Working from home became a norm for a lot of people this year. However, the shift from the office desk to a full-time home office was hard on almost everyone. Technology took care of half the fuzz and, as always, offered great solutions. Hop on the technology train and explore the top-notch apps to improve your home office setup.
Password manager
A password manager is an ultimate time-saver when new apps and programs are used while working or studying. For example, https://nordpass.com/password-manager/.
Usually, password managers offer folders which can help divide the work-related passwords and personal ones.
Also, the password manager offers safe password sharing with colleagues or classmates. The passwords sent this way will be encrypted, and no other person except the receiver will be able to see them. This may be handy when sharing the same account with others or sending login credentials.
Notes
Notes apps have changed the actual paper notes for a decade now. The yellow paper squares are no longer cluttered on a table and can be placed, organized, deleted on the screen without involving any paper waste.
There are plenty of note apps on Google and Apple stores. Although the big providers themselves offer note apps, for example, MacBook already has a preinstalled app called Stickies. Better use the well-known and respected providers’ apps to avoid scammy ones and getting viruses into the device. Always check the review section on Google Play or Apple store and do some research on the company providing the app. If the provider has other products verified by the store, it is most likely safe to use.
Cloud storage
Google technology solutions are probably the easiest to use since all Google products are synced and connected to one account, meaning they are accessible anywhere, no matter the device.
Google Drive is incredibly convenient when using multiple devices for work, such as laptops and an iPad. Also, Google Drive can open various types of documents: pdf, Word, Excel, etc. It also allows document sharing and editing with other Google account owners.
Google Drive has alternatives for non-Google users. Dropbox works similarly to Google Drive and allows document sharing, cloud storage, file synchronization.
Dropbox can be used for personal needs or businesses. For a single user, Dropbox offers a free account with 2GB of free and encrypted cloud storage. However, other plans are paid with a starting price of $9.99. There is also a possibility to try Dropbox for free, for a 14 or 30 days trial period depending on the paid plan.
Another alternative to Google is Tresorit. This service is also compatible with all the operating systems, like Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Tresorit is known as one of the safest and most private cloud drive services. It uses military-grade encryption, which means all files stored in the cloud are encrypted, and no one can read them, including Tresorit staff. The service is paid with the pricing starting at $14.5 and is well suited for businesses.
For more personal usage, the right choice is pCloud. The encryption is the same as Tresorits and offers a zero-knowledge protection policy meaning all files are encrypted before they leave the device. pCloud offers annual and lifetime pricing plans. Both of them are paid, although the lifetime prices are lower in comparison to annual ones.
Productivity apps
Increasing productivity is a constant struggle for most. Great productivity means better results, more money, greater efficiency, and simply brings joy to oneself.
Keeping track of all the tasks and workflows may be overwhelming, as well as planning them. Some productivity tools are designed to take care of an over flooded email inbox. Others help organize the time and tasks or divide assignments into important and insignificant ones.
RescueTime is a great app for tracking ones working habits. This app tracks time a person spends using various websites, tools, and breaks taken during work hours. The app will give a full scope of the computer’s time and categorize it depending on the type (very productive, neutral, distracting, etc.).
Trello is a work management app. It is designed to visualize their workflow and track everyone’s tasks. By creating a board and adding cards to it, a user creates columns for To Do, Doing, and Done. It is a simple system and easily customizable.
Asana is one of the most popular apps known and used among teams. This tool helps keep track of tasks and who is responsible for them, what is the progress on each assignment. Asana can handle smaller projects as well as bigger ones by setting start, end, and deliverable dates. Slack is the ultimate group messaging app. This service allows you to create channels, have personal conversations or group ones via message or video/ audio calls. It is also compatible with Asana, Google services (Google Drive, Sheets, Calendar, etc.). Slack is compatible with all the operating systems and can be used as an app or website. The service can be used for free by small businesses. However, Slack offers paid plans from $6.67 per month with additional features.