Staying productive is difficult, especially when you are surrounded by distractions that kill your productivity. To perform well in our respective jobs, we all need a way to be productive and organized. However, productivity is different for every individual. For some, it is a good brainstorming session and for others, it is completing the to-do task before day end. No matter what it means to you, we all need to be focused to maintain productivity in all kinds of projects.

This is why we have a list of the best productivity apps to help you become organized and excel more in your respective field. Let’s take a look.

1. Forest

Forest is the best-suited app for people who have a hard time maintaining their focus. If you easily get distracted, you must try Forest. What does this app do?

As you begin your task, the app plants a seed and starts the timer. When you continue working, your seed grows into a tree. However, if you leave the app for whatever reason, the tree immediately dies down. If you stick to the timer, the app keeps growing the plants that form an entire tree. This idea motivates people to keep everything aside and focus on their tasks.

You can also benefit your ecosystem using this app. How? Forest has collaborated with a non-profit organization, Trees for the Future. So, every time you plant a seed in the app, the organization plants a real tree.

2. Todoist

A to-do list is the best way to keep your schedule and deadlines aligned. Therefore, you need an app that organizes all your daily to-do lists. Todoist is a perfect task management app that helps you set due dates, track progress, and collaborate on different projects with other people. Moreover, it also has a location-based reminder that reminds you to perform tasks you have been assigned in different places. Todoist is the best and an upgraded version of a traditional to-do list and it is available on iOS, Windows Desktop as well as Android platforms.

3. Calendly

With tight schedules, does your inbox get flooded with back-and-forth emails? Calendly is the app for you. With meetings left, right, and center, all you need is an app that can sync your calendar to the preferred task and that’s what Calendly does for you.

All you have to do is create an account and you can sync time slots for when you are available, allowing you to manage your schedule. You can also share your meeting schedule with other people using your Calendly link to let them choose the best time slot with you. Get rid of back-and-forth schedule changes, meeting cancellations, and email bombardment, and download Calendly.

Calendly helps you organize your schedule and enhance your productivity. The app is available for Android and iOS only.

4. Trello

Trello is a well-known project management app used in many organizations for its user-friendly features meant for collaborative teams. The tasks on this app are categorized into different status options such as “to-do”, “going”, and “done”.

Trello works best for group projects, which is why it is best suited for group projects and office use. It assigns an individual task to group members with the designated deadlines and requirements. The app has a dashboard that helps you create and manage the list of cards that have to-do lists.

Allowing teammates to coordinate on a task’s progress, the app has a real-time messenger to discuss task-related queries. The team members can join in for free from any part of the world. Moreover, you can also invite other people from across the globe, such as your clients, to keep them in the loop of the task’s progress.

5. Evernote

If you brainstorm or write down every point of the meeting, Evernote can be very helpful for your productivity. It is a famous note organizer that helps you arrange all your ideas in one place. Also, not just textual information, if you have photos, audio, drawings, PDFs, or even digital sketches, you can use them easily as they are instantly searchable.

This app is not only helpful for notes on one device; it can help you sync notes from different devices in one place to access on the go.

Evernote is a free app and can be used on Android and iOS operating platforms.

6. Freedom

There is no bigger distraction than social media. With a single tap, it takes you to a virtual world and gives your productivity a backseat and this is exactly what you don’t want. Freedom is the app for everyone who can’t keep their hands off of social media sites, especially students preparing for their exams. It helps block all distracting websites and apps for your task-assigned time.

You can customize your list of sites and apps and block them for some time. And if social media blockage is not enough to boost your productivity, you may also block the entire access to the Internet to keep the focus on your task only.

Freedom is a free app available on iOS and Android.

7. Be Focused

Everyone has their own way of staying productive. If you are one of those who need short breaks to keep the mind running, Be Focused is the right app for you. It involves breaking your day into a 25-minute work slot where your entire focus is on the project you are working on. The slot is followed by a 5-minutes break to help you relax your mind.

You can use your interval durations for anything you wish. By the end of the day, the app gives you the tracking progress and goals for the day or the week. Be Focused is a free app and it can be easily accessed by iOS and Android users.

