Many tools make online projects simple. Here are a few useful web apps to help with project management, organization, and concentration.
The 2020 pandemic transitioned many of us to online work, and some employers are sticking with the remote workflow. Working online, especially from home, reveals the importance of productivity and focus. Developing strong organization and self-disciplinary habits are essential to getting the most out of your workday.
Many online tools can make online projects, planning, and working with others simple. In fact, there are so many it can be hard to tell which ones are worth using. Here are a few of the most useful web apps that help with project management, organization, and concentration:
Asana
Asana is a task management software – like a to-do list on steroids. You can use it to manage your schedule as well as organize work among a team. Create tasks and add due dates, descriptions, a status, or other personalized labels. Organize your tasks or assign tasks to other users. This app is excellent for project management and communication between online colleagues. It’s perfect – necessary, even – for businesses that primarily operate virtually. It allows you to manage and organize multiple different teams of users by creating projects and assigning users to those projects.
There are multiple versions of the app, so you can pay for the features you need. The paid versions unlock certain features and allow more users to join your team. There are many other valuable features Asana offers, such as goals, portfolios and reports, timeline and calendar interfaces, exporting, and syncing with other apps.
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Braincat
Braincat is a unique new app in the beta stage of development that helps with brainstorming and organizing your thoughts. Users love Braincat for planning complex projects, product development, decision making, scheduling, outlining writing pieces, and more. Braincat is unique because it guides you through a specific way of thinking – it starts at the details and works upward to the main idea.
You begin by simply typing in all of your ideas, concerns, questions, or any other thoughts you have about the project in any order. Then, you put these items into categories or buckets so you can ask, ‘Where does this belong?’ or ‘How does this relate to the whole project?’ Finally, you order your buckets in a way that makes sense to you, whether it be chronologically or by priority. Additionally, the last step is naming the project. Now, Braincat shows you all of the information you entered in multiple different formats, including a standard outline and a mind map. These outputs can be easily exported to share with others or integrate with other apps.
Gingko
Gingko is a simple yet innovative notetaking tool. You can use it to create outlines, plan projects, flesh out ideas, take meeting notes, and more. Gingko’s interface is made of virtual notecards that expand horizontally and vertically, so you can create a tree of sticky notes. And that’s pretty much all there is to it!
Use this unique design in any way that works for you. Are you starting a new note? Add a new notecard down below. Are you adding detail to the current note? Add a connected notecard to the right. You can format text and add images or links to each notecard. This simple design makes Gingko versatile for almost any type of online work, from academic research to corporate planning. There are free and paid versions that offer different features in terms of saving and exporting your work.
Marinara Timer
When it comes to attention and concentration, this software is your friend. Marinara Timer is a customizable productivity timer that takes the Pomodoro technique one step further. A Pomodoro timer is a standard method used by writers that helps minimize distractions and boost concentration. The timer guides your attention with four 25-minute cycles of work, separated by 5-minute breaks. After the fourth cycle, you take a 15-minute break. The break not only keeps you on track but forces you to take frequent mental breaks, an important yet often forgotten practice for your mental health and longevity throughout the day.
Marinara Timer offers a standard Pomodoro setting, as well as a custom timer that lets you set your cycles to fit your needs. You can also share your custom timer with others to help your entire team be more efficient. Are you looking for something simple? Opt for the standard kitchen timer setting.
Hipstersound
If you like background noise to help you focus, check out Hipstersound. They offer a variety of calming audio tracks to listen to while you work. If you can’t visit a coffee shop near you, bring the coffee shop directly into your home. Play the sounds of cafés around the world, as well as other soothing scenes and rain simulators. There are free demos available and an entire library of audio tracks for premium users.
Clockify
This next app is dissimilar to the previously mentioned ones becuase it's sole focus is on time. This app is an amazing option if you are interested in keeping track of the time you spend on projects. But, what makes this app so useful is bieng able to track your projects in real time, track time retrospectively, organize by project, organize by client, and keep note of billable time.
So, not only are you tracking your time by project and client, but you are also keeping track of your time according to what time is billable and what is not. But, of course, it does not stop there. With clockify, you can automatically create reports, round your time up or down AND there is a free version! If you need help with your time management, Clockify is the perfect web app for you!
Trello
If you aren't already familiar with Trello, you need to be. Trello is one of the best ways to organize your projects. In Trello, you get to organize your projects into boards which organize further into categories and even further into cards. Each card allows you to interact with the project or step of a project in dozens of ways, including awesome integrations with Google and more, creating a due date, adding a checklist, describing the project, and you get to choose from dozens of custom powerups.
While the organization aspect of Trello is to die for, it gets better! In addition to dozens and dozens of cool integrations and features (we simply cannot list them all here), you can collaborate with your team through Trello. This allows you to increase your team's productivity which is especially useful for a virtual team! If you haven't checked out the Trello web app, we highly recommend it!
Google Calendar
Are you familiar with Google calendar? Of course, you are! Google calendar is such an underappreciated web app for productivity! One of the biggest mistakes people make in their productivity journey is assuming that they can remember everything. Regardless of how good your memory is, it is beyond important to keep a log somewhere of your appointments, events, etc. Google calendar offers a spot to keep track of your schedule in as much or as little detail as works for you!
These days, most people have a google account, which means google is a great way to go if you work with clients' or customers' schedules. In addition to google being a great place to store your schedule, it is a super easy place to collaborate with clients and customers regarding scheduling. Google Calendar integrates amazingly with Google hangout if you choose to do your virtual meetings there, but it also integrates so well with dozens of popular calendar and scheduling tools that you might already be using. The flexibility and popularity of Google make their calendar app a must-use web app for productivity.
Google Tasks
If you choose to use or are already using Google Calendar, Google Tasks is an easy add-on. Whether or not you choose to use it, Google Calendar comes with the option to create events and reminders or tasks. Many people overlook Tasks; however, Google tasks are a great way to integrate your to-do list with your schedule!
Tasks can be scheduled in a day, at a specific time, or not at all. They can also be categorized according to the specific calendars you have! If you are already using Google for literally anything, Google Calendar paired with Google Tasks is an obvious next step to improve your productivity!
Notion
Notion is the last productivity web app we are going to mention in this article. The Notion web app is another awesome option because it includes a team wiki, projects, tasks, notes, and docs shared with an entire team or a specific part of your team.
The organization of Notion is really simple and easy to work with. If you have a team, big or small, Notion is a great way to get everyone on the same page and functioning well on group or individual projects.
Regardless of the web apps you choose to use; it is important to remember to choose the app that fits your needs closest! We would love to know your thoughts on the apps we chose to share here. What do you think? Do you use and love any of them? What other apps would you recommend?
