Project management tools<\/a> give everyone an instant overview and make sharing the workload easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn this section, we share the best online work organization tools. You might wonder how you ever coped without them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Trello<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At Jimdo, we use Trello to organize tasks so they\u2019re visible to everyone. Here\u2019s how it works: you create boards (for teams or projects), then add tasks (lists), and subtasks (cards) then add the relevant team members to them. You can write comments on Trello cards and tag other users, upload files to them, add checklists, link to documents, and attach any other digital resources your project needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trello\u2019s basic version is free and there\u2019s a paid version if you need more features. Use it in your browser or download the desktop or smartphone app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Asana<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Like Trello, Asana is designed for managing team projects. For single projects, you can create subtasks and assign them to others. With the help of the overview on the board and timelines, you can track project progress and see exactly where colleagues are with their tasks. Under each task, everyone can communicate and share files relevant to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The basic version is free for up to 15 team members. There are various paid plans with more features for bigger companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Jira<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Jira is a project management tool that was originally intended for software development. But many non-technical industries now use the tool for allocating and organizing tasks. Jira\u2019s lean project management program uses a \u201cWhat? Who? By when?\u201d approach. As with Asana and Trello, you can see an overview of all tasks and projects, as well as their status, on a team board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jira is free for teams of up to 10 people. Beyond this the costs vary, depending on how many users you want to invite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t need a dedicated project management tool, Google Calendar and Google Tasks are a great alternative. This combo makes it easy to share your schedule and daily tasks with your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The best cloud-based file sharing apps<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOf course you can still work in Word or Excel and save files to your hard drive as normal. But what\u2019s the best way to share them with others? What if several people want to work on a document at the same time? And how do you send large files? That\u2019s where a cloud-based online office is the perfect solution!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Google Drive: Collaborate online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
All Google customers automatically have access to Google Drive and if you don\u2019t have an account, you can create one for free. With Google Drive, you can create, edit, save, and share files online in a variety of formats, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Text documents (Google Docs)<\/li>
- Spreadsheets (Google Sheets)<\/li>
- Presentations (Google Slides)<\/li>
- Charts and diagrams (Google Drawings)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Your first 15GB of storage is free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you want to share a document, go to File > Share<\/strong> to choose who can access the file and give them permission to view, comment on, or edit it. This means several team members can collaborate on the same document.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOneDrive: work from home with Microsoft Office 365<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Office 365 has a variety of cloud-based collaboration tools for businesses to help your team work together from home. With OneDrive, you can create, edit, save, and share files in a variety of formats, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Text documents (MS Word)<\/li>
- Spreadsheets (MS Excel)<\/li>
- Presentations (MS PowerPoint)<\/li>
- Digital Notebooks (OneNote)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These are just the basic functions. Office 365 has a range of apps and options to help you work productively. It\u2019s worth taking some time to decide which apps and functions would be most useful with your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
File sharing services for large files<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to sharing large images, videos or PDFs with your team, you can send them using:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Dropbox<\/li>
- WeTransfer<\/li>
- Whisply<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Easy time tracking tools<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWant to record how much time you spend on individual projects? Then you have a selection of different (and often free) tools to choose from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Toggl: Free and simple basic version with plenty of features.<\/li>
- Clockify: Free Time Tracker app with a colorful dashboard.<\/li>
- Clockodo: Extensive time recording tool for small and medium-sized companies. 14-day free trial, after that it\u2019s paid.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Other home office hacks to help you focus<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s no getting around it\u2014the \u201cdistraction factor\u201d is higher at home. Whether it\u2019s the laundry pile crying out to be sorted or another push notification on your laptop, there are distractions lurking at every turn. Struggling with self-discipline, motivation, and concentration? These apps will help keep your mind on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website blocker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
With Freedom, you can temporarily block the whole internet or individual websites or apps while you\u2019re working (like putting your computer on \u201cDo Not Disturb.\u201d) Just choose how long you want to be undisturbed for, enter your password, and go. You can try Freedom for free and if you like it, the paid plans are only a few bucks a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Break management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Concentrated work also includes breaks. Stretchly and Time Out both remind you to take a break at regular intervals. You can choose how frequent and how long you want them to be in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Home offices are full of distractions. Focus@Will and Noisli both use neuroscientific principles to help improve your concentration with sound. Just try it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Home office playlists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The right music can transform how you feel\u2014even when working. Get access to a music streaming service like Spotify or Amazon, put on your headphones, and turn on a playlist that works for you. You\u2019ll disappear down a work tunnel and might be surprised at what you achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n