In this guest post, we’ll explore some of the best remote work tools. From project management to video, this list will help you get the best tools to transition from office based work to remote.
In the past, the remote working trend was not as common as it is today. In fact, in 2015, the number of remote workers in America was 3.9 million. Today, this number rose to 4.7 million according to a recent FlexJobs report. But this trend won’t stop here; according to the same study, the remote working trend has grown over 159 percent from 2005 to 2017 and will continue to increase.
Something that usually happens when working at home is that you struggle with productivity. You may not be used to working remotely so you get distracted easily. Due to the incredible growth of the remote working trend, we have started to work with different tools that make us more efficient. Here are some of the best ones:
ClickUp
ClickUp is one of the most common and convenient project management tools out there. This platform allows you to organize your tasks and share this information with your team.
This way, everyone will be aware of the activities involved in your project. Not only you’ll be able to handle tasks, but you can also write comments and share feedback with other members of the team. ClickUp also has a great feature that allows you to upload files in each task.
Slack
Slack is another great project management tool that allows you to sync up with your team and have all groups in one single platform. Its sophisticated interface makes it easy-to-use and a very convenient tool for remote work.
Slack has become an online workplace for remote workers. With this platform, you can communicate with all members of your company and organize your conversations by groups, channels, or private messages. Slack also has a cloud service feature so you can upload files to the platform.
Google Drive
Back in the ’80s, companies used to store information on in-site servers. This was the safest and most efficient way to organize information compared to physical files.
However, things have changed, and there’s now a much simpler and safer way to store data: cloud services.
When it comes to cloud platforms, there are many products out there. However, one of the most popular ones is Google Drive. If you’re going to dive into the remote working trend, you should probably get familiar with Google Drive.
Microsoft Teams
If you’re looking for an alternative to Slack, there’s another great tool that can help you stay connected with your team while having a common cloud for all members. This way, not only you’ll have all conversations in one place, but you’ll also have access to most files of your project.
The difference between Slack and Microsoft Teams is that while the former uses Google Drive cloud service, Microsoft Teams uses Office 365 subscription. On the other hand, with Slack, you’ll be able to call other members of the team through Zoom Cloud Meetings, while Microsoft Teams uses Microsoft’s calling system
Krisp
Something that usually happens when you’re having a remote meeting is that there’s always some noise that distracts everybody. When this noise is intolerable, it could even ruin the whole meeting. Even if you try to minimize the noise it just won’t go away. And sometimes you can’t even skip the meeting because it’s too urgent. So what do we do?
Krisp could be the solution. Krisp is a noise removing app that cancels any type of noise in online meetings. If you’re wondering which apps are compatible with this software, there are many. In fact, you can use Krisp with almost any video conference app like Zoom Cloud Meetings, Skype, or Slack.
Todoist
One of the most important tasks of the day as a remote worker might be to prioritize tasks. This way, not only you’ll become more organized, but you’ll also work on the most urgent activities so you can later work on the not-so relevant ones.
Todoist is a great tool if you want to keep track of your productivity. This platform allows you to create and prioritize tasks so you can constantly update your daily activities. You can also set reminders, add notes, or upload files. One of the best things about Todoist is its productivity chart where you can have a bird’s-eye view of your daily activities.
Chimp or Champ
A company’s productivity is not only based on high-quality workers, but also on top-notch employers. Someone that is working at a company where they don’t feel valued or appreciated might not be that productive. However, employers are not usually aware of workers’ satisfaction.
Chimp or Champ is a great app that helps employers understand how employees see them. This way, they can create strategies to improve workers’ satisfaction. Chimp or Champ is a totally online service, which makes it great for remote workers.
Hubstaff
Online workers who work with hourly contracts need tools to track their hours and activities. Hubstaff is one of the most popular time tracking tools out there. Hubstaff’s system makes it one of the best productivity monitoring tools in the market. You can create different memos and tasks depending on what you’re working on and the system will automatically take pictures of your process.
Zoom Cloud Meetings
If you’ve been a remote worker in the past, you’re probably familiar with the app Zoom Cloud Meetings. Zoom is a conference video platform that also has cloud services, which means that you can also record and share your meetings with other members of your team.
World Time Buddy
When you’re working as a remote worker, and especially if you’re a freelancer, you usually have to deal with time zone conversions and it’s pretty tricky. A mistake in a time zone conversion could make you lose an important meeting or deadline.
If this has ever happened to you, World Time Buddy might be the solution. World Time Buddy not only allows you to accurately convert time zones, but you can also plan meetings and schedule business webinars.
To close…
By learning more about these tools and potentially mastering them you will become a much more productive remote worker. Most of them are free to use, or at least offer a free basic package, so there is no excuse not to explore them.
If you liked this post, check out our 16 productivity tools you need to use!
Or if you are thinking of getting into a new career as a product manager, here are 15 stats that you should know!
Brought to you by: Artur Meyster
Artur Meyster is Founder and CTO at CareerKarma.