Whether it is Slack, Trello or Harvest, if you haven’t tried the latest trend in time-management, you are missing out. Productivity has had a modern makeover. This time it’s people-powered and people-led to support your modern working lifestyle.

Today, we have: work- life balance, remote-working and rented office space to ensure that our working lives suit our lifestyles, and the app developers are right behind us. Productivity apps have exploded in popularity because they work.

Innovative, game-changing and unique, these apps are for us, by us. Products of the contemporary, social media age, productivity is no longer about producing large quantities of work for corporations, these apps help you to manage your business or start-up efficiently online.

Thus, as with all things today, the latest crop of productivity apps have hit the market. So let’s take a look at how the best five, can help you to use your time and money wisely.

If you are a start-up, remote worker or someone who works in a rented office space, like Liverpool Science Park, time is not only money, but also the reason that you changed your working environment.

The businessdictionary.com defines productivity as the ‘efficiency’ ‘in converting inputs into useful outputs’ ‘computed by dividing average output per period by the total costs incurred or resources (capital, energy, material, personnel) consumed in that period. Productivity is a critical determinant of cost efficiency’. ¹

Therefore, productivity is a key factor in the ability of any business to produce a profit, secure good growth and remain viable. What are the key factors that contribute to productivity in the workplace? Staff motivation, quality and use of resources, clear objectives, company standards, communication and use of staff expertise. So where can the latest productivity apps lend a hand?

1. TeamViewer: When you work remotely, it is easy to have files in the wrong place, colleagues that you need to connect with and tasks that need to be discussed. Use Team Viewer to use computers and servers located anywhere in the world, as if they are right in front of you. Share screens, transfer files, hold meetings and more.

1. LastPass: For many of us it has reached the stage of password overload. Forgetting a password is the easiest way to waste your time at work. Never forget a password again, or spend ages trying to think up a clever combination with LastPass. Let LastPass generate and save secure, robust passwords for you, spread them across your devices and best of all, it will log you in to all of them with one quick click.

1. Quip: Eliminate the need to switch between programs and copy and paste from one place to another. Use Quip to keep everything in one place. From planning boards, to spreadsheets and analytics- Quip is a collaborative document editor that even has its own app platform.

1. Forest: Avoid the ultimate distractor- the modern smartphone- with Forest’s brilliant ploy. Following along the lines of the Pomodoro technique, split your working time into manageable chunks of focused work. Set the app for a specific number of minutes, during which you must not touch your phone- if you do, your tree will die. Resist the urge, and you will grow a tree, overcome temptation long-term, and you’ll grow a forest.

1. Slack: The buzz around Slack is unavoidable. Providing a remote workplace for easy collaboration, communication and information sharing. Slack is a game-changer that lives up to the hype.

Whichever app you choose, you can be sure that there are plenty more waiting on the side lines to help you maintain your work-life balance and manage your start-up or remote-working successfully.

Do you agree? Have you tried the new round of productivity apps? Which app do you find most useful for keeping you motivated? Share your comments- we would love to know!