Last updated on 9th December 2022
If you scroll through Instagram long enough, you’ll likely come across a photo of a coffee mug or a t-shirt that says something like this:
It’s supposed to be ‘hashtag-motivational’, but it leaves most people feeling like they’re underachieving.
And, while we each get 24 hours per day, people like Beyonce have a little bit of help in making their time more efficient. After all, Beyonce’s not checking emails, making her own coffee, or waiting at the train station.
So, how does this apply to you and your business?
Well…YOU can seek help too. There are some amazing time management apps out there that can help you squeeze the most out of your 24 hours.
In this article we’re going to take a look at 21 of the best time management apps that you can use to improve your productivity…
Article Contents
1. TomatoTimer
You may have heard of something called the ‘pomodoro technique’.
Based on a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, it’s a time management method that breaks the day into 30 minute intervals – 25 minutes of work and a 5 minute break.
This method of working has been proven to supercharge productivity. A case study by entrepreneur, Chris Winfield found that the pomodoro technique could help people get up to 40 hours of work finished in under 17 hours!
TomatoTimer is an app that makes the pomodoro technique easily accessible. You just hit the start button and the time begins ticking away:
This is a desktop app, so you will need access to the internet in order to use it. But it’s free, simple, and customisable.
By clicking on the settings tab you can alter the alarm sound, the length of your breaks and working times:
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s free | An alarm going off every so often can give you a bit of a fright! |
| It’s customisable | It’s basic |
| Enable desktop notifications | Internet access required at all times |
2. Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking app that helps you keep everything in one place. It’s like a notepad that never runs out of pages and is easy to search through!
You can even upload your handwritten scribbles and search through them using the tags feature – saving you tons of time.
You can use Evernote to improve your time management by creating to-do lists or shareable meeting notes and agendas.
Evernote Business is a premium version of the app that allows you to collaborate on documents with colleagues – so you can access, edit, and store information all in one easy to access place.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free plan | Files need to be converted if removing from the platform |
| The search functionality means you can find any note in seconds | Customer service could be improved |
| There is no storage limit | The interface can feel clunky and sometimes glitchy |
3. Project.Co
We had to include ourselves on this list because time management is at the heart of everything we do at Project.co!
Our project management tool allows teams to keep everything in one place, so there’s never any time wasted trudging through emails to find key information.
When you set up a project, all communications can be found under the discussions tab:
We also have a tasks feature that lets you – and your whole team – manage all daily work with various views to help you stay organised, efficient and productive.
And a time tracking feature that allows you to see which projects are most profitable and what areas you need to improve in when it comes to time management.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free plan | If you’re just looking for time tracking tools there may be too many features for you |
| You can take payments directly within Project.co | You’ll need one of the paid packages if you have a team larger than 5 |
| No more email! | More branding options would be good |
4. RescueTime
The internet is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes so many tasks easier and most of us depend on it to do our jobs. On the other hand, it is full of distractions.
RescueTime can help you reduce the amount of time you waste on the internet, simply by holding a mirror up to your computer usage.
This app tracks what you do on your computer all day and then sends you a report so you can see exactly what sites you’re spending time on, and how much time you’re spending on them.
This will allow you to strike the perfect balance between work and rest, and also let you know how long you’re really spending on those tedious admin tasks – like email.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| No manual entry required. All time tracking is automatic | Lack of customisation options |
| Team-level insights, without invading privacy | If you have a large team it can get pricey |
| Historical data allows you to see how your time management has improved over time | Some tasks can be incorrectly categorised as unproductive. For example, if you use social media for work |
5. Forest
Gamification is everywhere at the minute. And with good reason. Apparently, 72% of employees claim gamification inspires them to work harder!
Forest is a time management app powered by gamification.
It’s simple.
Every time you look at your phone a tree dies.
However, if you stay focused and away from your phone for long enough then a tree will be planted (and live!)
This is a great motivator for the environmentally-conscious procrastinators of the world.
Over half a million trees have been planted so far – and who knows how many hours of productive work that represents!
