The Four Main Types of Productivity Software and What Flint can Teach you from Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs

You’d be in for a not-so-good surprise if you dissected your average workday accurately and honestly. Go ahead, do it! Did you arrive at the same realization we did? That’s right. We spend most of that time on task transference and other busywork rather than doing actual work-related tasks! 

So, you could be wasting your day on things like:

• Task clarification
• Getting in touch–or back–to colleagues via email, text, etc.
• Gaining approvals
• Putting out organizational fires
• Locating and getting data from one tool to another

Is it any wonder we don’t feel like we’ve achieved much once a busy workday winds down? Imagine what being stuck in that rut does to your productivity. And sure, while nobody demonstrates 100% productivity, tasks like those keep you from reaching your peak productivity levels. And the sitch takes a turn for the worse if your job involves out-of-the-box creativity! 

So, what can you do about it? Well, that’s where the productivity software comes in.

What is Productivity Software?

Tools that remove ambiguity to simplify and streamline complex work processes so professionals can begin and finish tasks much more quickly equate to productivity software. But that’s not all. There are four main types of productivity software you can choose to improve the different aspects of work. 

Those are: 

1. Communication and collaboration tools
2. Time management and task tracking tools
3. Documentation tools 
4. Workflow and automation tools

TLDR

So, here’s what to expect from this blog:

• Small, seemingly insignificant tasks zap our productivity at work.
• You can boost productivity levels–and get home on time – by using tools.
• Don’t just try to fit any tool to fill this vacuum because each improves a particular aspect of your work.
• Almost every scene of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is memeable!

The Four Types of Productivity Software

With the help of these tools, you can manage your activities and work more effectively and efficiently. Let them take care of the noise that keeps you from the actually important tasks, so you can get more done.

Not to be missed: Top Productivity Tips To Help Remote Employees Deliver Quality Results

Now to the meatball of the matter:

Communication and Collaboration Tools

The pandemic showed us remote work was not only possible; it gets things done much better and faster. It also lets organizations go after global talent to find the best person for vacancies. However, no amount of talent can make a business successful if its workforce struggles to communicate. 

In addition, working in different time zones can make email an insufficient mode of communication. When an email gets buried, balls get dropped, crucial tasks ignored, and deadlines missed. 

Don’t expect email to be what it’s not – a filing system or project management software. At best, it’s an asynchronous way of getting in touch. But when it comes to engaging in real-time conversations, email leaves a lot to be desired. 

You need chat programs and cloud-based collaborative solutions to speed up and streamline negotiations:

• Zoom - It’s cloud-based and improves collaboration via high-quality video and audio conferencing, virtual meetings, and chat and mobile features. Zoom can also record calls, lets you share screens, and schedule events, which you can then export to teamies’ schedules.
• Microsoft Teams/Office 365 - Another cloud-based suite that lets groups work on documents and collaborate in real time. This business productivity software also brings with it the power of processing, slideshows, and spreadsheets along with video conferencing via Teams.
• G-Suite - A comprehensive collection that gathers and integrates tools for every communication needs, such as emails, calendars, docs, sheets, and video conferencing.

Time Management and Task Tracking Tools 

When you’re looking at types of productivity software to help you manage tasks and time, you should opt for a tool that serves three main needs. 

First off, it should easily integrate with a wide range of apps, such as calendars, email inboxes, file storage, etc. Secondly, your software-of-choice should simplify tracking of task completion and progress made on several levels – individual employees, teams, and the enterprise. Thirdly, it should be easy to use regardless of the user’s level of expertise or department. So, coders or non-coding, beginners or expert project managers, all of them should be able to use it.

Some examples that combine all those features include:

• Notion - Lets you collaborate by sharing documents and leaving comments. You can also use Notion for project management, as a central knowledge base, to-do lists, spreadsheeting, and note-taking.
• Timegram - Want a tool that lets you check progress, team, individual, and task-based views in one glance? Then timegram is what you require! It also lets you do a deep dive to determine team capacity, making it easy to assign tasks and close projects. Create better and more accurate future timelines with the knowledge you gain from previous runs. Or leverage timegram for productivity by pulling data from timesheets. 

• ProofHub - Manage projects and tasks more easily with this business productivity software. Proof and share feedback in real time and check on project progress via Gantt charts. 

Not to be missed: 4 Time Tracking Methods to Boost Productivity

Documentation Tools

Whether you’re looking for a great documentation tool to organize content or software development, it cannot be slow or clunky. In addition, it should carry out speedy and reliable searches and have a user-intuitive interface. You’d be more likely to use the tool if it doesn't make documenting your workflow or a process into a frustrating and time-consuming chore.

