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18 Best Time Management Tools to Maximize Your Productivity

Discover the 18 best time management tools that will turn you into a lean, mean, efficient machine.

Motion Blog
at Motion
May 24, 2023
Table of contents

Do you have trouble managing your time? Are you cutting your tasks close to their deadlines? Do you find yourself constantly taking your work home with you?

If so, then this list of time management tools will be helpful for you.

Not only will these tools help you better manage your time, but they’ll also block out distractions and improve your focus. Use them in conjunction with time management strategies, and you’ll be unstoppable!

Most time management apps can be grouped into the following categories: calendars, task and project managers, time trackers, note-taking apps, habit trackers, and distraction prevention tools.

Some of these tools (like Motion) may even fall into multiple categories. And they can all help you maximize your productivity. Check them out below!

Plan your day better with these calendars

You just woke up. You drink a cup of coffee and brush your teeth — but then what?

With the following calendar apps, you’ll always know exactly what’s on your schedule:

1. Motion

Motion is a calendar, project manager, time tracker, note-taking app, and distraction prevention tool all rolled into one easy-to-use software. In our not-so-humble opinion (you are reading the Motion blog, after all), it’s the best time management tool out there.

And don’t just take our word for it. Sparkmate uses Motion to finish work faster, as do 30,000+ other Motion users.

Here’s how it works:

Motion’s AI-powered algorithms help optimize your time and save you hours by automating repetitive (but necessary) manual tasks.

Motion also builds your schedule for you so that you can view your tasks, prioritized in order of importance, at a glance, and keep track of your deadlines.

And if those unexpected curveballs swerve your way and threaten to derail your day?

Motion has got you covered. The app automatically reshuffles your tasks around so you can accommodate the unexpected while still meeting all your deadlines.

Screenshot of Motion homepage

To set up your tasks, begin with Motion’s Task Manager.

With just one click, you can add a task and its duration, importance, priority, and deadline. You can even make it a recurring task if you need to. The Task Manager automatically adds all your tasks to your schedule so that you don’t have to worry about missing a thing.

What about big projects?

Motion handles bigger projects with ease. Simply start a project, assign tasks to your teammates, and Motion will add the project to your team’s calendar. No more hopping from tool to tool (and wasting more time) since everything you need to be productive will be right there.

You can also add notes and comments.

Want to stay organized? Add labels to your tasks and projects so you can quickly find them when you need them.

And since distraction is the bane of productivity, Motion keeps a small banner on your screen to remind you to focus on your current task.

That’s a lot of features! And best of all, Motion’s free to try for 7 days.

Pricing: $34 per month for individuals ($19 per month if billed annually) and $20 per user per month for teams ($12 per user per month if billed annually).

2. Calendar.app

Calendar.app is an online calendar and team scheduling software.

Screenshot of Calendar.app homepage

Calendar.app makes scheduling meetings easy for teams. It’ll show you all your connected calendars (work, personal, etc.) in one dashboard so you can see everything on your schedule. You can also choose whether to view all your calendars at once or just one at a time.

When you need to schedule a meeting, it’ll show you all the open slots you have — which you can customize. Calendar.app will then email your availability to your team. Once someone reserves a spot, it’ll show up on your calendar, and a meeting invitation will be emailed to the attendees.

That way, you can avoid being double-booked.

Pricing: Starts at $20 per user per month, although there is a free version.

Streamline your workflow with these task and project managers

You can work the hard way or the smart way. Deliver your project on time and on budget, and finish your work faster with these task and project managers.

3. ProofHub

ProofHub is a cloud-based project management and collaboration tool that helps teams go from planning their projects to delivering them effectively.

Screenshot of ProofHub homepage

‎It comes with a range of features, including task management, project planning, accurate time tracking, team collaboration, and reporting — all of which help teams streamline their workflow and get more done.

ProofHub’s time tracker allows team members to track the hours they spend on specific projects and tasks. This information can then be used to generate reports and invoices, analyze your team’s efficiency, and improve time estimates for future tasks and projects.

Other time management features include a visual timeline of your projects, reminders so that you don’t miss your deadlines, and time off tracking.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one tool, ProofHub’s pretty hard to beat.

Pricing: Starts at $45 per month.

4. Scoro

Scoro is an end-to-end work management software designed to help teams streamline their entire workflow.

Screenshot of Scoro homepage

Not only will it tell you where your team’s time goes, the app also gain better clarity about what their time is worth for more accurate billing.

And Scoro’s not just a time tracker. It also functions as a project manager, customer relationship management system, and collaborative platform rolled into one.

