Desktop Apps That Keep Me Sane (and are FREE)
Not that it wasn't unexpected but working at an agency is turning out to be a completely different animal than working client side. Not that I had any less tasks at my previous job, those tasks only centered around one brand and one industry. Now juggling several different accounts with several brand names under each account, it's very easy to lose track of who needs what done if you aren't careful. After a couple of weeks here, I knew I needed to figure out how to align all of my work in such a way to keep everything under control. Here are a couple of desktop apps I've used to help keep me organized and focused. Evernote
I've talked about Evernote before on this blog but it is definitely worth bringing up again. I used to be more of a casual user however I now live and die by the app. It's how I keep track of meeting notes, clip web pages for potential blogger outreach and interesting fan content, and how I used to keep track of my to-do lists. While searching for content relevant to particular brand audiences, it's not unusual to find content that could be useful for another client. Using the Evernote clipping extension in Chrome, I've been able to clip relevant web pages into a nicely organized filing system. The cool thing is that clipping doesn't just give you a link and a screenshot, a fully functioning page lives within your Evernote folders. The fact that it has an Android app in addition to a downloadable desktop app is a huge plus for me.
Teux Deux
If you need a simple to-do list, this is a great tool. When I began looking for task management apps, I started by asking my co-workers here at Engauge what they use. @bmeriwether is a heavy user of Teux Deux and gave me an introduction. The app displays every day of the week and lines under each day to list your tasks according to their due dates. It's a very clean and simple application to use to keep tasks straight. There isn't a desktop app available for this web app but there is an iPhone app for it. Unfortunately there isn't an Android function for Teux Deux either. Not yet anyway.
Wunderlist
I'm not trying to count my chickens before they hatch but I think this will end up being my go-to for to-do lists. This is hands-down the most OCD way I've found to keep things straight. You can list tasks by order of due date but that isn't all. Wunderlist also allows you to filter down tasks by folders. In my case, I have a folder for every brand that I work with and list individual tasks specifically for those brands. There is also the ability to prioritize tasks by placing stars next to them and narrow down what's due by each day. For example, it will filter down what tasks are due today, tomorrow and for the next week. One other cool feature is that it keeps of lists of items that you've gotten done that day. Seeing what you have to get done can be overwhelming. However the "got done" list in Wunderlist is a nice little confidence booster in your day that you are making progress.
The best part of this aside from having a desktop app, iPhone AND Android apps? It's free. Love it.
The video below gives a good rundown of the basics of Wunderlist.
What are some favorite task management apps that you use? How do you keep your day to day from spiraling out of control?
Related articles
- Productivity Tools: Free or Not Free? That is the question. (thenextweb.com)
- Work Smart: 5 Easy To-Dos That Keep Your To-Do List Healthy (fastcompany.com)
- Wunderlist, a simple and beautiful task manager releases its web app (thenextweb.com)
