At Networks Plus, we love tools that increase our productivity! As a small business, we do a lot of things ourselves, things that larger companies have several people to do for them. We created a list of free productivity tools that we use just about every day to help you be more productive too!
1. Trello
Trello is a great organization tool for projects with multiple users. When we work on a website, we use Trello to track our progress, keep a running to-do list and much more.
Pro-tip: If you are using Trello with several people, have a group discussion about how you want to use your boards and cards before you start creating them! Discussing how you want to structure and use Trello with your team will save you time in the long run!
2. Evernote
We use Evernote for jotting down ideas, concepts for blog articles, our personal To-do lists, etc. It’s great because we can use it on our computers or our phones, so even if we aren’t at our desks we can still add to our idea lists and have it all be in one spot.
Pro-tip: Create notebooks in Evernote with different subjects to keep your notes organized.
3. Canva
Canva is great for when you need a nice image for social media and don’t have the time or resources (like photoshop). Canva has free options and paid options (if you want to use their stock photos you need to pay $1 apiece).
Pro-tip: If you know absolutely nothing about design, stick to their templates – their fantastic! If you are creating multiple designs with Canva, try to use similar templates to keep your look and feel consistent.
4. Headline Analyzer
This is a powerful tool for creating blog post titles. You type in your title and it will analyze it for you and give you suggestions on how to improve your title.
Pro-tip: Don’t be discouraged if the first time you use this tool if you get a low score on your headline. Writing good headlines is more of a challenge than most people realize. The website will break down your headline and how to improve it.
5. Power Thesaurus
Looking for the perfect word? Look no further – Power Thesaurus can help you find it! This website is a great tool to use during editing, especially if you find yourself repeating the same words over and over.
Pro-tip: Most people tend to use a thesaurus to find a big fancy word to replace their simple word. Instead, choose a word that you would use if you were having a conversation with your friends – this is what your followers want to hear or read. If you would typically say that something is “everywhere” in a conversation, don’t feel inclined to say that it’s “ubiquitous.”
Bonus! 6. Pixabay
Need a good photo but don’t have time to take one yourself? Pixabay is perfect for you! It’s your source for free vectors, photos, and drawings. You can use the images without attribution in digital and printed form, even for commercial applications!
Pro-tip: Try to use stock photos that look like natural pictures for a realistic feeling. Some stock photos look too stiff and will make your final product look corny.