The novel coronavirus pandemic accelerated the shift to remote working. Stanford University reports that over 40% of U.S. employees are now working from home full-time. About half of them are able to do their jobs at an efficiency rate of 80% or more.

Unfortunately, this new way of doing things doesn't work for everyone. Some employees are not tech-savvy, while others have a hard time staying focused. Loneliness, distractions, and lack of motivation are all common complaints.

If that's your case, start using the best productivity apps to get more done. Evernote, Trello, Workplace by Facebook, and other apps can make it easier to stay organized when working remotely.

Depending on your needs, you may use time trackers, website blockers, online collaboration tools, and more. The end result? A better work-life balance, higher productivity, and improved performance.

Not sure what to look for? Here are some of the best productivity apps to stay on track and reduce distractions!

Trello Makes Project Management Easier

Trello is ideal for both collaboration and project management, making it easier to organize your workflow. Remote teams use this service to share project updates, create to-do lists, and assign tasks.

For example, if you're managing a team of writers, you can set up a Trello board and create lists for each project, such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done."

The first list may include any articles you're working on. Share the board with your team members and ask them to move the cards from the first list to the second and third lists as needed.

Setting up a Trello board couldn't be easier. Users can choose from hundreds of templates designed for remote work, marketing, business, education, and so on.

Trello can also be integrated with other virtual tools, including OneDrive, GiftHub, Evernote, Box, and Twitter. Plus, it features an extensive library of custom cards and team collaboration tools.

Note that Trello works best for teams. If you work alone, consider using Microsoft to Do. This service allows users to create daily planners, share lists, and manage their tasks on the go.

Use the Freedom App to Minimize Distractions

The average employee spends about 12% of his workday on YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks. This number is even higher among those who work from home.

If you find yourself wandering the social media landscape instead of working, it's time to use a website blocker. Freedom and other productivity apps can automatically block time-wasting websites so you can focus on the tasks at hand.

Employees who use the Freedom app gain about 2.5 hours of productive time per day. Currently, this online service has over one million users.

Take Notes on the Go with Evernote

If you had to choose just one app for taking notes, it should be Evernote. This online tool syncs across devices, allowing users to access their notes anytime, anywhere.

With Evernote, users can scan their handwriting, organize coursework, track due dates, and take screenshots. You can even add tags and comments, edit titles, and attach PDFs to your notes.

The app has three versions, including a free plan. If you need it for work, consider using the Premium version. It has a 10GB monthly upload limit and allows users to sync their notes across unlimited devices.

Typora Makes Content Writing a Breeze

What makes Typora stand out is its simplicity. This writing app makes it easier to create web content, organize files, and highlight key points.

Compared to other apps, Typora has a more minimalist interface for a seamless experience. It also features dozens of themes for every type of document you could think of. This makes it ideal for creating white papers, web pages, landing pages, and reports.

Track Your Work Hours with Toggl

About 82% of managers are afraid that remote work affects employee productivity. Nearly 70% are worried that their staff may end up overworking.

Whether you're self-employed or working for a company, you can use virtual tools to get more done in less time. The whole point is to work smarter, not harder.

A good example is Toggl, a time-tracking app. By using this free tool, you'll know exactly how much time you're spending on each task.

Toggle automatically tracks every website or app you use for more than 10 seconds. On top of that, you can start the timer directly from Trello, Asana, and other apps. Users can also download weekly or daily reports to see where their time is being spent.

Slack Streamlines Teamwork

Working as part of a team comes with its challenges, especially when you're miles away from your colleagues. That's where Slack comes in handy.

Touted as one of the best productivity apps, Slack enables users to chat, share files, and manage projects in real-time. You can set up groups and channels, send direct messages, and make voice or video calls.

With this online tool, you'll have all the information you need from your clients or coworkers in one place.

Slack can replace email, instant messaging, and video conferencing software. Plus, it's compatible with over 2,200 apps, including Salesforce, Zapier, and Google Drive.

This collaboration tool is free for small teams. The Standard, Plus, and Enterprise plans offer a wider range of features, but you'll have to pay a monthly fee of $6.67 and up.

Depending on your needs, you can start with the free version and upgrade later on.

Use the Best Productivity Apps to Maximize Your Workday

As a freelancer, you can use the best productivity apps to gain a competitive edge and get more done. If you're an employee, these tools can help you stay on track with your projects and avoid distractions when working from home.

