Started my working experience in a socio-enterprise, I had the privilege to work remotely. This means I didn’t have to be in the office for 5 days a week. I was allowed to work anywhere I wanted, as long as I could get my tasks done. Okay – so what is this fact has to do with apps for work?
Being away from the office means I need good tools to connect with other co-workers. Be it communication tools, working tools, or sharing tools. Fortunately, at that time I had a gadget/apps-freak manager, who eagerly introduced me to some fancy apps that I managed to use constantly until now. Having friends who get used to ‘conventional’ working system, I found that not many of them understand the availability of various media and software that may help them to work easier. Without intend to eliminate the function of conventional media such as notebook and others (I still keep my agenda book every year!), here I proudly present a brief introduction to some technology that I use to manage my work.
On To-do List
If you are a typical person who regularly has to run for a list of errands in a day, then a to-do list application may suit you. Not only for a personal list, these apps are also useful for your office tasks as well as for your study targets. My two favorites are:
1. Todo-ist
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| Photo: Chrome Geek |
Being the first to-do list I’ve been introduced to, it’s hard to move on from this apps. It has a simple yet user-friendly layout, with some colors as a mark to differentiate your projects. It also able to synchronize between the apps in your phone with the one in your laptop, create recurring tasks, create a different deadline for sub-tasks, and share your task with colleagues. My favorite feature is the Todo-ist reward, which in a form of levels for a number of tasks you successfully completed. As a competitive human being, when I was working with my manager, this reward is what encouraged me to work more and more tasks to achieve a higher level (yeah I am as cheap as a Todo-ist reward). Unfortunately, one important feature is missing from the free version of Todo-ist: a reminder. The reminder is only available for the premium version. And for those who are looking for a calendar view of your todo-list, unfortunately, it is also not available in this apps.
2. Any.do
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| Photo: The Verge |
My current apps for managing work is Any.do. Any.do is recommended for those who wants an application with a simple layout, a calendar view, and a reminder. When I think of it, I prefer Todo-ist layout, though. The downside of Any.do free version is that you can’t create recurring events and you can’t create a different deadline for sub-tasks. However, the reminder is very useful, especially because I can’t stand to see a notification on my screen without checking on it.
On Cloud Service: Google Drive and Box
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| Photo: CNET |
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| Photo: JDNetworks |
The most important application in my working/study life is a cloud service. My gadget-freak manager taught me that to be able to work remotely, my documents should be accessible, anywhere I am. Not only from my laptop, but also from my phone, or even from my friends’ phone – in case of emergency. There are several options of cloud service, but up until now, I use Google Drive and Box.
Providing 15 GB space, I’ve been using Google drive since I was in high school. The main function of Google drive is as my knowledge data center where I save most of the academic papers, publications, and such – mainly about waste management and environmental issues. Meanwhile, I use Box to save my latest documents. The default space provided by Box is 10 GB. I prefer Box to Dropbox because at that time the free space provided by Dropbox was only 2 GB.
People might think to synchronize, you have to upload documents via browser – especially to use Google drive. In fact, you can install the Google drive into your laptop, then you can use the space from Google drive like you use your explorer. Simply save your document in a folder inside the Google drive space, it will automatically synchronize every time you are connected to the internet.
I was quite sad when I heard one of my friends had to go back to her house just to pick up her laptop while actually on campus she has another laptop to work with. With Google Drive and Box (and any other cloud system, actually) you don’t have to waste your time picking another laptop – access your documents anytime anywhere!
On Taking Notes: Evernote
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| Photo: Evernote Blog |
I do love writing by hand, but sometimes you just need to type to make it easier. Evernote has a simple and user-friendly layout, and again, a synchronization feature that allows you to access your documents from various gadgets. You can organize your notes in a notebook, even in a sub-notebook. I love their presentation mode, which unfortunately a premium feature that only available free as a trial for 30 days. As it allows you to share the note with others, it also allows you to chat with your colleagues to whom you share your note. The free space provided is up to 60 MB – which is quite plenty except if you are uploading photos to your notes.
For application reviewer, this post might feel boring. But I believe there are people out there who not understand how useful these apps to support your work and study, and I hope this post might inspire them to start to utilize the technology. Technology is not only social media. Use it to support your study and work, make it a facility to raise the productive you.
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