Best Productivity Apps and Chrome Extensions for People Who Work from Home

Lisa_Shettle

During the Covid-19 pandemic, remote work became an increasingly popular and necessary practice across the globe. And while the world has returned to normal in many ways, the trend of working from home seems to be here to stay. It’s now very common to use the acronym WFH, meaning “work from home” or “working from home.” Not only does this remote setup reduce costs for businesses, but it’s now the preferred work style for many employees.

Benefits and Challenges of Working from Home

In the Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work 2023 report, remote workers attributed a wide range of benefits to working from home. These included location freedom, no daily commute, better work/life balance, and less stress compared to in-office and hybrid employees. Remote workers also reported feeling more productive and loyal to their companies, with 62% of survey participants saying they would take a pay cut of 10% or more to keep working from home.

That said, WFH is not without its drawbacks. The report also identified a number of challenges, such as lack of company culture, difficulty collaborating with colleagues, and increased loneliness and isolation. In order to combat these challenges, some remote workers turn to online tools, or productivity apps, to help improve focus, time management, communication, and teamwork.

Recommended Productivity Apps for Remote Workers

Let’s take a look at some of the best productivity apps for people who work from home.

1. Freedom

Used by over a million people worldwide, Freedom allows users to temporarily block websites that may become a distraction, such as Facebook, YouTube, or X. The app can be synced across multiple devices, including laptops and smartphones. It’s available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome.

2. Zapier

Zapier provides workflow templates to automate repetitive manual tasks, such as posting content on social media, saving files to the cloud, and emailing leads. It’s compatible with most apps and platforms, including Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, Outlook, and Dropbox. No coding knowledge is required.

3. Trello

Trello is a project management app designed to promote organization and collaboration. It allows teams to create and share kanban boards with templates for business, design, engineering, and other categories. The app also includes features like checklists, due dates, labels, and attachments, as well as the ability for users to automate certain tasks.

4. Zoom

A breakout star of the pandemic, Zoom is a popular and easy-to-use video conferencing app. Users with free accounts can host unlimited one-on-one video calls, as well as 40-minute calls for groups with up to 100 participants. Premium paid subscriptions with additional features are also available.

Recommended Chrome Extensions for Productivity 

Aside from productivity apps, there’s a wide array of Chrome extensions designed to enhance different aspects of work, from taking notes to organizing tasks. Here are some of the most popular: 

1. Grammarly 

Working remotely means communication with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders is often written. This AI-driven writing assistant ensures users’ emails, documents, and social media posts are clear, concise, and error-free. Aside from checking one’s writing for grammar, punctuation, style, and tone, it offers real-time suggestions to enhance communication. The Grammarly extension works across a wide range of platforms, including Google Docs, Gmail, and LinkedIn. 

2. Google Keep 

A versatile note-taking extension, Google Keep lets users capture and organize their thoughts quickly. It offers the ability to create and save notes, lists, and voice memos, and access them from any device. Google Keep also supports color-coding and labels, making it easy to categorize and retrieve notes when needed. Its integration with other Google services enhances productivity and collaboration. 

3. Todoist 

Todoist is a task management extension for organizing work and personal tasks. It allows users to create to-do lists, set deadlines, and prioritize tasks with ease. Todoist’s intuitive interface and robust features, such as project templates, labels, and filters, make it an excellent tool for staying on top of a WFH schedule. 

Acer Technology for People who Work from Home

Along with the right apps, it’s important for WFH employees to use technology that enhances their productivity.

Whether at home or on the go, Acer’s ConceptD 5 and ConceptD 5 Pro laptops make creative work and multitasking a breeze. These laptops are especially popular with animators, engineers, developers, and CAD designers. The 19.9mm-thick ConceptD5 laptops also feature full-sized keyboards, enhanced trackpads, and media-focused hotkeys, as well as up to 14 hours of battery life.

Acer Aspire laptops are another great choice for people who work from home. These intuitive and all-inclusive PCs come in a range of sizes and designs, allowing for a personalized experience. Customers can also choose from a variety of specs and features, from the processors to the RAM and SSD storage capacity. Additionally, Aspire offers eco-friendly devices, including models partially made from recycled materials.

Conclusion

Working from home can be convenient for employees and cost-efficient for employers, but it may sometimes require a little extra effort for remote employees to stay focused and connected to the workplace. By using productivity apps and Chrome extensions along with capable work laptops, remote workers can bridge the gap between home and office. This will allow them to be just as effective, efficient, and collaborative as their in-office counterparts, leading to better results for all.

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About Lisa Shettle: Lisa is a writer, editor, and content product manager with over 15 years of experience. She has a special interest in travel and tech writing, marketing, and AI. She is based in the United States.