and share work with clients and employees. However, it can also be an effective tool for individuals when planning out work.
With Trello, you can create different boards and then assign tasks to specific boards. Once a task has been created, files and comments can be linked to it. For example, you can also move tasks between boards to indicate that it has been completed, uploaded, or need to be edited.
Trello can be accessed across devices, so you can also check in on your work and see what needs to be completed. Having access to Trello on your phone means that you can easily assign and adjust your work schedule while away from your computer so that you are ready to get straight to work when you are back at your desk.
You can share Trello boards with colleagues, which is excellent when working on collaborative projects. You can also use Trello boards to organize events and schedules with friends and family members, making it easy to track what chores and tasks have been completed.
#4: Dropbox
Dropbox is a must-have program for anyone who works across various devices and needs to have access to all of their documents at all times.
Dropbox is a cloud storage service that works across phones, tablets, and computers. You can also easily share documents with other people using Dropbox, which is perfect for collaborative working.
Once you have downloaded Dropbox to your computer, you can access your files just as you would with those on your hard drive. The advantage of Dropbox over your physical storage is that your files are instantly backed up and can be accessed anywhere.
Dropbox offers a free service that comes with a limited amount of storage space and multiple upgrade options that provide more storage and allow for even more devices to be connected.
