8 Must Have Tools for Remote Workers

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Having the right remote work tools at hand is now more important than ever. As we are all adjusting to new schedules and new communication techniques, having the right tools by your side may be of huge help.

If you are new to working from home, this may be quite an adjustment. There are lots of distractions to watch out for and as you are getting used to the new environment, your productivity may suffer. But having the right tech for working remotely can make all the difference. If you are asking yourself “what are the best remote work tools for working from home?”, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will look into the best tech as well as the best services for remote workers.

What are the must have tools for remote work?

There are lots of programs, apps and services out there that can come in handy for those working remotely. To keep things organized, we will group them into the following categories:

• Team communication
• Meetings and presentations
• Time management
• Writing and editing
• File sharing
• Scheduling and project management
• Productivity and focus tools

So, let’s get started.

Team communication tools

In any team project, communication is key. And this is especially true when working remotely when you can’t talk to your co-workers, face to face or get instant feedback on your work by simply stopping by someone’s desk. Sure, you can exchange ideas over email — but this can get messy, especially if you are talking to several people at the same time.

So, why not try Slack? Slack is basically a chat platform that can be used by both teams and individuals. It also has video calling and file sharing and it can be integrated with other remote working tools like Google Calendar and Jira. Other helpful team communication tools are Chanty, Google Hangouts and Flock.

Meetings and presentations tools

If your job involves attending or hosting a lot of meetings and presentations, you will need a reliable tool to handle all of that remotely. Video calls, virtual meetings, and remote presentations are a big part of working online — and Zoom is a program that can manage all of that. Zoom is a powerful teleconferencing tool that makes video meetings and presentations easy. In addition, it offers features like real-time chat, video recording, screen sharing, calendar integrations, and virtual background, and “touch-ups”. Other good options are Blue Jeans, Skype, and GoToMeeting.

Time management tool

One of the biggest issues with working remotely is that you will be tempted by distractions. A lot. And as you don’t have a traditional office setting to help you stay organized, you will need an efficient time tracking tool. We suggest you try Traqq — the app will help you make the most out of your time and avoid distractions. Other popular time management tools are Google Calendar, Pocket, Toggl, and others.

Writing and editing tools

When you work remotely, a lot of communication will be done in writing. As you won’t be able to talk to your colleagues as much as when you were at the office, this can add up to quite a bit of writing — and if you are not in the habit of writing a lot, you may find this a bit time-consuming. Luckily, there are lots of apps available to help you with that. Grammarly is probably the most popular choice — the tool (the premium version for which you can get a discount) is a comprehensive writing assistant that will not only help you with the tasks at hand but will also be useful in becoming a better writer over time.

Design and development tools

If you are working in the field of design and development, there are lots of great tools to enhance your remote work organization. GitHub, for one, is a program that lets you track changes in code for web pages and apps and prevents you from accidentally overwriting someone’s work. Other helpful apps include Atom and Chrome Dev Tools.

File sharing tools

Sharing files online is one of the essential functions you will need when working online. Google Drive is a great service for exchanging digital files especially if you are using other Google ecosystem elements like Google Docs, Gmail, etc.

Scheduling and project management tools

Staying in control of your own assignments is essential for staying productive — as is staying on top of your team’s tasks, coordinating and delegating responsibilities. It may be challenging to do it remotely — but it is absolutely doable. And there are lots of tools available for managing tasks and assignments based on the specifics of your work and industry. Once again, Traqq can prove to be helpful as it will let you stay on top of your own schedule. Other popular choices include Trello and Jira.

Productivity and focus tools

If you have a hard time concentrating on your work, there are tools that can improve your focus as well. Noisli, for instance, will create background sounds that can help you boost productivity. And Focus Booster can give you helpful insights into how you use your time.

And there you have it! We hope you will find some of the tools above a good fit for your working situation. Which one have you found the most interesting? Please share in the comments below.

You may also like: 9 Ways You Can Create The Ultimate Work From Home Station

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About the Author

Finidi Lawson is a tech enthusiast and a Windows 10 expert. His passion is finding effective solutions to Windows 10 problems and resolving the most complicated software and hardware issues. Armed with a high level of expertise and a deep understanding of how computer technology works, Finidi believes that his mission is helping people get the most out of their devices.