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Review of the top free project management, time clock, communication, focus, note-taking, and integration apps for small businesses available in 2024.
Project management and productivity
Project management tools are as important as ever in 2024, and Basecamp is the go-to option for many organizations. Each project has different sections to facilitate processes: a message board, to-do list, schedule, chat for general communication, etc. Threads let users receive updates on the progress of a discussion or a project. There is also a “company HQ” section that lets you schedule automatic check-ins with your employees. More than 75,000 businesses across industries worldwide use this app to manage their projects and teams.
Trello is an excellent productivity app for process-based tasks and projects. You create boards via an intuitive drag-and-drop method. It’s very easy and quick to see where your team is in the process. You can set priorities, assign tasks, upload files, leave comments, and connect to apps like Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams. As of March 2024, Trello’s users were 57% male and 43% female. The largest user group is aged 25 – 34.
Time tracking
Homebase’s free time clock app lets users track time from practically any device. You can track paid time off, breaks, work hours, and overtime. Overtime has been a hot topic recently, with the Biden administration making millions of more salaried employees in the US eligible for overtime pay as of April 2024. This is the biggest increase in federal overtime eligibility in decades. Starting July 1, 2024, organizations will have to pay overtime to salaried employees making less than $43,888 annually in certain professional and executive roles.
You can put the Homebase app on iPhones, iPads, and Android and POS devices. Employees have individual PINs to clock in and out with.
Employers can keep employees on track because they receive alerts when someone clocks in late, and employees get alerts for shifts, which reduces absenteeism.
The employer can confirm the identity and location of people clocking in by taking photos or using Homebase’s GPS time clock.
Finally, you can manage remote and field teams with reminders, built-in messaging, mobile time clocks, and more.
Communication
When companies across the globe shifted to remote work, Slack became a crucial tool for small and medium-sized businesses. Slack lets users create channels dedicated to specific groups, projects, or special announcements. You communicate on tasks in real time, which increases productivity and accelerates progress. Users can set statuses to notify others when they are in meetings, out sick, etc.
Slack enables users to automate processes by creating custom workflows. In 2024, more than 100,000 organizations worldwide use Slack, testifying to its intuitiveness.
Improving focus
The focus app Tide uses soothing natural sounds to keep users alert and focused without stress. It’s an excellent choice for teams that use the productivity-enhancing Pomodoro technique. Tide can regulate how long you work and take breaks, increasing your productivity. It requires you to work without distraction for half an hour, after which you get a five-minute break. This also reduces the risk of procrastination. Tide is available via apps for iOS and Android and as a Google Chrome browser extension.
Note-taking
Microsoft OneNote is a solid, yet simple app for taking notes. It’s a great choice for small business owners in 2024 who need to collect a lot of data on different projects in one place. It’s easy to break projects or topics into sections and pages. The program offers many smart features, like automatically including the link when you copy and paste a quote from the internet.
You can use it with a stylus, so you don’t have to use pen and paper as long as you have an iPad or similar device. This isn’t to say traditional note-taking didn’t have advantages.
The whole team gets your notes, which eases collaboration on projects.
Automation and integration
You can use IFTTT to transform calendar events into tasks, mark the time spent in a specific office location as work hours, log calls to a Google spreadsheet, or automatically share content across social media. You can also track content in a dedicated spreadsheet.
FAQ
Are time management apps useful?
They make recording billable hours easier, streamline operations, and improve your personal productivity.
How does good time management help a small business?
By creating a schedule that works for your team, setting priorities, and eliminating distractions, small business owners can increase their employees’ productivity and minimize stress.
