5 Apps to Improve Work Productivity

We all want more time. Time to finish our work, handle tedious errands and check off items from our ever expanding to-do lists. The problem is, the day's not getting any longer and our responsibilities seem to never stop growing.

The only thing we can do to work more efficiently is to know some very helpful shortcuts and pro tips. And whether you're working form home or remotely, there's a cheat sheet — so to speak — for any setting.

When it comes to apps to help along the way, take a peek at these tools to assist you in everything from remembering important data, scheduling meetings, handling payroll and even virtual assisting:

1. Evernote: Remember everything. While you probably can't remember what you ate for lunch, this free service stores all of your notes, ideas, plans and photos in one easy-to-access platform. More right-brained? It even let's you draw, with its skitch tool. It's really simple how helpful this tool is: Store anything, acces it anywhere. Not enough for you? Well, the year-old business version of the app features all of that on a scale big enough for a whole company to use. And for all you security-heads out there, two-factor authorization is coming soon, so you can feel safe about where your data is stored.
   
   
2. GoToMeeting: Host unlimited meetings, webinars or training from your iPad, iPhone or Android device. You can even share documents and your screen, and if you have a webcam, face time, too. Meetings hold up to 25 attendees and no matter your location this service offers conference calls from anywhere with an Internet connection. It's not free, but at as little as $49 per month or $468 per year, it might just be a worthwhile investment if you're looking for an upgrade from Skype.
   
   
3. Cloudon: This iOS and Android app is a free cloud experience that basically gives you the power of Microsoft Office, Excel and PowerPoint to create and edit files on your tablet or smartphone. You can also access files you already keep in the cloud with Box, DropBox, Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive. This is a one-stop hub to create, manage and share your work with employees.
   
   
4. Expensify: Remember those god-awful TPS reports from Office Space? That experience was so painful for the characters in the film that they ended up going AWOL on their jobs. Expense reports suck, so meet an app that makes that process sail a whole lot more smoothly. The software imports any bank or credit card statement, billable items like gas mileage and time, and neatly organizes expenses with custom categories and tags. You can even import receipts from services like Evernote. And the best part of this expensing service? It's not expensive. It's free and available on the iPhone, iPad, Windows Phones and even BlackBerry.
   
   
5. Dragon Mobile Assistant: Everyone wants an assistant, but most can't afford the expense. But a free assistant, with you at all times on your iPhone or Android device? Yes, please. The service is voice-directed dictation wherein you speak to text, make calls, schedule appointments, search or update social media accounts. And just like a real-life assistant, you can customize this tool with a name that, when called (or yelled), wakes the dragon. But fear not, Game of Thrones lovers, in this case, it's a very good thing.