According to Global Workplace Analytics, the number of remote employees has grown by 140% since 2005.
Stanford University 2018 research says that digital nomads are 13% more productive than office employees due to flexible working schedules and arrangements.
Gallup, American analytics and advisory company, reported about the closing of 170 physical offices of American companies in 2018. The number is 6,5 times bigger than it was in 2014! This working trend changes industries because it’s much cheaper and more profitable for both employers and employees.
It means that all of us should be prepared for such changes. Maybe it would be wise to start getting accustomed to remote work right now.
Let’s have a look at 6 iOS apps that are commonly used by digital nomads all over the world.
Trello
If you are a digital nomad who receives multiple projects and tasks with different deadlines, then Trello is an excellent solution for you to stay organized. The planning feature allows you to create multiple boards dedicated to various projects and single tasks.
For example, you can make one set of boards for your personal goals, and the second for the work you do. No matter how many boards you have, set time and date reminders to stop worrying about forgetting something important. Completion trackers will tell you how much work left undone.
Trello allows you to attach files and hyperlinks to boards. This feature saves a lot of time on searching necessary files and websites. Together with a board-sharing option, it makes the exchange of objectives more complex and comprehensive.
All basic features of Trello are available for free, making it a good project management solution for small organizations with teams of remote collaborators.
You can be either a project manager or a team member. Trello is convenient for both commanding and self-organizing purposes.
Pocket is a superb solution for the deferred reading of articles, watching videos from various websites, and for listening to audio.
The aspect that makes it so useful is the ability to do all of these tasks offline. It’s rather usual for digital nomads to get somewhere far from communication towers, so Pocket is an essential tool for surfing the web offline.
Imagine yourself riding on a bus between towns somewhere in Thailand with no internet connection. If you have nothing to do, open Pocket and read the saved pages related to your work or just for entertainment.
Pocket developers take care of users’ sight, so there are two UI themes for night and day. In the day mode, the interface of the app is white. Switch it to the night mode to read white text on the black background; this mode also saves some battery life.
Pocket is a cross-platform service. You may access your account from any iOS, Android, or desktop devices. All of your saved pages will always be automatically synchronized with the cloud.
Google Docs
There is a whole stratum of freelance writers, copywriters, and other text content creators. If you are one of them, Google Docs will save you a lot of time and nerves. This cross-platform app allows you to create and edit texts on any device.
Install this app on both iPad and iPhone for more flexibility. The tablet version is highly convenient for typing in cafes and other places. The mobile app is a great solution for quick editing of docs on the go.
Imagine that you received a message from your editor to make edits immediately while commuting in a subway. With mobile Google Docs, it’s not a problem, because it provides the same tools as the desktop version.
You can also send and receive comments and corrections in shared documents. Add users to provide them access and collaborate on texts in teams.
Read also: 25 Helpful Google Calendar Hacks You’re Probably Not Using
Trail Wallet
This app was created by travel bloggers, not by economists. It means that it’s a highly intuitive expense tracking tool. With Trail Wallet, you don’t have to type in anything except numbers to structurize your budget.
You can use it to keep an eye on your expenditures during all journeys. Just set the dates, your budget, and connect your card. Trail Wallet allows you to add an unlimited number of trips to have a comprehensive financial history of your adventures.
To assign spending to specific categories, choose them from the comprehensive list. Then enter amounts of money you can spend on each specific item or activity and color it to highlight. Now you can see small percentage-meters of money spent on each category.
Trail Wallet support computing of nearly all currencies of the world. You can choose any of them, but be sure to update exchange rates via the nearest Internet spot. The app automatically renews this data several times a day to provide precise calculations.
Wunderlist
This app is another convenient free tool for making notes and to-do lists. It’s not as heaped as Trello, though it also allows creating records for private use and teams of remote workers. Trello separates all tasks in categories for quick access.
At the very first launch, Wunderlist offers such categories, as work, family, movies, travel, groceries, and inbox. You can also create unlimited category folders yourself and fill them with lists.
Wunderlist to-do lists are not very good for long-term perspective planning. They are more suitable for those digital nomads who have many tasks to do as soon as possible.
They are also good for sharing lists with teams. For example, you have to conduct research with 2 assistants. Create a list of all tasks with names in front of them and send it to them to track the progress status in a single note.
Wunderlist basic version also allows commenting upon particular tasks and lists. Collaborators can do it from any compatible OS, such as iOS, Android, Fire OS, Chrome OS, Windows, and OS X. Adjustable notifications are also available for Apple Watch.
Invoice Home
As a digital nomad working online you need to create invoices, be it for your freelance gigs, one-time clients, or online business. Invoice Home is an invoice app generator that allows you to quickly create an invoice, email it and get paid in seconds by card or PayPal.
The app is available in both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and it goes together with 100 free invoice templates.
An invoice generator like that means your business is protected, you can keep your invoices with you wherever you go, and payments are faster and more accurate.
The Bottom Line
Being a digital nomad means to have more freedom. Freedom is the amount of free time that you can spend on yourself and your family.
No matter what you are, these applications proved to be excellent time-savers in office and on the go. Use them, do more in shorter terms, and have fun living the life!
About The Author
July is an enthusiast of mobile technologies. She prefers working on her articles for ToBeProductive.com from different locations all the time. That’s why she has significant experience in remote work during faraway journeys.