There is also a Chrome version that allows you to mark down blacklisted websites. If you try to visit one of your blacklisted websites while Forest is running, then you lose the game and your tree dies.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| Feel-good aspect of knowing that your concentration has resulted in a new tree being planted | Not very effective if you use your phone for work |
| You can get your friends or team members involved | You will be subjected to ads unless you get the premium version |
| There is a free version | Lack of some basic features, like a landscape mode |
6. Harvest
Harvest is a pretty flexible time tracking tool that you can use from your desktop, phone, or in conjunction with the existing tools you use to manage your team, like Asana or Trello.
Even better, it collates all of your data into simple, visual reports. So you can see where improvements can be made, at a glance:
Harvest is great for large teams with multiple projects. You can assign budgets to each of your tasks so you can get an overview of the profitability of your projects.
And you can also bill directly within Harvest, sending invoices to your clients in just a couple of clicks:
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free version | The pro version is a little bit costly |
| Simple reporting feature makes it easy to view insights at a glance | The customer service could be better |
| Integrates with payment systems, like Stripe | Slow to add new features |
7. Pocket
The internet is full of content. On YouTube alone there are 4.5 million videos viewed every minute. All of that fresh new content can be distracting.
If you find yourself stopping work every couple of minutes to read an article you were sent or watch a video that’s popped up on your YouTube Recommended, Pocket will do wonders for your time management.
Pocket is an app that allows you to save all of your content for later and view it from any device.
So, if you’re using something like TomatoTimer or Forest to concentrate for extended periods, you could also use Pocket to save up content to consume on your short breaks from work.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| All the content with none of the disruption! | You need to go premium to keep a permanent library of your content |
| There’s a free plan | You can share individual stories, but not multiple things from your list of content |
| Use on any device | There’s no tagging function for free members, making content difficult to search |
8. Mavenlink
At its heart, Mavenlink is a time tracking app – allowing you to manage project timelines more effectively and better understand the productivity of your team.
But the tool also has many other features. You can monitor projects by status, track productivity, and also expenses – all in the same place – saving you not only time, but effort too!
Mavenlink is useful for big companies as it can handle multiple projects simultaneously. You can also easily turn project permissions on and off, and integrate with your existing applications.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There’s a free demo for new users | There’s no free plan |
| Projects can be colour-coded, so you can view their ‘health’ at a glance | The software can be difficult to navigate and run slowly |
| You can get access to regular reports that can be exported to XLS or CSV | The support staff could be more knowledgeable |
9. TickTick
TickTick is your digital to-do list. You can organise everything from work tasks to personal goals, and use reminders so that you never miss a deadline.
The reminders feature is particularly intuitive, allowing you to add reminders to certain locations and activate ‘annoying alerts’ so that you don’t miss anything.
TickTick can also be integrated with the calendar on your phone so you can see all of your upcoming tasks and appointments.
You can even add your emails to your to-do list in a couple of clicks, helping you keep on top of your tasks and ensuring you don’t miss anything in your busy inbox!
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| Add tasks by speech | Have to pay for premium |
| There is a Pomodoro feature built in | If you don’t have time to reset reminders in the moment, you could risk losing them |
| Available across all platforms | Could stand to offer more integration with other Windows apps |
10. Noisli
One of the biggest enemies of time management is distraction. With Noisli, you can block out distractions with calming soundtracks.
Noisli is a free Chrome extension that can improve your focus and boost productivity by allowing you to create your own relaxing sound environment.
It’s super easy to use. All you need to do is scroll through the sounds and click on the ones you like, then drag your cursor across the volume bar to create the perfect mix.
You can choose from a variety of different sounds – everything from wind and rain, to a crackling fire, to simple white noise.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s free and easy to use | You need internet access to use it |
| You can create your own playlists or choose from ready-made ones | It’s easy to get hung up on creating the perfect sound environment – and you could end up spending hours on this instead of being productive! |
| The colour-changing background creates a relaxing environment | Although there’s a lot of sounds to choose from, there’s limited variety within those sounds – e.g. only one fireplace track, one rain track etc. |
11. MindNode
Mind mapping has long been recognised as a great strategy for visualising and organising ideas, in turn improving the productivity of teams.
