At Soulheart, we aren’t only passionate about simplicity and creativity. We believe productivity tools can help increase efficiency and boost morale across a business. Here are the 7 productivity tools we use to stay lean.
1. Trello
One of our most-used tools is Trello, a card-based project management tool. We’ve used everything possible under the sun for years and have never seen clients adopt something as quickly as Trello.
Trello is based on the Japanese Kanban board concept where project management is broken down into action-oriented columns.
2. Slack
The latest tool we’ve adopted is Slack. Created by the cofounders of Flickr, Slack has completely replaced internal email for our team. It has some great integrations with tools such as Trello and it helps us keep tabs on clients and projects, message each other in a workplace chat environment.
3. Sketch
Productivity tools aren’t just limited to organization and action items – they involve design. We love tools that make life easier and Sketch is one of these. For years, Photoshop has been the standard for graphic and web design, but as more and more updates continued, it has ended up a giant, bloated, and super difficult software to use to perform simple tasks.
Enter Sketch. This tool has changed the game for us. Facebook, Google, and others have adopted Sketch as the de facto UI design tool. And so have we.
Sketch has allowed us to build wireframes, create design comps, and even build logos. The exporting features are a breeze and the ability to quickly create SVG graphics are great for retina display exports.
4. Evernote
This is one of the best tools in our arsenal. Evernote is one of the best document and note solutions in the world. We use it to store notes in notebooks on our business, strategy, and collect and store ideas for new development.
5. Dropbox
Everything we do is stored in Dropbox. Having all our files synced across the team during projects gives us a great way to stay current. Dropbox is also great when incorporating new team members or new computers. Once you sign in as a user, everything is synced in a matter of minutes.
6. 1Password
With nearly 300 passwords, 1Password keeps all our various logins and secure information. Originally we were leery of adopting a solution that would sync all sorts of confidential information, but with so many passwords, we had to adopt a solution and 1Password was the best in terms of security. We also use the iCloud integration to sync across all devices including mobile devices.
7. The Noun Project
Another design tool in the productivity roster, The Noun Project is a great way to quickly find UI items to help bring life to design comps. We use The Noun Project’s Mac desktop app to quickly search and find the icons we want. Once you find the right icon, you are able to download the SVG versions in order to have the highest resolution possible.
This group of tools is how we stay lean as a company and keep growing with efficiency. From designing to streamlining business ideas and file management, we are always pushing forward to make sure our team is staying relevant.
