The best time management tools


Do you ever wish you had a few extra hours in the day? For most of us, it always seems like there’s too much to do and never enough time to do it. The truth is, you have all the time you need to get the things you value the most done. However, you might not be using your time to the best of your ability. Achieving the outcomes that matter to you is not an issue of having more time, but simply a question of focus and clarity.

If you are a manager, business owner or otherwise leading a company, it’s even more important that you utilize time effectively. This is key to your leadership skill set, as it gives you the opportunity to provide guidance and set the right example for those who look up to you.

To increase your ability to focus on what’s most important, it’s helpful to have a coach who can show you the right path and to have resources when it comes to staying organized. For some assistance on how to best complete tasks, utilize these excellent time management apps and time management software to help you stay on track and maximize your resources.

Best time management apps

Time management apps are popular because they are easily accessible on cellphones and on-the-go devices, like an iPad, and can be used wherever you find yourself working. Though being on your phone can turn into a big time-suck, using it to access these time management apps can have the opposite result.

To-do app:

How it works: is one of the best apps for time management available and you can use it with Android, iOS and Chrome, either on your own or with a team. It works like many other to-do apps, but it has one special feature that distinguishes it from the others: the Moment.

Why it works: The Moment is why this app works so well. You use it by reviewing each day’s task every morning so you’re never ambushed by your own schedule and can focus on what’s most important rather than get caught up in busy-work.

How it can help you: is one of the few time management tools that can actually help you train yourself to form new productive habits.

time management app

Focus app: Focus Booster

time management app

How it works: Based on the Pomodoro Technique, Focus Booster is a time management app that helps you stay focused and refreshed by reducing the anxiety that comes from distractions and leads to procrastination.

Why it works: By using easy time-tracking and a simple dashboard to aid visualization, Focus Booster helps you limit distractions and evaluate where time is being wasted.

How it can help you: Focus Booster is one of the best time management apps for procrastinators, and is ideal for those wasting precious hours on distractions and trying to regain focus.

Chunking app: Clear

How it works: This to-do list app is not specifically designed for chunking your tasks, but it may as well be. It’s compatible with Apple Watch, iOS and OS X.

Why it works: Clear lets you organize your goals into manageable categories so you can tackle them more easily. It also gives you notifications so you can prioritize appropriately, and it syncs with your iCloud account.

How it can help you: As one of the best time management tools out there, Clear can help you group your tasks in convenient, appealing chunks so that you can better visualize your progress and knock items off your to-do list with ease.

chunking app

Note organizing app: Evernote

notes on phone

How it works: Have a hard time organizing all of your ideas in one easy-to-access location? Evernote tops the list of time management tools in the organizational category by helping you keep everything from images to lists and even voice attachments all in one convenient place.

Why it works: Many of us waste precious time looking for notes we’ve written down, texted others about or filed away for later. Evernote cuts back on those “lost hours” and helps you feel more organized.

How it can help you: An ideal app for brainstormers and creative types, Evernote makes sure you never lose a great idea or point of reference. If you are constantly digging for notes or frequently stress over things you believe you’ve forgotten, Evernote can be your one-stop reminder.

Thought-tracking app: Moodnotes

How it works: Moodnotes lets you track your moods and thoughts over time so you can avoid negative thought patterns and encourage healthier thinking habits.

Why it works: This app is fast and easy to use and is based on actual cognitive behavioral research. When our mood is better, we have better focus on mental clarity, all of which help us maximize our time.

How it can help you: Moodnotes helps you see both positive and negative patterns in your thoughts and moods over time. This is valuable in helping you to more easily identify what is causing limiting beliefs or negative patterns and it allows you to understand ways you can change your thought processes.


Time management software

Though time management apps can be very helpful, companies can also benefit from time management software that is meant to be used on a desktop and shared with the entire company. Here are the best time management tools in this area.

Project management/collaboration tool: Asana

How it works: This is a collaborative workplace management tool you and your team can use to stay on track and develop better corporate communication. Don’t need it for the office? It works just as well for an individual who needs to keep track of his or her own projects or a family or social group looking for collaboration, accountability and visibility for group tasks.

Why it works: Asana is time management software that lets you see what’s coming, share your progress with others and prioritize your next steps individually or as a group.

How it can help you: Use Asana to work with others or to manage the different responsibilities you have across distinct areas of your life (at the office, at home, for your volunteer group, etc.). When using this time management app, you can see work tasks, home projects and personal goals all in one place.

Team budgeting/tracking tool: BigTime

How it works: BigTime is an operating system that can be accessed anywhere by your team. It helps you track budgets, time, staff utilization and more. It also provides real-time business insights and helps you organize workflow so you team runs more efficiently.

