Until they finally discover how to tack on a few bonus hours per day, we’re afraid your productivity time is limited. And it’s oh-so-easy to lose, too, whether due to a lack of focus, caffeine, or any number of distractions (like cuddly cats) out there.
Let’s get you working smarter, saving time and getting stuff done in style! Dive in and discover six of our favourite project management tools.
1. Trello
We are big Trello’ers—or is it Trelloites? Trellotonians?—here at CIRA HQ. Why? Because it’s super-intuitive and one of the most satisfying pieces of project management software to use.
Why we love it:
If you’re juggling a few different tasks (and deadlines) at once, Trello gives you a clean, easy way to visualize your to-do list by arranging digital “cards” into columns, i.e., “in progress,” “do today” and “done” on work boards.
Each of your tasks can be opened to add notes, relevant files and deadlines, as well as checklists and comments. Need to delegate something? Trello also lets you assign tasks and chat with other people on your team.
What it’ll cost you:
The free basic tier of Trello provides all the core functionality you’ll likely need. Stepping up to the paid versions offers more advanced features, like additional storage, unlimited boards and advanced checklists.
Of note: each paid Trello plan is priced per user. For instance, if the standard plan is $5 USD per user, your total would be $15 USD per month for three users on your team.
2. Canva
A.K.A: every marketer’s secret weapon; Canva is a powerhouse graphic design app that’s incredibly robust, yet ultra-user friendly. Okay—it’s not technically project management software…but it’ll boost your productivity all the same!
Why we love it
For those of us without a lick of design skill, Canva helps you deliver professional-looking branded pieces via its straightforward drag-and-drop design tool.
Canva also comes with an amazing stockpile of high-quality imagery, templates and animations that can be customized and tweaked for website banners, presentations and more.
Know what’s even cooler? Canva’s “brand kits” help ensure everything you create looks crisp and consistent across the board.
What it’ll cost you
Even with the free plan, Canva offers a deep bag of features—including over 1 million templates, a drag and drop editor and over 3 million stock images. Stepping up to the “pro” plan at $150 CAD/year per user gets you unlimited premium graphics, over 100 million photos, graphics and videos to play with, 1 terabyte of cloud storage—and more.
3. Calendly
If a good chunk of your business involves having clients book consultations (or meetings) with you, a time management tool like Calendly could quickly become your new best friend!
Why we love it
You’ll never get double booked or swamped with meeting request emails again. Calendly syncs with all your calendars across different platforms (Outlook, Google Calendar, etc.) and automatically blocks out your available times. Plus, you can give your clients the option to book anything from a quick 15-minute check-in to a multi-hour session.
What it’ll cost you
For your basic scheduling needs, you might be able to get by with the free version of Calendly. Stepping up to the $10 USD/month “standard” tier gives you unlimited meeting types, the ability to connect multiple calendars and even integrate payment apps like Stripe and PayPal.
4. Rescue Time
Ever get lost down a YouTube rabbit hole? A multi-hour Facebook Marketplace shopping odyssey? We’ve all been there…but at the expense of precious hours where you could be getting stuff done.
Why we love it
Another of our top time management tools, Rescue Time hangs out in the background and tracks how you’re spending your day—be it on websites, apps or even work-related things! Then, it’ll provide you with a report on your working habits and show what’s putting the biggest dents in your productivity. It’ll even block the most distracting websites and apps, while setting dedicated focus sessions throughout your day.
What it’ll cost you
You can try Rescue Time free for 14 days. Paid plans start at $6.50 USD/per month for individuals.
5. Harvest
If you’re putting in the hours for your customers or clients, make sure you’re getting properly paid for them, too! Harvest gives you a highly visual, intuitive way to track your time and handle all your invoicing.
Why we love it
In a few clicks, Harvest lets you set up client projects, separate out tasks within the project—i.e., “copy writing,” “design,” etc.—and then accurately track your time. From there, Harvest also automatically generates invoices, lets you provide multiple payment options for clients and even sends automatic invoice reminders.
What it’ll cost you
Harvest features a free tier geared specifically for solo-preneurs and lets you track two projects at a time. “Harvest PRO,” which is meant for small teams or growing businesses, allows you to work on unlimited limited projects and will cost you $12/month USD, per user.
6. IFTTT
Short for, “If This, Than That,” IFTTT is an automation program that allows you to boost productivity by coordinating specific actions—called “applets” across multiple apps on your devices. For instance, you could send yourself an email with all the photos off your camera roll from the week. Or automatically create a spreadsheet of every tweet you post. Heck, you can even get email reminders every time there’s breaking news from NASA.
Why we love it
Sometimes, boosting your productivity isn’t about shutting yourself away in a quiet room for hours, it’s picking up bits of otherwise wasted time that you’d spend doing things like creating calendar invites, composing emails or flipping through to the right app on your phone.
What it’ll cost you
The free plan gets you basic app integrations and access to IFTTT’s mobile app. Going for the “pro” plan at $12.50 USD gives you unlimited app integrations, and some seriously nifty AI productivity tools (like a meeting summary assistant).
If you made it here, we’d say you’ve been very focused and productive indeed!
So, how about one last excellent productivity tool for the road: our .CA domain search tool. It’s the quick, simple way to see if your domain name is available to be registered.
A .CA domain declares your business is proudly Canadian
Kira is the Content and Channel Marketing Lead at CIRA. She focuses on content, digital marketing and channel strategies to help Canadian business owners make the right domain choice for their business website so they can find success online.
