7 Apps to Help You Be More Productive as a Leader in 2019

It is hard to believe that 2019 is here.  Time seems to slip by so quickly.  I recently celebrated my 10^th anniversary as the police chief of the Dunwoody Police Department.  It seems like I only started here yesterday!

A new year brings with it an opportunity to look back at the previous year and think about how you can improve as a leader in the coming year and set new goals for the year.

I don’t know about you, but I am always searching for new applications and/or technology that can help me be more organized, efficient or that will equip me to be a better leader.

I thought I would share some of my favorite apps and tell you why I like them.

Let’s get started.

1. Grammarly

Grammarly automatically detects spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice and style mistakes in your writing.  You can copy and paste text to check inside the Grammarly Editor or you can add a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.  The browser extensions allow Grammarly to check you text when you are writing online using Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn and other similar sites.  Grammarly also integrates with Microsoft Office. 

The free version of Grammarly does a pretty good job but the paid version provides over 400 types of check and features.  It checks for grammatical errors, provides vocabulary enhancement suggestions, detects plagiarism, and provides citation suggestions.

I use Grammarly premium on a daily basis and it catches many mistakes I make.

I highly recommend Grammarly.  I started out with the free version and transitioned to the premium version later.

Click here to check out Grammarly.

2. Evernote

If you use your computer, tablet or smartphone for work, Evernote will help your organize your thoughts, ideas and research in a way that you can access from anywhere, anytime that you need it.

Evernote is a cloud-based service that lets you capture all forms of media including text, webpages, parts of webpages, audio, video and a whole lot more.  All of this data can be organized into notes and notes can be placed into notebooks.  Tags can be added so you can easily access previous notes. 

Basically, Evernote is a virtual filing system. 

I use Evernote daily to clip interesting articles, cutting edge programs, leadership articles or anything else that might help me do my job better.  Evernote is a great place to capture just about anything that you might need later. 

The free version of Evernote allows you access on up to two devices, while the paid version is unlimited.  The free version of Evernote also limits your storage. 

Evernote has been having some internal trouble lately, but they just hired a new CEO and I am cautiously optimistic they will bounce back.  I have had no issues with the program. 

Click here to check out Evernote today.

3. Medium

Medium is a publishing platform where really talented authors publish interesting articles on a variety of topics about life, business, leadership, productivity and much more.  There is something helpful for almost everyone.

The free version of Medium gives you access to a limited number of articles for free.  For $5 a month, you can have access to unlimited articles.  When you sign up, you can check off on the categories you would like to see articles from and then sign up to receive a daily or weekly digest of those articles.

I find many helpful articles on Medium each week.   

Medium is web-based and also has an app.

Go to www.medium.com to access some great content today. 

4. Dropbox

I am sure most of you have heard of Dropbox.  Many of you probably use it already.  If you don’t, you might want to consider using it as your online data storage or back up service. 

I started using Dropbox several years ago.  I can access it on any device.  It is especially helpful when I have a file I need to work on at home.  No more flash drives!

Of course, there are many other online storage services like Google Drive, One Drive, iCoud and others.

Click here to get Dropbox today.

5. Podcasts

I spend 45-60 minutes each morning commuting to work and another 60-90 minutes commuting home.  You can find a Podcast for any subject you are interested in. 

You may not have as long of a commute as me (hopefully not!), but you can still take advantage of the time you spend in your car, working out, walking or doing anything else to learn something new.

Most Smartphone devices come with a Podcast app or you can easily download one.

Here are a few Podcasts I enjoy.

Lead to Win by Michael Hyatt provides great leadership advice on a weekly Podcast. 

A View From the Top by Aaron Walker provides great life advice.

The Speaker Lab with Grant Baldwin provides great advice about public speaking.

6. Audible Books

Audiobooks, like Podcasts, are a great way to learn.  You can listen to audiobooks while you do just about anything.  Audible has over 450,000 titles.

Audible offers a free 30 day trial.  After 30 days it is $14.95 a month.

Click here to sign up for your Audible account today.

7. Streaks

Streaks is a great app, which will help you establish good habits that can help you become a better person and a better leader.

I am reading a great book about establishing good habits and I’ve started using this app to help me keep track of my success.

Click here to download the app today.

Conclusion

Technology can be a positive or a negative influence in our lives.  Therefore, you have to be cautious about the technology you adopt and only use apps that will somehow help you. 

Hopefully, you will find some of these applications helpful.  Maybe one or two of them will make your job easier or help you be more organized.

Please feel free to share any apps that you use that all of us can benefit from knowing about and using. 

Some of the links to apps above are affiliate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these apps, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something.

Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.

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