MindNode is a mind mapping software that anyone can use to organise their thoughts on the go.
This simple drag and drop functionality makes it easy to manage projects visually and tags can be added so that ideas can be categorised and prioritised.
You can also transform your nodes into tasks that you can check off when complete, helping you to keep track of your progress.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| ‘Focus Mode’ allows you to block out distractions | Only available on Apple products |
| It looks great and there are lots of beautiful themes to choose from | You need to purchase the Plus plan to get real value, in terms of project management |
| ‘Quick Entry’ function allows you to add in notes on the fly | Support options could be better. They’re currently only available by email |
12. Kiwake
We all love to snooze every now and then – but it can be terrible for our productivity!
According to neuroscientist, Professor Matthew Walker:
“When we are artificially wrenched from sleep by an alarm clock, a burst of activity from the fight-or-flight branch of the nervous system causes a spike in blood pressure and a shock acceleration of the heart rate.”
Repeating this process again and again can have a detrimental impact on both your body and mind.
If you want to get more out of your mornings then you could use an app like Kiwake.
Kiwake is an alarm clock with a difference. It completely removes your ability to snooze by making sure you get out of bed in order to turn your alarm off.
The wake-up process happens in 3 steps.
First you need to take a photo of something that is far away from your bed (waking up the physical body). Then you need to complete a quick brain teaser (waking up your mind), and finally you can turn off your alarm.
If you need some tough love to get the most out of your time, this one’s for you!
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s customisable | There are some bad reviews on the App Store related to crashes |
| No-nonsense approach to productivity | There’s a small cost to download |
| Easy to use | Only available on Apple devices |
13. Toggl
Toggl is another time tracking app. You can start tracking your time with one click or manually add entries. The time tracker is unobtrusive, working away in the background:
Toggl is useful if you’re managing a team as it allows you to track individual users, and you can organise time entries by team, client or project.
Tracking projects and clients is a great way to find out what jobs and tasks are profitable and which are dragging you down, so you can make smarter decisions in the future.
You can take a look at these projects on the reports page. It’s easy to filter and gives you access to historical data. So you can review your time by week, month, or year.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| Sync across your devices to use everywhere, anytime | The mobile version could be more responsive |
| Powerful reporting – all reports can be exported into Excel, CSV, or PDF | The premium prices are a little on the steep side |
| There is a free package | The UX could be a lot simpler |
14. Remember The Milk
Remember The Milk is a to-do list app. The fun name plays on a problem that has probably hit us all at some point – running out for milk and coming home with everything but!
But don’t let the name fool you, Remember The Milk isn’t just for grocery lists – you can create lists for absolutely anything. You can also organise your lists using colour-coded tags.
Remember The Milk has great app integration, allowing users to attach files from Google Drive or Dropbox, or use Google Assistant and Siri to create lists verbally.
The app also allows users to share lists with others and send reminders to other team members.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free version and the premium plan isn’t that expensive! | Most of the features are only available after you purchase the premium version |
| Create and organise an endless amount of lists | Some users report problems with the UI and design |
| Integrates with tons of other apps, including the latest home assistants | It seems to work much better on desktop than it does on mobile |
15. Loop
Most of the time, people who have amazing time management skills and consistently get the most out of their day do so because they’ve formed good habits.
According to a study about habits, it takes 66 days for a habit to become automatic.
With Loop, you can track your habits and also start to change them for the better.
Detailed charts allow you to see how your habits have improved over time, giving you the motivation to go on and achieve your long-term goals!
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s ad-free! | Lack of ability to group habits can make the process more long-winded than needed |
| Simple and easy to use | It would be better if the UI allowed you to view everything on one screen |
| Reminders can make sure you stick to your habits | Some reviewers on the app store have requested more rewards or gamification to make the app more enticing |
16. My1Login
Logging into your sites only takes a couple of seconds – if you remember your passwords. With so many requirements these days (add a capital letter, add a special character etc. etc.) it can be difficult to remember which variation of your password you’re using for which site.
But even if you do remember your passwords, it still takes a couple of seconds out of your day every time you log in. And those seconds add up.