The Bottom Line

These productivity apps have shown great results as they serve as a platform to keep your focus intact. It is true that productivity is personal and works differently for everybody, but enlisting support from external sites and apps that match your work style only helps you achieve bigger goals. With many different tools and apps, if you find even one that works for you, you must definitely incorporate it into your work management practices.

iOS is the most popular mobile operating platform. From iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, to Apple watch, IOS products have gained worldwide recognition for their smooth performance, classy designs, and user-friendliness. Apart from its many advantages, iOS, like many other platforms, is plagued with myths and misunderstandings that people assume to be real. These are the myths that contribute to their customer base being thrown off.

So, we’re here to dispel some popular iOS myths that need to be dispelled right away. You’ve arrived at the perfect place if you’re looking to buy an Apple product shortly. Let’s get started.

1. Apple Tracks Your Location

In early 2011, a rumor regarding iOS started circulating that it uses iPhone to track people’s location without their knowledge. The rumor was spread by some tech researchers who claimed that they had found tracking codes in Apple iOS.

This myth stayed in the tech industry for a while until Apple took the matter into its hands and released a statement, denying the claims and admitting that they use data, with the aim of providing iPhone users a better traffic service. Despite the clarification, some people still believe in this myth to date.

2. Insecure Touch ID

It is true that Touch ID has some drawbacks and they are present in every mobile operating platform. It is possible that it can be exploited but in practical circumstances, the chances of its occurrence are highly unlikely. Why? Because it is not a spy novel and hacking a Touch ID is definitely not worth it.

The bottom line: the Touch ID is as secure as other biometric authentication methods. Touch ID doesn’t make your personal information easy to access. Like many other mobile platforms, iOS does have some vulnerabilities, but Touch ID is surely not one.

3. iOS Apps Have No Future

It is true that Android applications are being developed abundantly all around the world. They sure have given a tough to iOS applications. However, this doesn’t indicate that iOS applications have no future. Nowadays, apps are becoming advanced and both platforms share some common apps as well. The truth is whichever app caters to the larger audience is going to stay no matter the platform it is associated with. Therefore, believing that iOS apps are not going to last is a myth that needs to be dumped right now.

4. Immune to Malware

Many users believe that iOS is a closed system, so it is impossible to catch malware on an iOS device. Even though every app that Apple launches and lists in App Store is reviewed by the company itself; however, it is possible that with infected apps, your phone’s security can be compromised. Such events are possible in iOS just like in any other mobile operating platform.

The security is in your hands. What can you do about it? It is simple: never connect to the Wi-Fi networks in a public place. It is one of the factors you must be extremely careful of. Even if you are connecting the Wi-Fi you have previously used, a hacker could use that and hack your personal information. Whether you are using an iOS or an Android device, you must pay attention to this security concern at all times.

5. iOS is Going Out of Business

Since the inception of iOS devices, the myth about them going out of the business has been running in the industry. Unfortunately, according to some tech journalists, Apple is a step away from bankruptcy with no significant proof to support the claim.

Apple is a tech giant that has its products used all over the world, gaining maximum profit. So, the misconception about its shutdown doesn’t make sense. These rumors surface from time to time when iOS launches a new phone or comes up with a software update. Critics have also stated that Apple will soon be pushed out of the computer hardware business.

6. Apple Products Aren’t Costly

People who are aware of modern gadgets and tech trends very well know that iOS product are costly. Even if you come up with hundred justifications, the fact about its hiking price can’t be denied. There is no doubt that Apple products are superior with their manufacture, designs, software programs, touch-screen magic, minimalistic perfection, and more which add to the skyrocketing price of its products in the market.

The interesting bit is people are also willing to invest the desired amount for the superior quality of iOS for the magnificent user experience. However, Apple is not a brand for rich people only. The brand-new iOS products may cost you a lot, but the slightly older versions fall into the same category of price as they do in any other mobile operating platform.

