Are Productivity Apps Worth it?

by Startacus Admin

Considering using an app to help boost your productivity? Here's an overview of what they're all about and the potential benefits and drawbacks they can bring.

For most people, productivity is highly sought after but can often be elusive. Yet, it is a deeply important trait for any ambitious person in today’s society. It is the driving force behind many successes, from education to the workplace. It also helps many people to maintain a good work-life balance as it allows you to get more done during your workday so that you do not have to take the work home with you. 

Well, thanks to the rise of the internet, there are apps for everything nowadays. There are even apps designed to improve your productivity. The question is, do they really work and are they worth the cost? Read on to find out. 

The Basics

While the apps will vary in design and intent, the basic idea behind productivity apps is simple. They tend to measure how much you work, when you work, and what on. They can then provide you with insights to help you improve. Some apps measure different things, and some apps provide you with tools that you can use to improve your productivity as a whole. SetApp has hundreds of apps geared towards different aspects of life, with many designed to aid and improve productivity. They also have a huge library of resources in their blog and how-to section of their website to help answer all of your questions. For example, do you want to know how to get Snapchat on a Mac or how to recover or convert files? SetApp has those answers and more.

However, to avoid confusion, let’s stick to the most straightforward version of productivity apps. The first and most obvious feature of productivity apps is the tracking of working hours and minutes. Most of them begin the timer when you ‘log on’ and begin your work. You can then see exactly how much you have worked that day – or at whatever interval you check it. As a result, you may be working less than you think you are, or you may be working more. This can then tell you if you are prone to distraction or if you have been overworking or spending too much time on certain tasks. 

You can often have your working time organized further by category or project or client, et cetera. This can require a bit more work to set up on your end, depending on the app you have chosen to use. However, in doing so, you can get an accurate picture of what your working day looks like and where you are spending your time. This then allows you to better plan your day. 

The Benefits

Whilst the function of productivity apps should now be clear – they help you track time, stay organized and gauge your levels of work throughout the day. So what wider benefits do they have? One of the biggest benefits that a productivity app offers is that it helps to hold you accountable. This accountability leads to a better opportunity to achieve your goals and get your work done. 

Often, staying focused is one of the most common obstacles faced by workers. And so, because these apps provide concrete data on what you’ve been doing and when they are a great resource that you can use to hold yourself accountable. Employers may also wish to use them to monitor employees and hold them accountable too. 

With the detailed insight that these apps provide, you can begin to assess the value of your time. This value is intrinsically linked to your earning power and, therefore, your income. For example, you could find that the least important tasks or the lowest paying clients are the ones that are taking up all of your time. The apps can then help you recognise and rectify this and redirect your energy and time where it does more good. On the other hand, you may find that you can whizz through certain aspects, so you may want to take more of those on or charge more for them, improving your profit margin. 

Most people interested in productivity apps - or most people interested in improving their productivity in general – are often also the people looking for ways to improve themselves. It is possible to become more efficient over time if you employ the use of the right tools and strategies. When you take on board the information provided by the app, you will see what areas require change, and then you get to see yourself improve in real-time through the app.

Lastly, productivity apps can lead to a better work-life balance when used correctly. Burnout and mental fatigue are common; they affect workers in every profession. It is caused by long hours and huge workloads further exacerbated by inefficiency. Productivity apps can help by improving your efficiency and organizational skills, meaning that you are getting through your workload more quickly. When the workload is tackled more quickly, there is more time for rest and recreation. This then leads to a better work-life balance and often happier workers. 

The Downside

There is a potential downside to productivity apps as there is to everything. Depending on what app or package you choose, it is likely to cost money. This cost could be a one-off or a rolling subscription fee. Arguably the better the app, the more expensive it will be. So you need to ask yourself if you can afford it and whether or not it will be worth the money. However, you also need to consider the value that it could add to your life. If it increases your productivity, surely it will pay for itself? 

In Conclusion

There is an app for almost everything out there. Productivity apps are increasingly popular, and surely there is a reason behind that? They do have a lot of potential benefits, and arguably the only downside is the cost or the potentially wasted money if they don’t work. That being said, if they do work, then it should really pay for itself. It comes down to personal preference and whether or not you feel that you need to improve your productivity and whether an app would help. 

 

 

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Published on: 11th February 2022