Franchisee Tips: Beat Daily Distractions and Boost Productivity With These Handy Digital Apps and Time-Saving Tools

We’ve all been there; stuck in a never-ending loop of distraction and frustration. In years gone by, we’d have to put all our effort into trying to boost productivity ourselves but, happily, there is now a plethora of digital time-saving tools available. In this franchisee tips guide, we’re exploring the best ones.

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In this digital age, it seems as though there’s an app to help us streamline almost every aspect of our lives. Handy software packages can be put to great use in the office, where we often find ourselves losing time and resenting our inefficiency.

The clever digital tools we’ve listed here can help you enhance your working day, using your devices more mindfully and efficiently to boost productivity and surpass your targets.

The best digital tools for productivity at work

How to avoid distractions

• Forest - This tree-themed app encourages you to stay off your phone while you work. Open it, ‘plant a seed’ and set a timer. As the minutes pass, a tree will grow, but if you close the app to do anything else on your device, it’ll die. Eventually, you’ll be able to create a forest - both metaphorically and literally, thanks to the app’s partnership with Trees of the Future.

• Freedom - Over a million people use Freedom to block their access to time-sapping websites and apps while they’re working. You can choose which sites you’d like to add to the list so you can get on with your work without being distracted.

• Pocket - This app, formerly called Read It Later, lets you save online articles, pictures and videos for another time. When you go to your ‘pocket’, you can view the content you’ve saved - even if you don’t have an internet connection.

How to be more efficient

• Trello - This popular organisational application helps users manage their daily tasks. You can categorise your jobs with different ‘cards’ and ‘boards’, set a deadline and even allocate tasks to other people if you’re collaborating.

• Todoist - Think of this app as your digital to-do list. It helps you organise your tasks by order of priority, set reminders and collaborate with others. When you have a lot on your plate, you can use Todoist to manage your workflow and track your progress.

• Strict Workflow - Using the 1980s ‘pomodoro technique’, which involves implementing a 25-minute/5-minute work/rest pattern, Strict Workflow allows you to break up your day into sections. It can also restrict your access to unproductive sites while you’re working.

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How to track your time

• Toggl - If you’d like to access reports on how you’re using your devices, Toggl could be the solution for you. It tracks your activity and tells you how long it takes you to complete different tasks.

• RescueTime - An unobtrusive app, RescueTime gets to work in the background of your device automatically tracking your usage of certain websites and apps. You can also programme goals and notifications to help you keep on top of things.

• Beeminder - If you’re serious about boosting productivity, try Beeminder. You set targets, log your progress and, if you don’t manage to stay on track - or on the yellow brick road in the app - it’ll charge your bank as a fine.

Our research indicates that the average company loses more than 20 percent of its productive capacity - more than a day each week - to what we call “organisational drag”. —Michael Mankins, Harvard Business Review

How to organise your calendar

• Google Calendar - You may already be familiar with this handy digital tool, but you might not be making the most of all its time-saving features. You can add appointments, organise jobs and set reminders to optimise your workflow.

• Join.me - Those who find themselves in a lot of meetings could benefit from Join.me, whether they use Microsoft Office, Chrome, iOS or Android applications. Not only does it let you organise virtual gatherings, but you can also send customised links to the meeting, share your screen and record the session.

• Apple Shortcuts - If you have an Apple device, you can use this application to trigger actions when you do certain things. For instance, it can automatically put your phone on silent when it sees you’ve arrived at work through GPS.

• IFTTT (If This, Then That) - Those who want to create shortcuts but don’t have an Apple device should try this tech solution. It can automatically carry out a whole range of different actions to save you precious time.

How to take notes

• Evernote - If you like to jot down ideas or reminders on the go, Evernote can help. It lets users save everything from written content to photos, illustrations, audio recordings and even PDFs, and then format it efficiently.

• Just Press Record - As the name suggests, this iOS app makes it possible to record audio. It then stores your files by date and time, and can transcribe them if required. Plus, you can use the transcription service to search for specific terms within your saved recordings.

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Franchisee tips to boost productivity

If you’re still struggling to streamline your work day, try out these franchisee tips to amplify the effectiveness of the tools above:

• Set a timer - If you’ve got a task you’re putting off, give yourself a set amount of time to complete it. The prospect of having finished the job once the countdown ends should provide good motivation, and if you don’t manage it, at least you’ll have made good progress.

• Plan your day - Consider creating an hour-by-hour schedule; having task deadlines in mind should help you power on through and get jobs done. Don’t forget to include exercise and regular breaks in your work day.

• Get a work phone number - If you need to be available for work phone calls, why not set up a new number? Just use a free online service like Skype or Google Voice if you don’t want to invest in a new mobile or SIM card.

• Listen to music - Some people find background music helps them focus. If this technique works for you, experiment with different genres until you find the tracks that put you firmly in the concentration zone.

• Set goals and rewards - If the prospect of completing a job doesn’t provide enough motivation for you to stay on track, why not reward yourself for your hard work? Enjoy a sweet treat, play with pets or run yourself a calming bubble bath once you’ve finished a dreaded task.

More franchisee tips on how to be more efficient at work

Check out the Point Franchise article catalogue for thousands of data-driven guides on running your own business in the wonderful world of franchising.

You may also be interested in finding out more about how to integrate digital tools into your day-to-day operations to boost productivity across your business. Read our article on the subject to get started.