7. iPhone is Better than Android

This is the most common belief that once you start using iOS devices, there is no going back. However, it is not true as many people keep switching from Apple to Android. It entirely depends upon the preference and the style of a user. You can use both and decide which is the right pick for you. Certainly, iOS has strong loyalty associated with the name, but it doesn’t mean that people cannot find its products suitable for their needs.

The Bottom Line

The myths listed above clearly show when a company has a big name in the industry, myths and misconceptions become part and parcel of its identity. Like many other successful operating platforms, iOS is a myth magnet. As a user, it is your responsibility to do your research and learn the reality of every myth before you decide to believe it.

Android is the most used mobile operating system all around the world. With a massive following, Android is the subject of many myths and misconceptions about its functions, complexities, performance, life, security, and more. Unfortunately, many people believe them to be true. These myths have existed for a long time, causing prospective Android buyers to look for other huge rival: iOS

Whether you are a regular Android user or have just started taking interest in its gadgets, you must learn about some of the myths about Android and we are here to bust them for you. So, let’s get started.

1. Malware Infected

The existence of critical vulnerability is one of the oldest myths about Android devices. The critics claim that iPhone is safe from malware, whereas Android is its hub. Malware exists in Android as in any other operating platform and all of them need to be protected against these risks. The average user needs to be careful about catching malware on either of the platforms.

If you only download applications from Google Play Store and avoid third-party sources, you are already on the right path to safety. All you need is a bit of common sense to avoid malware. How? Think twice before clicking in-app ads, suspicious links, and unknown email attachments while browsing.

2. Performance Issues

Android is often compared to iOS and one of the persistent myths about Android is that it has more performance issues than an iOS device. The operating system itself and its apps are rumored to suffer from big issues that impact performance. True, in the early days of its development, Android devices used to lag and crash frequently; this issue was also reported in other operating platforms.

Users fail to understand that there are several other factors that contribute to the performance problems as well, such as underpowered hardware, badly optimized third-party apps, software’s excessive manufacturer customization, and more. Not just Android, these problems occur in any other mobile operating platform that needs up-to-date devices and secure apps to prevent it from happening.

3. Poor Apps

Many people say that Android always gets bad apps. This is true that iOS gets access to some of the apps right after they launch, but that doesn’t indicate that Android stays deprived of them or receives all the worthless apps.

In fact, many developers prefer creating applications for Android or the Google platform for its big number of users. With technological advancement, apps arrive on both platforms at the same time and are updated on the same schedules. Moreover, if an app is released on iOS first and on Android later, the gap between the two intervals is negligible to cause any problem.

It is important to understand that the nature of the two platforms, their programming languages, operating systems, and more are very different to be compared. Therefore, assuming that Android releases all the bad apps because developers prioritize iOS over Android is untrue and users should not believe that.

4. Complicated to Use

Like many other myths, Android haters portray that it’s a complicated system that can only be used by a computer genius. This is not even close to reality. Every system seems difficult to understand in the beginning.

However, the modern versions of Android incorporate a set of guidelines to help you through getting your device online and adding your accounts. It allows you to use the device normally for calls, texts, social media, photography, browsing, and more.

Some people find the Settings menu of Android devices a bit confusing, but it is the same for iOS as well. For someone who has never used Android, it can be a little overwhelming at first. However, with experience, users learn their ropes around new devices and platforms, for Android as well as iOS.

5. Same Looks on Every Device

One of the misconceptions surrounding Android devices is that they appear the same on every smartphone. This is not true because Android has several series of smartphones running on the same platform. And since they are open source and customizable, it can look different on every phone, especially if you are comparing the newer phones with older ones.

Moreover, not every Android device runs the same version of the operating system, which indicates that it cannot look the same on every device. So, if the last Android smartphone you used a few years ago was an older version, there are strong chances that the new Android devices will show you a considerable difference. This is not the case with Android only; even if you use an old iOS three to four years ago, chances are that you won’t like it now.

Additionally, manufacturers are paying attention to the usability of software programs. This means that new smartphones will not have the same old look with slow-loading animations and lagging applications.

6. Android is Insecure

The myth that it is an insecure operating platform has been surrounding Android devices for a long time. However, it was true only in its initial iterations. Now, Google has taken serious measures to make it a better platform so that the myth doesn’t hold true any more. Google has introduced two moves to keep a check on security: Android security updates and the integrated Play Store App check.

