© Microsoft One Note
Technology gives us the allure of having the world at our fingertips. Before the concept of phone calls and text messages, long-distance communication took several days. This rapid advancement opens up new ways to use mobile devices and the applications they provide. From basic notes apps to to-do lists, it’s become part of our routine. Statistically speaking, as of 2024, the market size of productivity apps is estimated to be USD 9651.2 million. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% until 2031. The big picture is that these apps are here to stay.
Managing workflows can be a nightmare or a dream. Frankly, it all depends on which tools you utilize. There are tips and tricks everywhere that will make any workflow run like butter. It may seem like an overstatement, but productivity apps reportedly help you manage your time more effectively and set priorities clearly. In this article, we’ve compiled eight productivity apps that are extremely useful for architects, designers, and anyone else interested.
Reclaim.ai
If you’re having a hard time sticking to a habit, like morning meditation or a refreshing afternoon walk, AI Scheduling Assistant can help you rebuild your schedule without any headaches.
Reclaim.ai, shown above, can help you with this. This is a great option that looks good, works well, and offers the right balance of power and complexity.
AI assistants have found a way to become a part of our lives. It all started with Siri. Reclaim.ai is an AI-powered scheduling tool that automates and optimizes calendar management. So why do we need it? Sometimes it takes time to make a schedule and stick to it, but I think we’re all guilty of cheating on our schedules. AI Scheduling Assistant seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar and helps prioritize tasks, meetings, and breaks based on your productivity habits, so you can stay on track.
Google Calendar
It would be an understatement to emphasize the importance of Google Calendar in managing your workflow. There’s no denying that a physical wall calendar has its appeal. Especially customization and freehand color coding are possible. But can this calendar send notifications about upcoming deadlines?
It is the simplest and most versatile productivity app that helps any user manage daily events, meetings, tasks, and deadlines. It can also be seamlessly integrated with various other apps such as Gmail, Zoom, and Slack. This dramatically increases your productivity by consolidating your tasks into a single interface.
From sharing calendars, setting reminders, organizing tasks with color-coded events, and viewing everything in multiple formats (daily, weekly, monthly), this app helps architects meet project deadlines. , will definitely help you avoid missing any tasks. .
Microsoft OneNote
The urge to take notes is always there, but it often happens at random moments during a conversation. You can take notes manually for a while, but how long before those notes and documents start to get confusing? Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook designed to capture, organize, and share information. This is a memo app. You can create notebooks with sections and pages where you can annotate, embed images, and link files, so you can also use it as a personal diary.
OneNote also integrates with Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook and Teams, making it easy to manage meeting details, take notes, and track tasks. For architects, this type of productivity app is especially useful for organizing project documents, meeting notes, and design ideas in one place. Its ability to capture sketches and handwritten notes makes it a versatile tool for brainstorming and planning.
How many times have you come across a really interesting article and saved it to your browser? And even when you actually remember to come back to them, somehow they always get lost. Pocket is specially tailored for storing and organizing articles, videos, and other web content for later reading. It’s also great at providing a distraction-free environment with offline reading options. Pocket has text-to-speech functionality and can even read saved articles, making it easy to access content while multitasking.
Designers can use this app to gather inspiration and ideas from various sources. Whether you want to save articles about new materials, design trends, or technical tutorials, Pocket can help you curate your personal library. It’s like a multimedia Pinterest, encouraging productive use of your time and resources.
Coggle
Coggle is an interesting mind mapping productivity app that takes brainstorming to a whole other level. Help anyone visualize complex ideas and processes through color-coded flowcharts and structure diagrams. Real-time collaboration features allow teams to seamlessly collaborate on the same diagram, making it a great tool for team projects. Diagrams created with Coggle can be saved as PDFs and uploaded to Google Drive.
What benefits can architects get from brainstorming? Coggle’s ability to create multiple starting points and combine branches helps architects express complex architectural relationships and systems in a cohesive format. will help you. Architects can upload unlimited images of blueprints, design elements, and more directly into the diagram, making the design process easier.
transfer
It can go unnoticed or fly under the radar of important productivity apps. Still, WeTransfer is a simple yet highly effective file sharing platform designed to transfer large files quickly and securely. The free version allows you to send files up to 2 GB, while WeTransfer Pro offers large file transfers of up to 20 GB and password protection.
Having to compress a file and reduce its resolution just to send it to an important collaborator is a bit of a pain. In fact, We Transfer feels like you’re handing over files to someone via USB. This platform makes remote working even easier. For example, you can send a large 3D modeling file containing all the components back and forth until editing is complete.
adobe fresco
Sketching applications have come a long way since Microsoft Paint was first introduced. Sure, traditional pens, paper, mechanical pencils, and watercolor brushes are essential, but these applications offer a different perspective. Adobe Fresco is a versatile digital drawing and painting app that offers a wide range of natural brushes, including vectors, raster, and unique live brushes that mimic the behavior of real-world materials such as watercolor and oil.
Even better, it integrates with Creative Cloud, so you can easily move your sketches into Photoshop or Illustrator. During the conceptualization phase, Adobe Fresco enhances your workflow by allowing you to quickly sketch and generate ideas quickly. Cloud syncing in particular ensures that you can access and edit your projects across devices.
Milo
Over time, remote work has become more efficient than we imagined. Productivity applications are tailored with exactly that situation in mind. At the top of the list is Miro, a dynamic collaboration tool designed for real-time teamwork. Think of it as an interactive whiteboard where everyone can visually brainstorm, plan, and contribute. It also integrates with a number of other tools like Slack and Asana to further simplify your workflow and keep your projects moving forward.
From an architectural design perspective, Miro is particularly useful for collaboration. Enhance workflows by allowing architects to sketch floor plans, organize design reviews, and share annotated blueprints in real-time. Its flexibility to manage project timelines and facilitate client presentations makes it ideal for remote collaboration.