Speaking of freelancing, sign up as a writer on our platform to sell your services and connect with potential clients! If you’re a business owner, sign up for an account to find skilled writers who understand your needs.

In the meantime, browse the rest of our blog for expert insights into content writing, digital marketing, and more!

You might know that a lot of content is posted online every day, but did you realize that a full 4.4 million blog posts were posted per day as of March 2019? During the 2020 pandemic, that number has only climbed.

Staying relevant when so many posts are published daily is a significant challenge faced by every business. You must know what your audience is looking for so you can capture their attention and engagement.

How do you find trending blog post topics for your website? Here are some ideas to try today.

Have a Content Marketing Plan

The first step to any blog writing is to have a plan. Too many businesses publish blog posts with no idea what they’re trying to accomplish, and unfortunately they end up lost in the noise online.

Start by understanding your customer journey. How do they become aware of you? What steps do they take to engage, consider your products and services, and ultimately buy from you?

From there, you can plan your content strategy. Determine how you can create content that meets your leads at each point of the marketing funnel. Use a variety of media, including video, infographics, and blog posts.

Finally, make sure each piece of content has a job. It should engage your audience where they are and invite them to take the next step forward in the process.

Use Google Trends for Popular Searches

What’s the most relevant information you can target in a blog post? The things your audience is searching for today! You can find that information using Google Trends.

Enter a term related to your product, service, or industry. You’ll get a wealth of information about what searches affect that topic right now. You can even look back through time and find out what the overall trends are for the search term.

You’ll find that some items are currently very hot, but once they resolve are unlikely to be search topics, such as COVID-19. Other topics are consistently popular but may have seasonal trends.

When you use Google Trends, you’ll know what to target and when those blog posts will be most relevant. You’ll have no end to on-trend content ideas, and it will boost your search engine optimization (SEO) as well.

Check Out AnswerthePublic

Once you’ve determined what search terms to target, you might wonder exactly what to write about those phrases. You don’t want to do a single post and be done. You need a lot of ideas.

Using AnswerthePublic is a great solution. The site will take a single term and give you questions people ask about it — divided into Who, What, When, Why, and How.

This allows you to break a single idea into smaller pieces and address many angles in depth. It’s a meaningful way to create a lot of content from one term or phrase. It also adds value to your audience because you cover the topic in more detail.

Do Competitor Research

What blog post ideas are your competitors using? Researching their blogs can help you determine what’s popular in your industry and give you ideas to cover yourself.

You want to avoid merely restating a competitor’s idea. Instead, offer a fresh take or focus on something you felt was missing in the original post.

Pay attention to what competitor content is getting a lot of attention from their audience. Are there comments, or is it frequently shared? You can use a variety of tools to look behind-the-scenes and determine the popularity of blog posts and social media content.

Pay Attention to Trends on Social Media

Speaking of social media, there’s nothing more relevant than what’s trending on various platforms. Social media is designed to showcase what people are discussing today, so take advantage of it.

See what’s trending on Twitter or Facebook, and then use those ideas to create relevant content. This works for both niche writing and overall authority blogs. BuzzSumo is an excellent paid tool that will show you how individual blog posts have done on various social media outlets.

Twitter has a specific “what’s trending” sidebar, so take a look at that regularly. Another great option is Quora. This platform is all about asking and answering questions. You can participate on the website, but why not take common questions about your industry and turn them into blog posts?

Because social media is real-time, it’s the epitome of what’s trending right now.

Ask Your Audience

All of the content you create is for your audience, so why not ask them what they want to see? You can do a poll or create content based on frequently asked questions you receive from leads or customers.

Take a look at your existing blog posts and see which ones got the most attention. Google Analytics can allow you to see what people love to read and share. Consider updating those posts or creating similar content.

Finally, take a look at your community on social media. What do your followers talk about? What are they sharing? You can use that information to create graphics, videos, and other content that’s highly relevant to their needs.

Get Your Blog Post Topics Written Today!

All of this content research is challenging for most business owners. That’s why so many of them outsource their blog post creation to high-quality content companies like iWriter.

We can help you develop blog post topics, create excellent written content, and deliver it to you on-time. That allows you to execute your content marketing strategy without having to spend hundreds of hours writing blog posts.

If you’re ready to get excellent, relevant content for your blog, we’re here to help. Contact us today for more information!