With that in mind, we present these examples:

• Nuclino - A centralized workspace you can use to organize everything, from knowledge to docs and projects. It offers different formatting and visualization options, such as nested lists, mind map graphs, and Kanban boards so your team can minimize context-switching–and focus on documenting.
• Document360 - Hybrid solutions combine different documentation types and 360 does the same for internal and customer-facing records. You can also switch between editing modes, find out how others interact with your documents, and set up content review reminders.
• Atlassian Confluence - Capable of handling enterprise-level documentation needs, Confluence will integrate with other Atlassian products, like Jira and Bitbucket, for a seamless workflow. It also makes remote collaboration much smoother and easier.

Not to be missed: Productivity Hacks 2023: Take Your Team’s Performance to New Heights

Workflow and Automation Tools

This section combines two big productivity eaters, i.e., repetitive work and static, clunky workflows. The problem is how mind-numbing and slow repetitive work is.

Imagine how much of your time – and the will to keep living – you might retain if you didn’t have to do data entry or calendar management. As for the second, the clunkier they are, the more difficult they are to manage and time-consuming they will be. 

The solution for both is productivity software that automates and provides shortcuts for specific actions. They organize workspaces and workflows to make locating and pulling data, such as files, passwords, and even docs, from different tools and sharing it with different people quicker and simpler.

And for that reason, we present the following as an example of productivity software:

• Zapier-Workflow automations for repetitive tasks and no-code-needed integrations with hundreds of apps are doable via Zapier. For instance, it makes dynamic reporting possible even though all those pesky graphs and numbers keep changing.
• Integrify - Low-code requirements, process creating and reporting, and a form designer speed up workflow creation and modification. You also don’t lose crucial details due to Integrify’s audit trail-making capabilities. 

Had enough? Nope? Then, check out even more productivity tools!

Which Productivity Tool is Best for You?

While we’ve presented multiple examples of productivity software for each category above, they won’t all be good for your work and business needs. That’s because the implementation of new software isn’t easy. And, it can take multiple tries to find the right-for-you tool if you don’t consider all factors involved. That’s the not-so-good part. 

Fortunately, most teams face similar issues when embarking on a journey to look for the best software. That’s good news because you can study those recurring problems so that you don’t make the same mistakes. Finally, once you do find it, the tool will boost your company’s long-term growth.

So, note the following aspects as you search for the right-for-you software solution: 

1. Define the need - What are you to improve? Which aspect of work could use a boost? While defining the need, add as much detail as possible. Then consider what’s causing the issue and possible solutions.
2. Know your present workflow - Pick apart your daily workflow. That includes populating the info from above with all activities you carry out each day.
3. Plan what you’re willing to spend - Lastly, create a budget for your software-related expenses. Don’t forget to pad it for additional expenses, such as onboarding fees, training costs, and time not spent on using the new software but learning it.

If you’re new to timegram, you may now be starting to worry you might miss something before you try it. But that’s unnecessary since we have a handy section on how it works for exactly that reason!

Conclusion

Let’s indulge in a quick recap before we go.

Productivity usually takes a nosedive when you face boring, repetitive, and time-consuming busywork. The only solution out of that maze is to look for the right-for-you productivity boosters. There are four main types of productivity software you can use to improve various work aspects. However, you’ll need to determine which ones work for you and your team. But if it’s project management you want to improve, timegram is the answer to your problems. 

Do you have any favorite productivity tools? What makes them your most-used choice? What kind of businesses can use that software to refine their work to the best? 

Too much talk about productivity? No worries; hit that comment section on your way out even if all you want to do is rave about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. And if you ask us nicely, we’ll even send you an infographic detailing which foods Flint made rain on Chew and Swallow Land. 

Specifically looking for a web-based productivity software? Our Chrome productivity extensions list should help you out.

FAQs

1. What are productivity software and their uses?

Applications and tools used to create docs (word processing), presentations (slideshows), designs (programs), projects (organization), and charts (spreadsheets) are productivity software. You can use them to simplify complicated tasks, speed up work, and reduce distractions.

2. What are the four benefits of productivity tools?

Enterprise productivity software or tools are ideal for remote work because you can use them in real-time to manage projects, assign tasks, meet goals, create reports, and communicate with your deskless workforce. They also boost productivity levels, ensuring you work faster and smarter.

3. What are the seven essential features your productivity app must have?

When considering enterprise-level or personal productivity tools, look for the following features to choose the best-for-you productivity app:

• Allows visual interfacing so you can communicate better and pick up on non-verbal cues
• Simplifies task management through quick assignments and real-time information sharing
• Lets you automate mindless and repetitive tasks to save time
• Has enough flexibility to be useful to all employees–no matter their time zone
• Will allow real-time and swift collaboration and feedback sharing for time sensitive projects
• Has an analytic aspect, such as a clean and easy-to-use dashboard, so you don’t waste time hunting for important info
• Integrates with a wide range of apps for multiple task completion