In addition, Scoro offers an invoicing feature and resource planning tools to help you allocate resources more efficiently.

Scoro integrates with many of your favorite tools as well, making it a nifty software for all types of businesses.

Pricing: Starts at $26 per user per month.

5. Trello

Trello is a web-based project management and collaboration tool.

Screenshot of Trello homepage

Its visual interface makes it popular with all kinds of users, teams, and industries. Its features include the following:

  • Views — see how your project looks from every angle
  • Automation — automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow
  • Templates
  • Integrations

Pricing: Starts at $5 per user per month, although there is a free version.

Keep track of your time with these time trackers

To manage your time effectively, you need to know where most of it’s going. The following time trackers not only track time and break it down for you, but many of them also come with invoicing features so you get paid for billable time:

6. Toggl

Toggl is a time tracking software that allows individuals and teams to track every billable minute.

Screenshot of Toggl homepage

‎It works on multiple platforms with just one click, and best of all, you don’t need to log your entries in a timesheet. All this data is then collated into time reports that you can filter, sort, and export in seconds.

You can also use Toggl to track your team’s productivity, track their billable hours, and manage project budgets. Furthermore, Toggl comes with a task and project manager, as well as 100+ app integrations.

All in all, Toggl is a well-rounded time management tool.

Pricing: Starts at $9 per user per month for Track, although there is a free version. Toggl Plan starts at $8 per user per month.

7. Harvest

Harvest is a popular time-tracking and invoicing software that works across multiple devices.

Screenshot of Harvest homepage

In addition to time tracking and invoicing, Harvest offers the following features:

  • Project management
  • Resource planning
  • Reports and analysis
  • Invoicing and payments

Team members can submit timesheets for approval as well.

Pricing: $10.80 per seat per month, although there is a free version.

8. Replicon

Replicon is a time-tracking software for projects, billing, pay, and compliance.

Screenshot of Replicon homepage

‎The app aims to alleviate the issues around manual timesheet entry and time zone management, especially for companies that have a global workforce. Replicon’s solution to that is an AI-powered automatic time tracker at the core of its software.

Replicon captures accurate time data from a variety of work apps, including Slack, Jira, and Zoom. You can then use that data to speed up decision-making, such as working out project budgets and billing.

Pricing: Starts at $12 per month for Project Time Tracking and $6 per month for Time & Attendance.

9. TimeCamp

TimeCamp is a simple yet feature-rich time-tracking app.

Screenshot of TimeCamp homepage

It comes with a few other features, including the following:

  • Billing and invoicing
  • Productivity tracking
  • Project budgeting
  • Attendance reporting
  • Timesheet approval

Pricing: Starts at $6.99 per user per month, although there is a free version available.

10. Bill4Time

Bill4Time is an online time billing and invoicing software designed specifically for legal firms and other service-based industries.

Screenshot of Bill4Time homepage

It helps legal professionals and law firms streamline their practice management with features such as the following:

  • Time tracking — Use its automatic timer or enter your hours manually.
  • Expense tracking — Keep track of all your reimbursable expenses when you’re working with clients. You can also include expenses in your invoices.
  • Project and task management — Stay organized by prioritizing your work, creating and assigning tasks, and setting deadlines.
  • Invoicing and billing — Easily generate an invoice based on tracked time and expenses.
  • Client portal — Clients can pay their invoices and see their payment histories, making it easier for you to get paid.

Pricing: Starts at $27 per user per month.

11. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a workforce management software suite that provides tools for time tracking, workforce management, and productivity metrics.

Screenshot of Hubstaff homepage

It’s designed primarily for remote teams, with features such as the following:

  • Time tracking
  • Employee monitoring
  • GPS and location tracker
  • Project and task management
  • Payments and invoicing

Pricing: Starts at $5.83 per user per month for Hubstaff Time and Hubstaff Desk, although there is a free version for one user only. For Hubstaff Field, pricing starts at $10 per user per month.

12. Clockify

Clockify is a simple time tracker and timesheet app for teams.

Screenshot of Clockify homepage

While many people are familiar with its time-tracking features, Clockify is also used for the following:

  • Time blocking with its calendar
  • Tracking the apps and websites you use
  • Analyzing and exporting tracked time
  • Forecasting your project estimates and budget
  • Scheduling work, assignments, and shifts
  • Invoicing

Pricing: Starts at $3.99 per user per month, although there is a free version available.

13. RescueTime

RescueTime is a time management and productivity tracker for mobile and desktop.

