There may be some times when we reach the burnout stage. This is usually caused by the workloads that we face everyday and hectic lifestyles. However, this should not be a cause for worry as there are a variety of tools that can be used to improve your productivity and save you from the burnout. In the following sections we list down the tools one after the other giving instances of where they are used and how to get the best use of these time management tools.

8 Time Management Tools You Must Check Out To Be More Effective

1. MindMeister

This is a time management and productivity tool which is based on cloud computing and cloud storage. It allows you to create mind maps virtually and revise them at will. Being a visual tool, it is best for visual people as it is mainly goal oriented rather than making use of lists. In addition to this, MindMeister can be used to work in harmony with other people on the same project even via the mobile app.

2. RescueTime

This is a very handy tool which can run on either the windows or Mac platform and it works mainly by watching, recording and analyzing how much time you spend on a single application or an activity. The summarized report of time usage in a particular week helps you to plan better for the next week.

3. ActiveWords

This is an application which allows you to assign short cuts to long pieces of information. It acts more like the auto-correct feature in modern smart phones and can be customized by the user in order to help you in typing out long details thus saving you lots of time in the future that is usually spent on typing out long pieces of content.

4. List.ly

List.ly is a great time management tool for those people who prefer to use lists as compared to the visual people who are inclined towards the use of mind maps. It is very different from the ordinary to-do lists and with it being crowd-sourced, you can get loads of feedback from the public and colleagues about your lists and great advice on how you can improve or customize it to increase your productivity.

5. OneNote

For those of us who utilize Microsoft office 2010 and later versions, there is a component of the office suite which allows you to organize your folders and notes virtually. This application is known as OneNote and is very handy for taking notes and doing research. Using the drag and drop feature helps to keep you organized and it is also very useful in research when you are gathering huge amounts of content.

6. StayFocusd

For those of us who make use of the internet to do research and do our work, we often fall into the habit of getting into sites that waste a lot of time and since we are on the internet, a huge chunk of our time goes into waste. StayFocusd is an extension for Google Chrome users which is very handy in blocking these sites which waste a lot of time. Thus, you can only install it while browsing with Chrome browser.  It functions in the same way a timer does, allowing you to set an upper limit on how much time you are ready to waste on these sites before they get blocked.  This, however, requires discipline on your part as it cannot work otherwise.

7. Grid Analysis

This tool is designed to act as a decision making tool. Using a table format, you can list down your various options and factors affecting these options in table columns. Having done so, you are now able to weigh each option and make a better decision based on the factors in the table. This is a very valuable tool for efficient decision making.

8. Remember the Milk

This is an application which cannot be left out in the list of time management tools due to its various features and a variety of platforms it can be run on. For iPhone users, the app can be configured to make use of Siri in order to remind you to accomplish a certain task. The to-do list is also very compatible with a variety of programs and platforms such as Gmail, Outlook, Google Calender, Android and BlackBerry.

Don’t Let Time Slip Away, Start Using These Time Management Tools Today

Having looked at the eight time management tools, it is now upon you to decide which ones to use and how best to make use of them. The decision to be a better time manager now lies in your hands.