As a user, it is your responsibility to be careful of your browsing conduct, unverified or unreliable software programs, and malicious links.

The Bottom Line

You will always find a myth about one thing or another. What you need to understand is that you cannot believe every review you hear; most of them come from biased opinions that are meant to misguide you. Just because a few people have had a bad experience using Android, doesn’t make it a bad choice for you. Create your own experience and then form an opinion. Moreover, the problems that a user faces on Android, may also come across on other operating platforms.

A website is your most powerful weapon for business marketing. It gives your information to prospective clients and helps convert visitors to customers. Do you know that 81% users do not choose the business with poor or old-school websites? And 39% would rethink before they take your services if your website is not user-friendly or looks stale.

With the evolving trends in the market, even the newest ideas get boring soon and require revamping every now and then. Similarly, a website needs an upgrade when it starts to appear dull. There are no thumb rules that can determine your website needs a redesign. But a few major signs can certainly help. Let’s take a look.

1. Website is Slow

No one likes to wait for the web page to load. This is the point where the site visitor loses interest and closes the page. As a business owner, your aim for the loading time should be 5 seconds. Slow loading can have multiple reasons such as heavy unoptimized videos and images, overloaded plugins, bad themes, unpowered hosting, and more.

This calls for a redesign of your website. It will not only give your website a fresh and professional look, it will also increase website conversion with faster page loads. Moreover, a redesign is your most cost-effective option to fix critical issues in the website.

2. Higher Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is a critical part of a website. You invest your time, energy, and resources into your business, but when your audience visits the homepage, they immediately get turned off. It’s an ominous sign that can lead to losing out on great leads and potential clients.

A bounce rate is a sign that you are doing something wrong and you have to figure out the underlying problem. It may be your navigation, the speed, content, or the overall website. On average, the bounce rate between 40% – 60% is normal, although it may not be the same for every industry. The safe way to fix the bounce rate issue is by redesigning your website. Google Analytics helps you check your website’s bounce rate. If it is high, follow the tips to decrease the rate. The last resort is surely a website redesign.

3. Poor Traffic and Sales

Website is built with a purpose of generating traffic and if it fails to do that, it is a problem. If you have been observing great dip in the leads and traffic for some time, it shows that your visitors do not find your website interesting enough to stay longer. Conversion is already a difficult process and a bad website adds to the problem.

To provide great experience to your users, you must ensure easy navigation, engaging content, effective call-to-action, and more. You can easily achieve all this with a redesign to upgrade the overall website and bring it back to the competitive market.

4. Old Website

Old is gold. But not when it comes to a business website.

An old website shows that your business is boring and doesn’t have much to offer. There is no set expiration date for a website but if you have used a website for three to five years, then you must seek a redesign. It is because technology changes quickly and you need to be at the top of your game by using the best search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and more.

So, do your business a favor and turn your three- to five-year-old website into something that can positively impact your business’s growth.

5. No Search Results

Half of the battle for your website is the correct search engine optimization. Creating content that has all the necessary keywords is important for your website to rank high on search results. It is a solid foundation that a website must have; if not, everything automatically goes to waste.

If your website ranks low or doesn’t rank at all on the search engines such as Google and Bing, it reflects poorly on your business. So, you need to put efforts in you search engine ranking and stay on page 1 of search results — all by redesigning your website.

6. Change in Business

If your business has changed and you no longer offer the services available on your website, you must redesign your website as soon as possible. Naturally, businesses change with time. You introduce new products or discontinue a few. At times, your vision entirely changes. Factors like these must not be displayed on your website if you no longer benefit from them.

A website is the soul of your business and it should only show what you presently offer to help boost the sales. In such cases, redesigning the business website is the only way to got about it and it must not be delayed.

7. Incomplete Information

Why do people visit websites? To learn more about the business. If your website doesn’t have updated information, why would your audience want to visit the site in the first place? If your current prospects can’t easily find the information they require, they won’t return to the site. This is where redesigning comes useful.

