Six productivity apps to make life easier

Productivity comes with doing things smartly. The more organised you are, the better outcome you get. While many think smartphones kill productivity, ironically, it can be used to help boost productivity. 

This article is going to introduce you to some mobile phone applications that can do the trick, regardless if you are at work or home. 

Slack

A communication platform and collaboration hub; undoubtedly, one of the top notch tools for teamwork and team management. It comes with features like instant messaging, voice and video calls, and a suite of tools to share documents and information. 

Slack has standalone applications for Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, iOS and can be operated on web browsers as well. However, the iOS and android mobile apps do not support video chat or screen sharing features.

The best thing about Slack is that it allows creating channels under a workspace and enables managing separate projects or teams at one place in a very organised way.

Slack has both free and paid plans for its users. The free plan allows storage of 10,000 messages and supports only one-to-one calls, while the paid versions allow up to 15 participants.

Slack offers a premium plan named "Pro" that costs Tk571.4 per person, per month, if billed yearly. However it costs Tk685.33 per person, per month, when billed monthly. Its "Business+" costs Tk1,070.83 per person, per month, if billed yearly and

Tk1,285 per person, per month, if billed monthly.

AnyDesk

This tool allows you to control your teammate's screen and eases teamwork. Sounds interesting?

AnyDesk Remote Desktop's android app integrates seamlessly with devices. You can easily connect and control desktops, smartphones and other devices remotely via your Android device.

Anydesk offers a 14-day free trial for professional use. There are two paid plans named "Essentials'' with all basic features and "Performance" with a full set of business features. The two plans cost Tk848.1 and Tk1,704.77 per month, per user, respectively.

Any.do

When your brain fails to remember your long to-do list on a hectic day, Any.do is there for you. 

The best thing about this tool is that you can synchronise Google calendar with it. Thus, it brings the calendar and to-do list in one place for better planning.

The premium version has features like advanced recurring reminders, WhatsApp reminders, location reminder and more. It offers a monthly, half-yearly and yearly plan that costs Tk513.14, Tk384.64 and Tk256.14 per month, respectively.

Evernote

If you think notes are all about text only, then this application is going to show you something different. It makes you remember everything and tackle any project with your notes, tasks and schedule all in one place.

Adding pictures or audio recording to notes, synchronising Google calendar, sharing with others, connecting note and to-do list- with all these features, evernote will turn your note-taking into fun.

Evernote offers three premium personal, professional and team packages, which cost Tk499.44, Tk713.60, Tk1,070.83 respectively, if billed yearly.

PiHR

Simply put, this application can ease the life of a human resource professional. Pi-HR, developed by Bangladesh based Vivasoft Limited, simplifies human resource processes for both employees and managers. 

This application comes with a vast range of features starting from attendance management to digital notice board. There are tiny, small and mid packages available to enjoy PiHR's premium version. It costs Tk2,000, Tk3,500 and Tk5,000 per month excluding VAT and tax, respectively.

Camscanner

Last but not the least, Camscanner, a widely used and multi-functional smart scanner for your smartphone, is our final pick. With this application, you can scan documents instantly and convert files in various formats from one to another as well. 

Camscanner supports iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and websites. Its paid plans, premium and business, cost Tk427.48 and Tk598.81 respectively while it offers a basic account with limited features for free.