This is a guest post from Cherie Mclaughlin. Opinions expressed by Engineering our Future contributors are their own.
Are you a small business owner? If so, then you know how hard it can be to juggle everything that goes into running a business. The stress of being an entrepreneur is no joke: Between managing employees, keeping up with your own work, and trying to find time for yourself, there’s not much room left over for anything else.
But what if we told you that there are apps out there that could help make life easier? Apps designed specifically for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want more free time. Well, guess what? They exist! And Engineering of the Future shares some great choices below.
Productivity apps in today's day and age
It’s important to keep track of your business expenses and manage every aspect of the process so you have more free time for work, family, and friends. And there are tools for everything to help businesses save time and money.
Toggl (Platforms: Mac, PC, iOS, Android)
If you’re tired of having your staff manually run their time through an internal spreadsheet, a switch to Toggl can eliminate clunky number crunching for everyone. It collects time and even allows you to categorize how time is being used.
Asana (Platforms: Mac, PC, iOS, Android)
A proven powerhouse in helping with project management, this tool allows you to see in real-time the status of a project as well as track team tasks. Asana also instantly notifies you whenever there is an update to your project.
Adobe Spark (Platforms: Mac, PC, iOS, Android)
Whether you need to create your company’s first logo or something new for marketing materials, Adobe’s free custom logo maker gives you the necessary design tools for creating a unique logo.
Today's best apps for freeing up your time
The following are a few of the best apps that were designed specifically for increasing productivity and efficiency so you can free up your time. Read on to learn more about each one. Here are our top six picks:
TripIt (platforms: Google Chrome, iPhone)
Make travel planning as easy as possible with TripIt. This app scans your email inbox for confirmation emails from airlines and creates a detailed itinerary in seconds. You can also set up trip notifications so you're never left scrambling for a meeting location.
Expensify (platforms: Android, iPhone)
At the end of the day or week, Expensify will help you quickly and easily compile all your business expenses into one organized report. It can also keep track of mileage for reimbursements and receipts. This app combines ease-of-use and high security to make tracking expenses as simple as possible.
Dropbox (platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android)
Know where your business files are at all times with Dropbox. This app works on the cloud and syncs across all devices so that you never have to worry about not having access to important documents. You can also share folders with co-workers for document collaboration.
Square (platforms: Android, iPhone, iPad)
Accept credit cards like a pro with Square. This app is essentially an in-store register that allows you to swipe cards and send receipts via email or text message. You can even set up notifications for when specific transactions occur.
Skype (platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone)
Save money on long-distance calls by using Skype. This app allows you to place cheap international calls over Wi-Fi or cellular data and includes free video chat with friends and family around the world.
Google Drive (platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone)
Gone are the days of flash drives and emailing spreadsheets to yourself. Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system that can store all your files so you have them on hand at any time. You can also access documents from anywhere with this app. No more worrying about losing important business data!
All in all
The apps listed above are a few of the best out there for freeing up your time and boosting productivity. From project management to travel planning to expense management, these tools will help you run your business more efficiently so that you can spend less time on administrative tasks and dedicate more time to what really matters — running your company!