Redesign your website with necessary details of your business with recent trends and extraordinary UX; you will experience visitors spending more time on your website.

8. Better Competitor Website

It is necessary to keep an eye on your competitors. It will inspire you to do better and use your resources correctly. If you check your competitor’s website and you find them doing something that makes your website seem outdated, it is a sign that your website may need revamping. While its true that you should learn from their techniques, it is equally important to use your mind and not blindly follow them.

The Bottom Line

Is it time to revamp your website? Well, if you consistently find these signs in your website, it indeed is time you went for its much-needed overhaul. It is important to understand that website redesigning not only offers long-term benefits, but it also helps you save cost in many ways.

Chatbots are all the rage these days, which has boosted their popularity. Chatbots, which are increasingly being used by businesses of all sizes, account for 53% of all online purchases. Creating and distributing chatbots on websites and messaging apps was difficult at first, but with the advent of chatbot platform tools, it has become much easier.

Therefore, we have a list of powerful chatbot platform tools to help you build the chatbot of your need.

1. Chatfuel

Chatfuel is the most basic chatbot builder which has a simple process developed to design easy messengers such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram. It has a wide variety of pre-made templates that are mostly general-purpose and can be used by anyone. In addition to general chatbots, Chatfuel also has industry-oriented templates which consist of automatic appointment booking and more features.

One of the key factors about Chatfuel is that it takes a few minutes to get set up. All you need to do is connect Chatfuel to your Facebook account and link to the page you want.

2. Botsify

Another Facebook chatbot platform is Botsify, which allows easy integration of chatbots into the system. Subscribe to their paid package and let Botsify handle your customer service brilliantly for you. Even if you don’t want to opt for their paid services, their free version also helps create bots that are beyond your imagination.

3. LivePerson

Now you can create an excellent platform that helps you comfortably deploy, build, and optimize AI-generated chatbots. With the help of LivePerson, you can use advanced analytics for real-time intent decisions and continuous optimization.

Some of its features include pre-designed statements that you can send in the chat, hyperlinks, canned responses. Moreover, it serves as an innovative platform with rich chat features that enable flexibility in communication to users and new employees of a company.

4. MobileMonkey

MobileMonkey was founded by a famous internet marketer, Larry Kim. It helps create chatbots that can be programmed to book appointments, track orders, answers questions, and use Artificial Intelligence to coordinate intent and content with the help of keywords.

It is a well-known Facebook Messenger platform that helps build messenger funnels, grow the contact list, and every segment of the audience. Some of its features include messenger ads, Q&A triggers, chat blaster, bot analytics, drip campaigns, and more.

5. Pandorabots

Many industry professionals are very well aware of Pandorabots as it is one of the oldest chatbot builders available in the market. It is a mature open-source chatbot platform tool that uses Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) and enables users to create anything they wish. It is not a basic chatbot builder, but once you get hang of programming techniques and chatbot platform tools, Pandorabots has limitless possibilities. With the help of this platform, you can deploy your chatbot to any messaging application on mobile and website.

The Bottom Line

These are some of the chatbot platform tools that have emerged useful in the industry. You can make the best use of them to grow your business by interacting with your customers. Regardless of your purpose, you must always evaluate the pros and cons of every chatbot tool before you choose one to build your own chatbot.

Have you noticed every time Apple launches an iPhone? The world can’t stop buying it no matter what the price is. This is the impact of the first-class mobile platform across the globe.

Apple has a reputation for creating high-tech, modern, and quality devices all over the world. This is one of the reasons start-ups and businesses are more inclined towards creating their presence in Apple’s App Store. For them, it is a great way to make money with iOS development owing to its extensive demand. Due to this reason, there is a major rise in the demand for iOS application development services.

So, here we have a list of hacks that can be helpful for your iOS app

1. Apple ID

If you are an iOS user, you must know the importance of Apple ID and how the tech giant has given maximum protection to every Apple ID that can’t be cracked. Once your application is completed and is now ready to be uploaded on the App Store, you require an Apple ID. Make sure you have the code to sign in before you initiate the uploading process. Having an ID is proof that you are a legit iOS developer.

