If you’d like to get more done in your day without getting overwhelmed, these free tools may just save your day to day.

Simplify Workflow With Free Tools

You know the saying, work smarter, not harder, especially when you have a ton to do. Now, withworking from home(or hybrid arrangements) becoming the norm, that comes with countless distractions that can affect how much you get done in the day. Especially when you realize that you’re able to watch yourfavorite series on Netflix, that’s just one tab away.

These tools have saved me more times than I can count. They’re accessible, user-friendly, and, most importantly, designed to keep you focused and help you get the work done with a more simple workflow. Did I mention that they’re also free?

Manage Projects Visually With Trello

My favorite task manager for projects isTrello. Trello has revolutionized the way I manage projects. It works through visual card-style boards, which have become a favorite for individuals and teams.

If you’re a freelancer, student, or someone juggling multiple projects, you can take advantage ofTrello’s benefits. I like the visual approach as it streamlines and simplifies collaboration. But you don’t need a team to use Trello.

I use it not just for work, but also in my personal life. For example, when I was wedding planning,Trello was a game-changerbecause of its visually straightforward interface, and helped keep everything organized.

Trello has a drag-and-drop feature that visual thinkers will find very helpful and intuitive. It not only offers labels, priorities, due dates, and checklists, but also supports collaboration with colleagues, friends, and family members.

You can attach files fromGoogle Driveor Dropbox to keep everything in one place. This is great because you don’t have toswitch between multiple tabsto find what you need.

Another thing I like about Trello is how easy it is to follow the Kanban-style workflow because of its board-style format. With theKanban board workflow, you focus only on work that’s in progress. Once you complete a task, you can mark it as “review” or “done” and move on to the next item in your backlog. Trello makes this effortless with its drag-and-drop system. You can even choose from templates or create your own.

Improve Writing With ProWritingAid

You’ve probably come across the infamous grammar checker, Grammarly. But did you knowthere’s a lot more grammar checkers out there?

One strong rival of Grammarly isProWritingAid.

ProWritingAid is awriting toolthat helps you enhance readability, style, and grammar—no matter what level of writer you are. One major advantage it has over Grammarly is its in-depth, detailed feedback tailored for creative and long-form writing. It has a paid version, but the free version is pretty good. Even though it has a 500-word analysis cap per check, it still provides solid feedback on style and grammar.

For example, if you’re using a lot of repeated sentences or if there are readability issues, it will let you know. ProWritingAid also provides grammar checks like Grammarly, but its overuse and readability reports help cut unnecessary fluff and improve writing flow.

You can integrate the tool directly intoGoogle Docsand web browsers, just like Grammarly’s browser extension.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to ProWritingAid. Some features have restrictions in the free version (which is understandable). Its UI is very user-friendly, but the interface may take a little getting used to. Currently, it only supports English (General, British, US, Australian, and Canadian).

So, if you’re looking to improve your writing, and prefer a more detailed writing assistant, this could be a great alternative.

Use an AI Search Engine: Perplexity

Perplexityis an AI-powered search engine that’s been dubbed as a powerful alternative to Google (or at least getting there), offering a smarter and more user-focused approach to finding information online. I like usingPerplexityalongside Google Search.

It’s great for fact-checking and research because it delivers accurate, current information and provides citations to its sources. However, one thing to keep in mind is thatAI can hallucinate—meaning it can still generate inaccurate or misleading information, no matter how advanced it is. It’s just something to be aware of. Still, it’s a great tool if you want to quickly find a source for research papers or articles.

You can also export your search results or share the chat with someone by creating a shareable link.

Perplexity is different from ChatGPTbecause it’s not just a conversational chatbot—it searches the web to provide real-time information. It’s free with some limitations, but there’s also a paid version. The paid version allows you 200 searches per day, plus you get to upload images and PDFs.

Compared to Google, whichworks by indexing a large part of the internet, Perplexity offers a more AI-driven search experience with direct answers. It’s a bit like anAI chatbot, just not as conversational as an actual chatbot like ChatGPT. It’s also pretty fast.

Keep Notes in One Place With Google Keep

If you’re like me, every time you have an idea, need to get something done, or want to set a reminder, you write it down somewhere. However,Google Keepcan be a simple yet practical note-taking tool designed for efficiency across devices.

Its biggest advantage over traditional notebooks? Seamless syncing across all your devices,including your smartphone.

Some of my favoritefeatures of Google Keepinclude:

One thing I love about Google Keep is the search function. Even if I forget to add a title, I can quickly find my notes.

For organization, I use labels like: “Food,” “Ideas,” “Journal,” and “To Buy”. So I can add a label to any note I create and can search by labels as well. There’s aton more featuresthat keep popping up.

If you’re looking for a simple note-taking tool that doesn’t have complex formatting or overwhelming features (likeNotion, for example), Google Keep is good enough andthere’s not much I’d change about it.

Intuitive Lists With Todoist

If you’re a fan of to-do lists and want a simple, no-frills task manager,Todoistis worth checking out. Using Todoist long enough helps you build a habit of checking your to-do list and crossing things off. It’s one of thebest free tools for staying productiveand organized. However, some have tried toreplace Todoist with ChatGPT tasks.

Unlike having a physical to-do list, it can’t get lost. It syncs across all your devices and offers features including recurring reminders, calendar integration, adding priority levels to tasks, and you can even automate things like weekly reviews or recurring bills. It’s also a fast way to get anidea bucketgoing.

Todoist’s free version allows five personal projects, labels and filters, and Smart Quick Add for tasks. The Pro version offers more customization and anAI assistant.

One feature I enjoy is its productivity visualizations. As you complete tasks daily and weekly, Todoist tracks your trends and shows visual stats of how many tasks you’ve completed in a week or month. This can be a great way to get motivated when you’re in a slump.

So which one should you pick? Pick the ones that you are more likely to use—or try them all out. If you’re a fan of visually being able to see all your tasks and progress at any point during your project, Trello is the way to go. If you prefer a traditional to-do list, you can stick to Todoist, or Google Keep for general note-taking. For real-time information, stick to Perplexity.

Whatever the nature of your work, using the right tool can make a big difference. You might just find a new way of getting things done quicker in your daily life.