Screenshot of RecueTime homepage

Do you sometimes find yourself on Facebook when you’re supposed to be working? One thing leads to another, and suddenly, you find yourself watching a video about animals misbehaving. And now you’re thinking, “Wait, how long did I spend on that?!

RescueTime provides clarity and transparency about where users spend their time — so they can make better decisions around it. It’s designed to help you track screen activity, including time spent on distracting websites and apps.

It assigns a productivity score to all your activities so you always know how productive you are. And if you need to focus on a task, it’ll help you with that, too. Just turn it on, and it’ll block all distractions for you.

RescueTime also provides detailed reports so you can make better decisions.

Pricing: Starts at $6.50 per month

Find information faster with this note-taking app

Recording, retrieving, and analyzing information can be a laborious process — but it doesn’t have to be! Make note-taking easier for yourself with the app below.

14. Evernote

Evernote is a productivity app that’s primarily used for note-taking and task management.

Screenshot of Evernote homepage

Have you ever written something on a Post-it Note and then forgotten where you left it? Or maybe you once typed something into your phone and are now struggling to find it again.

If it feels like you’re always looking for information, then Evernote is the app for you.

Evernote syncs everything to the cloud so you can have all your info in one place. You can also add text, images, audio, scans, PDFs, and other documents to make your notes more useful.

What’s more, Evernote’s powerful search capabilities ensure you get the info you need as soon as you need it.

Pricing: There are four plans: Free, Personal ($14.99 per month), Professional ($17.99 per month), and Teams ($14.99 per user per month).

Get in the zone with these distraction prevention tools

Are you easily distracted? Do you find it hard to focus? The tools below can help you get in the zone so you get more done every day.

15. Focus@Will

Focus@Will is a service that offers music based on neuroscience to improve your productivity.

Screenshot of Focus@Will homepage

Your work environment can be incredibly distracting. And not just with emails and notifications — even background noise can throw you for a loop.

This is where Focus@Will comes in.

Focus@Will is a curated set of playlists that drown out unwanted noises while also helping you focus. The music is carefully selected to keep your attention while also making sure you’re not bored — because boredom is a distraction, too.

There’s also a timer, scheduling options, and a productivity tracker.

Pricing: $7.49 per month for individuals, $2.75 per user per month for 5–10 users, and $2.25 per user per month for 11–25 users.

16. Focus Booster

Focus Booster is a step above the average Pomodoro timer.

Screenshot of Focus Booster homepage

‎Not only does this app help you get more done in 25-minute increments, but it also lets you assign tasks to each Pomodoro session. By doing this, you can prioritize certain tasks and keep track of specific activities.

Of course, each session is adjustable. If 25 minutes work for you, great. If not, you can make the session longer or shorter to suit your work style. The app can even remind you if you need a break (though that feature is optional).

Additional features include the following:

  • Time tracking
  • To-do list
  • Dashboard reports
  • Clients and billable hours
  • Time entries

Pricing: $4.99 per month, although there is a free version.

17. Forest

Forest is a productivity app that helps you stay away from your smartphone and focus on your work.

Screenshot of Forest App homepage

Pomodoro timers are a great way to help you focus, but Forest puts a new, engaging spin on it by turning it into a game. This is how it works:

Choose how long you want to work for — let’s say 30 minutes. During that time, a tree will grow, but only for as long as you focus. If you leave the app, your tree will die. If you continue to use the app — provided you don’t use your phone while it’s in session — you’ll grow a beautiful virtual forest.

Pricing: $3.99 for the pro version.

18. Brain.fm

Brain.fm is a subscription service that provides functional music — that is, music that helps you focus, relax, and sleep better.

Screenshot of Brain.fm homepage

Can listening to the right music help you focus better? Yes, it can, according to Brain.fm. If you’re obsessed with productivity, you’ve probably come across focus playlists on YouTube or Spotify that claim to block out distractions and improve your focus — oh, and have something called binaural beats.

Brain.fm isn’t binaural beats. However, its music is designed to work in the background while steering you toward the mental state you want, whether that’s focusing, relaxing, or sleeping. It is also a great way to block out unwanted background noises if you’re easily distracted.

Pricing: $6.99 per month.

Take control of your time with Motion

So there you have it — 18 time management tools to boost your time management skills and maximize your productivity! Whether it’s an app to improve your focus or a time tracker to help you finish all your tasks on time, there’s something here for everyone.

Want to make things easier for yourself? Motion’s got you covered on all things time management. An AI-assisted calendar? Check. An intuitive project manager? You bet. A super easy-to-use task manager and meeting assistant? Heck yes!

Save 30.3 days each year. Try Motion for free.

Motion Blog
Written by Motion Blog