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Digital Productivity: How to Level Up and Get More Done (and 50+ Digital Tools to Help You Do It!)
Almost everything we do in the workplace these days requires an app or tech tool to help us complete tasks and projects — especially if you work remotely. Digital productivity is no longer something that only large corporations focus on.
Whether you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, small business owner leading a team, a co-founder, head cook, or bottle washer (you get what I mean), if you’re not leveraging digital tools to maximize your productivity, you, my friend, might well be on your way to winning a losing battle.
What Does Digital Productivity Look Like?
So, perhaps I was a little dramatic with that previous statement, but the fact of the matter is that you’re probably already using digital tools (even if you’re not aware of it). The goal is to use them in a thoughtful and strategic way so that you can get more accomplished consistently.
Of course, digital productivity will look different for you depending on your industry and the tasks you need to complete. That said, there will likely be some common activities across several areas. Jump down further in the post to find out more about the ones listed below in bold.
- Accounting
- Calendar Management
- Client Relationship Management (CRM)
- Communication
- Content and Graphics Creation
- Data and Analytics
- Digital Asset Management (DAM)
- E-mail Marketing
- Project and Task Management
- Social Media Marketing and Management
It's time to level up your digital productivity! Start by creating (or polishing) your workflow first. #digitalproductivity #techtools #productivity Share on X
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Digital Productivity: 5 Steps to Level Up & Get More Done
There are many facets of your small business that can benefit from technology. Keep reading to learn about 5 ways you can level up your digital productivity and get over 50 tech tools that can help you do it.
1. Develop a workflow
What is a workflow? A workflow is basically the series of steps or actions you take to move a task from start to completion. You will likely have more than one workflow for each of your business processes and each process may require action from multiple team members.
Determine what your core business processes are and then craft a sustainable and efficient workflow for each. While you’re at it, think about actions that can be automated so you can free up your human capital (i.e., your people!) so they can focus on tasks that require their special skills.
2. Look for kinks in the workflow
Do you already have a structure or workflow in place that just isn’t working well? Do you know what part of the flow is broken? Are you getting complaints from clients? Are deadlines being missed? Is your team increasingly frustrated?
It’s important for you to quickly find the kinks as they could mean decreased productivity and likely lost revenue. Once you’ve identified the holes in your workflow, think about the specific actions or results you need — and then find the best tech tool to fix it.
3. Involve your team
Talk to your team and get their input. They likely know from experience what’s working and what’s not. Work together to identify pain points and possible solutions. This will bring you closer to finding a fix for your workflow and will likely strengthen your team bond.
Hey! This infographic about digital productivity was created in Canva!
4. Investigate the best tech tools for the job
Though you might be tempted to download or test the tech tools and apps that you come across, think first about the features you need. Otherwise, you’ll get bogged down with lots of bells and whistles you may not need.
That said, if you foresee growing and needing options you don’t need now, consider how to integrate it in your plans for the future.
Another key factor in using web-based or mobile productivity apps is finding reputable developers. When was the app last updated? Do the developers have a system to respond to user questions or are those queries often ignored? There’s nothing more frustrating than investing time in “getting to know” an app only to discover that the developers have been missing in action and offer no support.
You might want to talk to colleagues and visit online discussion forums to learn more about apps that can bolster your workflow. The time you invest in doing this upfront will be well worth it.
5. Test the app
Congratulations on finding the app to solve your workflow problems! Now’s the time to test it to find out if really works the way it should. Keep in mind that one or two weeks is not long enough.
You should give it a good try for a reasonable amount of time, say four to six weeks. Integrate it into your workflow and be sure that everyone involved in the flow uses it, too. That way, you can really see how well it works.
Related: 7 Essential Productivity Apps for Freelancers, Consultants, and Coaches
Tools You Can Use to Maximize Digital Productivity
So, you’ve outlined your workflow and you’re ready to level up your digital productivity. Now what? To save you a bit of time with researching digital tools that can help get more done, I’ve pulled together a list of over 50 apps you might want to check out.
If you use any of them (or plan to), please jump down to the comments to let me know what you think! Okay, here we go:
Calendar Management
Stay on top of your appointments and manage deadlines and meetings with these calendar apps:
Communication
There are all sorts of ways you can communicate these days and you’ll need various tools to help you stay in touch with internal and external teams, prospects, and current clients. Check out the list below to get started:
- Gmail (Google Workspace referral link)
Inbox(Inbox was put on the sunset list by Google in March 2019)- Outlook
- Sanebox
E-mail Marketing
- Constant Contact (referral link)
- ConvertKit
- Drip
- MailChimp
Team Communication
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Content and Graphics Creation
Content is still king and you’ll need to produce some especially if you’re using inbound marketing to attract your prospects.
Blogging
Graphics and Video Creation
Related: 5 Tech Skills of Highly Productive Entrepreneurs
Project and Task Management
Being productive means effectively using your energy and working on the right things at the right time. Digital productivity is leveraging tech tools to help you successfully execute your workflows and tackle your important projects and tasks. Here are a few that can help:
Project Management
Task Management
- Any.do
- Due App (iOS only)
- Evernote Tasks (launched June 2021)
- Google Tasks (Google Workspce referral link)
Wunderlist(this app was put on the sunset list by Microsoft in May 2020)- Todoist
Social Media Marketing and Management
Social media can be an excellent way to “get the word out” and share content. There are many social platforms you can use (over 200!) to do that and I’ve listed some popular ones below. You’ll likely save some time using an “all-in-one” digital tool to help you manage the most popular social networks.
