We <3 technology

It probably comes as no surprise that a marketing agency with a digital focus is as tech-obsessed as we are. Our office consists of 12 people, and on any given day there are so many pieces of technology that if pooled together, it would look like the back room of an Apple store. Between smartphones, MacBook’s, iPad’s, desktops, DSLR cameras, wireless headphones, and every other device you can think of, the Everbrave office knows a thing or two about digital activities.

It’s only natural that we love to take things a step further with apps, and why not? Simplifying time management, streamlining communication, upping our social media game, and utilizing design tools isn’t only personally helpful, but necessary for the sake of our clients. We can make more productive use of our time and produce better quality work, faster.

Here are the best work productivity apps in 2018:

 Slack

This is by far the most universally used, and loved, app in the office. Slack is a chat platform tool, which allows users to join a team and create separate channels within that team. We have a different slack channel for each client, internal projects, HR, and a general chat (which is basically an inappropriate GIF exchange and continual discussion of current, weird news stories).

Users can also send direct messages, call other users, and send documents. Slack helps our team make communication even more efficient by avoiding emails that don’t need to be emails, providing an easy channel for document sharing, and a space for collaboration on specific client projects. It’s thanks to Slack that the tedious and never-ending email chains of yesteryear are no longer.

Bonus app: Slack features GIPHY, which allows our team to share their feelings or reactions with animated images. All we can say is that we’re occasionally glad that Slack is an internal platform.

  Spotify

Spotify is another universal usage app at Everbrave. Whether it’s playing in the office at large, or we are working with headphones in, it’s always on.

Spotify is a digital music service available for mobile or computer. Users can create playlists, share music, listen to existing playlists curated by the platform, and search for music by genre, artist, or occasion.

Our musical tastes vary widely but there usually seems to be a general mixture of 90’s hip-hop, early 2000 jams, reggae, and indie rock coming from our speakers.

Does this count as a productivity app? Technically yes. There’s been recent research to suggest that listening to music can increase productivity.

  Trello

Trello is an organization and project management tool available for mobile or computer.

Within Trello, users can create private or shared boards, as well as lists containing cards. These cards can include information, checklists, documents, photos, and due dates. At Everbrave, we have collaborative boards for each client that include upcoming projects, necessary account information, content ideas, and a number of other things. On top of this, almost every staff member has a private Trello board to keep track of their own to do’s.

In my board, I have a list for every one of my clients, and then for weekly to do’s, things to research, training courses I want to take, and completed tasks. This is just my method though, the way’s to use Trello are infinite.

Taskmasters rejoice, planning your entire life has never been so easy.

  Grammarly

I went to school for journalism —as in writing for money— and I still frequently look up affect vs. effect.  I once had an instructor at school tell me that no writer ever became too good for an editor and that is absolutely true, which is exactly why I love Grammarly.

Grammarly is a writing assistant for mobile and computer that corrects grammar, spelling errors, and helps with general quality. I write countless emails, blog posts, and social media content throughout the day as an inbound marketer, so it’s nice to have Grammarly to ensure I’m not making any silly blunders.

If you’ve ever received an email where the sender had no clue, or regard, for the difference between to, too, and two, and you cringed while reading, you owe it to yourself to install this free app.

  Invision

Everbrave is chock-a-block with ACAD alumni, and not just on our design team. Design matters to us and factors into everything we do, which is why our marketers, creatives, and designers alike use Invision.

Invision is a prototyping tool. On it, users can create boards, website prototypes, manage workflows, and collaborate on design projects. We use it to present website mock-up’s and design inspiration boards to clients, as well as internally to collaborate on visual projects.

  Caato

Time tracking can be useful not only for billing hours to clients but also as a method of productivity.

Some Everbravers enjoy using the Pomodoro Technique— a time management system where you work for 25 minutes, take a short 3-5 minute break and then begin another 25 minutes of work. After 4 of these intervals, you take a longer 15-30 minute break. This method is thought to minimize the risk of interruption or workflow disruption.

The Caato app can be extremely useful for both these purposes as it sits in the corner of your desktop featuring timers for individual tasks or projects. It has a number of additional functionalities to adjust previously entered time, backup data, and hide certain projects when no longer relevant.

 Evernote

Trello is awesome for project and task management but it’s not our first choice for note-taking. Evernote is a note-taking tool for desktop and mobile which features notebooks to keep subjects separated and organized, a specific meeting note option which integrates with your calendar, and an option to add reminders to notes.

Evernote is collaborative so notebooks, or specific notes, can be shared amongst teams, or other users. The writing functionalities are clear and easy to use and the mobile app functions nicely. Evernote is one of the most useful apps for work and personal life productivity.

What are your favourites?

While we could go on listing our favourite apps forever, these are (for the most part) our top 7 work productivity apps. We’re always on the hunt for new and effective ways to make the most of our time, so we’d love for you to share your favourite app(s) in the comments.