2. Content

Application with a mismatched content layout just doesn’t fit right to the screen and doesn’t catch users’ attention. The layout includes font size, color, placement, and more. Other basic content mistakes that need attention are readability, user-friendliness, and understanding.

1. Readability signifies that the content and its font size have to be clear for the readers to understand.
2. The layout of the content is user-friendly when the designs are properly managed and appear good to the eyes.
3. The understanding of the content is reflected when it has a seamless and smooth flow.

3. Project Directory

The project directory structure cannot be missed out on especially if you are working on iOS mobile apps of big enterprises. Even if you have a small project onboard, you must have a strong project directory structure. If it is out of place, you are most likely to see your codes becoming chaotic and losing the balance. So, keep things sorted and work on your project directory structure.

4. UI Elements with 3D Touch

UI of an application plays a vital role. The user must find it easy to use, browse, tap on a particular element of the app. Even a simple function such as a Drag and Drop menu must be smooth. In this regard, UI elements with 3D touch are the best option. They work differently for mobile apps and desktops, while 3D touch makes your iOS application more engaging and intuitive for your users.

5. Error Handling

Error handling is process of recovering from error conditions. Sometimes users enter an unforeseen input for which the logic is not designed in the backend. These are the instances of logic errors that should be taken care of beforehand in order to prevent the app crash. This can be done if iOS apps use error protocol to derive a custom message to the user on entering a different input.

The Bottom Line

Rightly done, iOS app development is the best domain to work in and can give you maximum profit. It is important to understand that iOS app development is not about creating a perfect version. It is a continuous process of comprehending the demand, maximizing the use of technology, and putting forth great team effort that can result in a flawless release.

These days we see many aspiring entrepreneurs launching their startups. The main issue they face is how they can keep the cost to the minimum level as at the outset, the startups don’t earn much revenue and there are many unavoidable expenses that come along with online businesses. Therefore, to make it convenient for startup owners, there are some tools and resources that can be very beneficial to enhance efficiency and to propel success and growth into startups. Let’s discuss a few.

Clarity – Ideation Tool

Ideation is a rudimentary ye critical part of any process. This phase is extremely important for you to have a clearer direction on how to proceed further. Clarity is one of the recommended ideation tools for startups as it helps entrepreneurs get the best piece of actionable advice on their entrepreneurial journey from industry professionals. You can ask them how to raise funds, sharpen your skills, research the newest trends in the market, tips on scaling your business, and more that can enhance your thinking process.

Mockplus – Design and Development Tool

Design and development take a lot of time and require maximum attention. For a fresh entrepreneur, it can be tough as one wrong step in this direction can spell disaster for a startup. Mockplus is a web-based design tool that helps in the creation of responsive wireframes and prototypes. They can be developed using ‘drag and drop’ functions in real time. This tool has diverse components and icons and it not only focuses on the designing part, but also offers team collaboration and handoff management inside the organized system.

Foundersuite – Finance and Fundraising Tool

Financial balances are an important element of a startup. It helps comprehend the record of revenue generation and more. Foundersuite is the best tool that enables you to raise capital for your startup. It enhances the fundraising and investor relationship by introducing structure, speed, and efficiency to the process. Foundersuite also offers a CRM tool to manage investor funnel and other tools that are required to develop monthly progress reports.

Hootsuite – Marketing Tool

In today’s world where social media rules the roost, a solid social marketing strategy is key to your startup’s survival—and success. It requires proper implementation of analysis, marketing campaigns, and more. Hootsuite is the finest social media marketing tool available which is very well known in the startup community, essentially for its simple UI and economical pricing.

With the help of a free plan of Hootsuite, you can post more than 30 posts all over social media platforms. It not only allows you to evaluate your ROI (Return on Investment) on social media campaigns but also helps you check the impact your strategies have created.

The Bottom Line

Your startup can either be a hit or a failure, depending upon the tools you choose to make use of. These tools and resources are beneficial for startups and small businesses if they are efficiently used. They can help an aspiring entrepreneur keep their operation easier, more seamless, and more effective.