Up Your Game

Five must-experience apps to improve productivity at work.

- Nidhi Singal

IN A FAST-PACED WORLD where work and non-work boundaries tend to overlap and iconic leaders like Jack Ma, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos praise gruelling office schedules, working smart to push up your performance level a notch or two might not be a bad idea. Most of us want to succeed without tilting the work-life balance too dangerously (one should be extra careful here as the WHO recently recognised work burnout as a serious medical condition). On the other hand, nations favouring four-day work weeks are also keen on good performance to beat any productivity dip. One way of doing it is to use specialised apps which can reduce distractions and stress and keep one focussed and productive. In fact, these apps are becoming increasingly important as we move away from dedicated tools and work across devices to enjoy maximum flexibility and efficiency. For instance, people no longer use diaries to keep track of work engagements or use dictaphones for voice recording. The smartphones and tablets do it all this and more, thus splitting the workload with laptops and desktops. The future of work could be more sophisticated as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and connected wearables are expected to rule. But until we reach that phase, let us take a look at some of the top productivity apps (they are not necessarily new) which can help you work smoothly and collaborate better.