7 Top Time-Saving Tools for Streamlining Everyday Tasks

We’ve all been there. We work on a project and spend triple the time we thought we would to finish it. We’ve also all been privy to the effects of (and warnings about) procrastination. When you’ve tried every trick in the book for staying on-schedule, it’s time to make sure you’re using the right tools.

Here are my 7 Top Time Saving Tools for Streamlining Everyday Tasks:

1. Any.DO – In the world of to-do lists, there is no shortage of key players. You might be thinking, “Woah, can’t I just pull up a text-edit document for this?” Sure, you can. But with an app designed specifically for categorizing your tasks, you don’t need to shuffle things around yourself or be constantly looking at it. We like this option because it’s super simple with a bunch of different view and alert options. Try it out.

2. HoursTracker – Whether you’re freelance or you work full-time, hourly, it’s easy to forget which hours you were actually on the clock. This (free) app gives you the means to input your time worked (and link them to the hourly rate or the specific job you worked on). Not only is it easy to use, but it can help keep track of your finances before that paycheck comes in. The bonus? You almost always have your phone on you, so whenever you remember to log your hours, you can keep track of them here.

3. Tout – If you’re in the business of sending off tons of emails and find it pretty difficult to keep track of where your time and effort is actually succeeding, then this app is perfect. It works a lot like analytics for standard email marketing apps, but it’s more specifically designed for emails sent to sales leads. Link it up with Gmail and start adjusting and maximizing your email’s potential based on what type of messages your leads are responding to. It also saves you time, since all your emails will be prewritten. You simply have to choose which one you want to use, and make minor changes to fit that receiver.

4. SelfControl – SelfControl allows you to actually block certain websites. Taking a page out of restrictive IT departments, the app arguably reserves its use for strictly social media sites. Spend too much time on Facebook? How about Reddit? Download the app, restrict your sites and start focusing. Sometimes you need to be your own IT guy.

5. Your Bank’s App – It’s shocking how few people nowadays elect to bank electronically. Well, take it a step past your bank’s website and grab their app. This way, you can check your balances on the go and avoid that “I don’t know my account balance” overdraft fee. Most apps allow electronic transfers and deposits. This can quite literally save you time as you won’t need to go all the way to the bank to cash a check.

6. Just Landed – This one goes out to the business travelers and road-hardened explorers. Just Landed is an app that boils down your flight schedule and tells you when to leave and where to go. It’s a great way to never miss your flight, and you won’t need to take the time to look up all your information. Plus, their website is seriously gorgeous.

7. A Novel Idea – And finally, for creative types, we wanted to include an app to help you keep track of all your brilliant ideas. If you’re a writer, you know creativity never strikes in the same place twice. Make sure you have this app to jot down your ideas. The infrastructure also boasts functionality to help you spin out your ideas with storyboarding and plot planning. Think of it as the app version of the eureka light bulb.

These are some of my some of my favorite apps and widgets for streamlining everyday tasks. Using the right tools can make a big different in not just getting the job done, but getting it done efficiently and productively.