Social Media Platforms
(TikTok is another platform that’s been getting some good and not so good attention.)
Live Video Streaming
Social Media Management
- AgoraPulse
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- MeetEdgar
- Planoly (Instagram only)
- Tailwind (Pinterest and Instagram only)
Is digital productivity a top priority for you? Are you leveraging digital tools so you can accomplish more in your small business? Let me know in the comments!
Related: 10 Business Travel Apps to Keep You Organized
Note: Some of the links in today’s post are referral links. If you make a purchase after clicking on those links, I’ll get a small commission — enough for me to run out and grab my favorite latte! That said, those links are for apps that I have personally used and believe in. If you try them, let me know what you think!
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Wow, Deb! I love this post and that great graphic describing all the steps for achieving digital productivity. In looking at the suggested list of apps or digital platforms, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I use some of them like Squarespace, Mailchimp, Animoto, Hootsuite, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and more. I’m not that thrilled with Hootsuite these days. Which app do you recommend as an alternative?
Hey Linda – Glad you like the post! =) I use several social media tools including Hootsuite, Buffer, and Edgar. Each has their own pros and cons so it comes down to what you’re trying to do.
For example, Buffer is awesome for quickly sharing content as it also pulls the image for you. But, if you want to engage with others, you’ll want to use HS. Edgar is awesome for recycling content (especially evergreen posts), but again, it’s not the tool for engagement.
That said, I’ve been meaning to give Agora Pulse a try since it seems like it would be a nice combination of scheduling and engagement.
Btw, why is HS not working for you anymore?
It limits the platforms I can connect with, which is irritating. It also stopped allowing people to message me directly(privately.) These days I use it to send/schedule Tweets and view multiple Twitter streams.
This is a gold mine of information, Deb! I’ve pinned so I can go back and invest more time in exploring the links. I love your discussion of the “kinks.” If we can drill down on the specifics of a kink, we can come up with a plan to fix it. Diagnosis is so important… otherwise we end up feeling overwhelmed or fixing the wrong problem. I’m working on getting my Instagram going over here. I am a late adopter. Wish I had originally gone there instead of Google+. Owell – live and learn!
Hey, Seana – Glad that you saved the post for later. Once you give a few of these tech tools a try, please come back and let me know what you think.
I hear ya re: Instagram. I had an account but didn’t do much with it. Then, I dove head first into G+ and for a while it was awesome (really great engagement and community building). So, now I’m back to IG and am enjoying it. And, now that you can schedule IG posts, that helps a lot. See you over there! =)
Wow, a great resource of links to solve the workflow process. Thank you for compiling this email. I find that if I spend too much time doing a process, it is a red flag for me. Measuring the amount of time it takes to do a task is the first step to recognizing the time suck tasks.
‘Measuring the amount of time it takes to do a task is the first step to recognizing the time suck tasks.” <-- This is on point, Sabrina. Sometimes we pick the tools to fix the system before we figure out what's not working. Part of figuring that out is knowing how long tasks really take to complete and knowing which tasks take us down a rabbit hole. Btw, how do you track your time when you're working?
Deb, you’re the best! *.*
Incredible list, exactly what I need, I will try them all and keep my fingers crossed that one of these tools will help me to become more productive – finally! 🙂
Hi Erika – Glad you like the list! Which apps have you tried?
This post is everything! Seriously, I am going to have to share this with some of my coaching clients – so many great resources! XOXO
Hey Lindsey – Glad to hear it … thanks! =) What’s your favorite productivity app?
The tool stack is awesome! I use many of the tools listed on a daily basis. And yet I didn’t know about a few software before actually reading this post. I would also add Wix to this list (although I prefer WordPress myself), ’cause it’s more user-friendly for newbies.
Hi Oksana – I’ve used Slack (great app) and I think I tried Wix once. But, I’ve really always been a WordPress girl. Always nice to meet someone else who loves WP! Are there any new-to-you apps that you think you might try?
This is an awesome list, and I’m happy to see most of the apps I use listed here. What’s missing is OneNote, which came with my Microsoft Office subscription, and Snappa, which I find much easier to work with than Canva.
Hi Janet,
It’s not unusual for some apps to disappear even after a short while so I’m glad a lot of them are still around. As for OneNote, I thought I added it (senior moment, maybe?) but since I didn’t, I’ll go back and edit the post. I’m not familiar with Snappa. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks!
Deb
P.S. What do you like about Snappa? Curious to hear what features make it easier than Canva.
What a great collection of apps to explore! I have tried many but always like testing out the features of new ones.
Hi Neena — I’m in the same boat. I’ve tried a lot and I also like testing new ones. I tend to be loyal though to the ones I love using. Do you have a core set of apps that you use all the time? Thanks for stopping by. 😊
Hi Deb! Thank you for sharing such a helpful article! Nowadays, distractions are a common issue, and staying focused can be challenging. That’s why having the right tools is crucial for effective time management and professional growth. Your list of tools is excellent, and I’d like to add one more to the mix – Bordio. It’s a planner app that is user-friendly and convenient to use. Whether you’re working alone or with a team, everything is easy to manage in one place. Keep track of your tasks and stay focused on what’s important. I highly recommend giving it a try! Thank you again for the informative article.
Thanks for the recommendation, Susan. I’ll check it out.