Why it works: BigTime is very effective to grow profits by accurately billing more hours. It can also give you greater knowledge about your business, which naturally leads to growth.

How it can help you: If you’ve recently experienced explosive growth and feel like you’re losing a handle on day-to-day operations, BigTime can help you get back on track.

Voice recognition tool: Dragon Naturally Speaking

How it works: Dragon Naturally Speaking is some of the best voice dictation software available. You can use it to dictate everything from letters and emails to reports and notes for upcoming meetings. The time management software then automatically sends your recorded files to your computer or phone.

Why it works: Dragon is effective because it is highly intuitive and has many in-depth features that simplify use. There are even different versions of Dragon tailored to suit your needs such as Dragon Anywhere (perfect for use on mobile devices), Dragon Legal (specially created for those in the legal industry) and more.

How it can help you: Each of us have N.E.T. time, or No Extra Time, that we can use to our advantage. These are the hours we spend doing menial tasks like being stuck in traffic, running errands and exercising. Using an effective voice control time management app allows you to control your computer with your voice or dictate messages and reports as you take care of other tasks. That means you get more done during your day.

Automation tool: IFTTT

How it works: IFTTT stands for “if this, then that.” This is a coding term, but this time management software lets you skip the coding and go right to automating your life. For example, you could set up an IFTTT that says, “If my Google Calendar shows an event, then text me a reminder with the details.”

Why it works: There are so many little things we do every day that we can automate. “If someone tweets a photo to me, then save it to Dropbox.” “If it gets dark, then turn on the outside light.” IFTTT lets you skip those little actions by doing them for you.

How it can help you: Speaking of N.E.T. time, imagine how much time you’d free up if you automated as many of your tasks as you could. The IFTTT time management app helps you and your team do just that.

Time training tool: RescueTime

How it works: RescueTime is a free time-tracking tool available for Android, iOS, Linux, OS X and Windows that records the breaks you take, websites you visit and apps you and your team use throughout the day.

Why it works: RescueTime gives you insight into what your technology habits really are and helps you stay on track by quantifying your productivity goals; for example, by setting the goal of being on Facebook for no longer than half an hour per day or by spending one hour or less on emails. It also blocks distracting apps and sites when you really need to focus. You can also utilize time management tools such as RescueTime with your team to help them make better use of their time.

How it can help you: After RescueTime tracks you or your employees all day, you will know exactly how time is typically spent on a project. You can then use this information to hold yourself or your team more accountable, which helps improve habits and eliminate unproductive behaviors. This is also one of the best time management apps to improve your work-life balance.

Email management: Unroll.Me

How it works: Unroll.Me is a useful tool that unsubscribes you from all of those deals and newsletters that end up in your junk folder. It also organizes the ones you still want to receive so they don’t pop into your inbox or give individual notifications throughout the day. Instead, Unroll.Me provides a summary of all the promotional materials you receive throughout the day into a single email so you don’t miss out on any relevant information.

Why it works: Unroll.Me makes unsubscribing and reading your chosen materials easy. Every day it alerts you to new subscriptions and allows you to unsubscribe with a single click.

How it can help you: As far as time management tools go, Unroll.Me leads the battle in fighting endless distractions in your inbox, and it summarizes the information you want to read through when you’ve allotted the time to do so.

With the right time management apps and software at your disposal, you have the power to stay on track. Effective time management tools will assist you in making use of your N.E.T. time, chunking your tasks so they are more manageable and making better use of the time you already have. Maximizing time, your most precious resource, is essential to living a more fulfilling life and the above tools can help you achieve greater success in this area.

Beyond time management apps

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what tool you’re using until you have an effective time management system in place. For a comprehensive guide on effective time management techniques and scientifically proven methods used by Tony Robbins himself, purchase The Time of Your Life. The strategies taught in this 10-day program will free you from your endless to-do lists, allowing you to master your time and get more out of life.

You’ll learn proven ways to make the best of your time so you can create a more fulfilling career, deepen personal relationships and learn how to still have time for things you find rewarding, like exercise, travel and spending time with your family. The Time of Your Life shifts your focus from what you think you have to do and redirects it toward what you actually want to be doing. Order this effective program today and start working toward the tangible results you desire.

Looking for a way to Improve your Time Management?

At the of the day, it doesn’t matter what app you’re using until you have a system you’re using for time management. For a comprehensive guide on effective time management techniques and scientifically-proven methods, purchase The Time of Your Life. The strategies taught in this program will free you from your endless to-do lists, allowing you to master your time and get more out of life.