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The Best All-In-One Productivity Apps to Use in 2021
Stay organized this year and beyond
The shift towards a digital lifestyle accelerated in the past year. Gadgets are considered essential and our whole lives are basically stored in hard drives or up in the cloud. While some still have a preference for jotting things down on an old school notebook or planner, others opt to keep everything in one digital space. Here are some of the best productivity apps for the year 2021 that will help you stay at the top of your game, whether it’s listing all tasks to plotting important deadlines.
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Trello
Trello boasts being one of the best productivity apps for setting up a good work ecosystem for a team. But this app also proves to be a great partner for those who want to use it on their own. Users have free reign to create and customize different boards to accommodate what they need, either from scratch or with the help of free templates. Boards can carry cards and lists to further organize personal projects, and for storing all your work tasks. Slack, Google Drive and more external apps can be linked with the app so you can access important documents without the hassle of exporting and importing all over again.
Use Trello through the web, a browser extension, a desktop app or as a mobile app.
Todoist
Todoist is another unique all-in-one productivity app that allows for multiple boards to accommodate all projects. This is a perfect fit for those who want to keep score of all your deadlines since its interface lets you view your weeks and days at a glance. Google Suite, Microsoft Outlook and more external applications can be integrated with your account for easier access to existing files. Todoist is also unique due to its productivity tracking feature, Karma. Tasks done on time are rewarded certain points, while tasks left untouched for more than four days result in a deduction. Collecting a number of Karma points unlocks premium features, which makes Todoist one of the best choices for those who need an additional push to meet deadlines.
Todoist is available as a web app, Desktop app, Mobile app and even as an app on digital wearables.
Friday
Compared to the first two applications, Friday is quite different since it puts a premium on simplicity for work meetings and tasks to be done. While it immediately syncs your Google or Outlook calendar, note-taking and other project boards are unavailable. You’d have to integrate your account with existing Trello or Todoist boards. However, sticking to the agenda is this app’s forte. Friday has a unique Focus Time feature that blocks certain sites as you work during a custom interval. Aside from being a digital planner, Friday also has features that encourage using it as a personal journal. Users can set up an automated routine for themselves to track their daily moods.
Friday can be used through a web app and a Google Chrome extension.
Notion
One of the best productivity apps out there is Notion. It’s got everything you need: use of multiple pages, sections for notes, documents and spreadsheets and a variety of to-do lists. Keyboard shortcuts also allow users to link and embed news articles and other media on the web. The list of apps that are compatible with Notion is pretty long, including Google Suite and 500 others. Nonetheless, free and paid templates for Notion exist for those who get easily overwhelmed with new software.
Notion is available as a Web app, desktop app and mobile app.
BONUS: Hours.
This app is best for you—with or without your productivity buddies or work teammates—and without the added lag of a Zoom call or Google meet. It includes a task list you can easily input, and a progress bar is used to check on the amount of work done. Hours. has a timer function so users can work in intervals, either in a solo session or a group session. A lo-fi playlist is free to use as well to help you get in the productivity zone.
Hours. is available as a web app.
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All-in-one productivity apps are your best friends this year. Stay organized and avoid being frazzled by plotting work projects, personal endeavors and even house chores on your boards. Plus, customizing your spaces in these apps can be as soothing as binge-watching a new TV show or doing crafts.