With My1Login you can forget all that.
My1Login provides secure access management and single sign-on to all applications, from any device. So, once you’ve signed into My1Login, you’re signed into everything.
This is not only great for time management, but it’s awesome for security too!
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s priced per user, at an affordable rate | There’s no free plan |
| Can integrate with a range of applications, including legacy apps and mobile-native | Set-up can be time-consuming as you need to add all your sites |
| Their support team is great – getting back to customers in one hour or less! | You still have to login once every time you start up your device |
17. Trello
Trello is a kanban-style collaboration tool that enables you to organise your projects in a fun and visual format.
Teams simply create cards for each task that needs to be completed within a project. As each task is worked on, it moves across the Trello board, typically broken into categories like ‘To Do’, ‘Doing’, and ‘Done’.
You can add descriptions to tasks, along with team members and due dates to make sure everything runs along smoothly and you’re getting the most out of your time.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| Great for visual people! | It’s quite simple |
| Sync across your devices | Limited integration |
| It’s free | You can only work on one project at a time |
18. Focus@Will
Focus@Will boasts that users can increase their productivity x4 just by using their app!
The app allows users to create personalised music tracks designed to help people drown out distractions and focus on their work. The app is backed by neuroscientists and can even help people manage their ADHD.
Users simply take a focus quiz to find out which music helps them concentrate and work faster. From there, they’re given their ideal focus track:
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There’s a free trial | It can be quite costly, especially if you have a large team |
| It’s backed by science | Need constant internet access |
| Great for noisy, busy work environments | Reviews on Google Play suggest that customer support could be better |
19. TimeTree
Even if you have impeccable time management skills, the other people that you interact with on a day to day basis may not – and this could impact your productivity.
TimeTree is an app that lets you share your calendar with others so that everyone is on the same page.
It’s great for managing large teams as you’ll all share one calendar view. You can invite people in just a couple of clicks:
It may surprise you, but one of TimeTree’s biggest use cases is for families. By sharing calendars, families can ensure their appointments and events details are correct so there are never any crossed wires.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| Your data will be kept safe | It seems to have similar features to Google calendar |
| Use it with your employees and your family | Everyone who you want to share your calendar with must download the app |
| It’s free to get started | Seeing everyone’s calendar appointments at all times could become messy and overwhelming |
20. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is an employee time tracking software that helps employees discover how much time is being wasted in their company and shows them how they can instantly improve productivity.
Time Doctor has helped some big names to improve their time management, including KPMG and PWC.
Some of the features include:
- Automatic billing and payroll
- Automated screenshots – to track activity
- Chat monitoring – to see how much time employees have spent chatting, whether that’s in emails, via meetings, or calls.
The software can also be customised for each employee, so if someone needs a little bit more help with their time management then they can get it.
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free trial | Some features could be seen as an invasion of employee privacy |
| Can be used on any device | The cost can be expensive, particularly if you have a large team |
| Clients can login to a white labelled portal | Time use alerts (that pop up on certain sites) could frustrate users |
21. Calend.ly
With clients spread all over the world and more and more people working remotely, organising meetings can become difficult and time-consuming.
Calend.ly fixes this. Instead of constant back and forth via email, with “Can you do this date?” “No, how about this date?”, Calend.ly allows workers to upload their availability and share it with everyone.
The shareable link can even be embedded on your website or in your email signature:
So no time is wasted on meetings that are unsuccessfully scheduled, double booked, or missed!
At a glance…
| Pros | Cons |
| There is a free plan | To get the best use of the app you will probably need to go premium |
| The round robin feature allows you to automatically distribute meetings to your team members | When sending suggested meeting times to clients overseas, time zones aren’t taken into account. |
| Automatic notifications can help reduce no-shows | It’s best for creating one-on-one meetings, rather than meetings with multiple people. |
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to be Beyonce to get the most out of your time! Your time is one of your most precious assets, because once it’s gone there is no getting it back.
Hopefully one or more of the time management apps in this article will help you to get more out of each day and boost your productivity.
Looking for a project management tool that keeps everything in one place? Visit Project.co to get started with your free account.