> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://mwanjajoel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Productivity Apps I use #QuarantineEdition
- URL: https://mwanjajoel.com/productivity-apps-i-use-quarantinecontent/
- Published: 2020-05-23T06:42:28.000Z
- Updated: 2020-09-02T14:00:36.000Z
- Description: These apps have enabled me stay productive even during the quarantine time of 2020. They are in no particular order of importance.
- Author: Mwanja Joel
- Tags: Technology, Business, #Import 2026-09-22 14:25

These apps have enabled me stay productive even during the quarantine time of 2020\. They are in no particular order of importance. 

TL:DR(Too Long: Didn't Read): Slack, Telegram, Zoom, Notion, Trello, FreeConferenceCall, Spark Mail, Canva, IINA. 

## Slack

[Slack](https://slack.com/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) is what I call "WhatsApp for teams". Its the go between work and some fun, depending on how you use it and your team members. Slack has groups called channels, one on one chat spaces, ability to add bots (little programs that run inside another program specifically for automation of tasks)

[Slack - Apps on Google PlaySlack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a large enterprise or a small business. Check off your to-do list and move your projects forward by bringing the right people, conversations, tools, and information you need together…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlaySlack Technologies Inc.![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VfpdFf3jaMj51B84gO8yiOtlp9ezTU0ByQ9UK6SIEvAiv5NDOgy7DYRzgbpCnETnX6s)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Slack&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Slack android app link

[‎SlackSlack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a large enterprise or a small business. Check off your to-do list and move your projects forward by bringing the right people, conversations, tools, and information you need together…App StoreSlack Technologies, Inc.![](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple123/v4/46/9b/98/469b9889-9c66-7a7d-b27d-b5a4a5803b0c/AppIcon-0-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-0-0-7-0-0-sRGB-0-0-0-GLES2_U002c0-512MB-85-220-0-0.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slack/id618783545?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Slack iOS app link

[Where work happensSlack is where work flows. It’s where the people you need, the information you share, and the tools you use come together to get things done.![](https://a.slack-edge.com/80588/marketing/img/meta/favicon-32.png)SlackSlack![](https://a.slack-edge.com/80588/marketing/img/meta/slack_hash_256.png)](https://slack.com/?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Slack for Web

I use slack for keeping tabs on the different activities going on in different teams. These include server notifications, code changes and pushes, scheduled calendar events, tasks to be done and those completed, news (yes I use an awesome RSS Bot to fetch the news for me in slack), Google drive files that have been shared with me, team discussions on ongoing projects and link sharing and storage. 

If you are the kind who is on more than one team and want to keep tabs on things going on across those teams, I recommend Slack as a must have productivity tool.

## Telegram

[Telegram](https://telegram.org/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) is basically a WhatsApp alternative. They ushered in a new era of messaging with lots of features that make WhatsApp so boring 🤦🏾‍♂️. It can be accessed on the web, desktop and mobile and your chat history is stored in the cloud thus rendering the "I lost my chats" excuse obsolete. 

[‎Telegram MessengerPure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices. Over 400 million active users. FAST: Telegram is the fastest messaging app on the market, connecting people via a unique, distributed network of data centers around the globe. SYNCED: You can access your messages fr…App StoreTelegram FZ-LLC![](https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple113/v4/3e/bf/2f/3ebf2f37-37b4-003c-2fe8-f163d9001cae/AppIconLLC-0-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-0-0-7-0-0-85-220.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Telegram iOS app link

[Telegram - Apps on Google PlayPure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices. Over 400 million active users. FAST: Telegram is the fastest messaging app on the market, connecting people via a unique, distributed network of data centers around the globe. SYNCED: You can access your messages fr…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayTelegram FZ-LLC![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pgiel6OzR01do2sPxONlteJ5_GAwD6W-JpiF98hdns3XinShKZkziUd1B8sG-8qa)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Telegram android app link

[Telegram WebWelcome to the Web application of Telegram messenger. See https://github.com/zhukov/webogram for more info.![](https://web.telegram.org/img/iphone_home120.png)Telegram Web![](https://web.telegram.org/img/logo_share.png)](https://web.telegram.org/?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Telegram for Web

I use telegram for mainly creating and testing bots(I am a techie, remember?) but aside from that, I use it for keeping sending large files as telegram supports file uploads of up to 1.5GB at the time of writing this article. I usually send large files to my friends and colleagues and these include movies, software installers, video tutorials, document files, Android app APKs etc. 

Telegram has certain features that I find very interesting eg its extensive support for bots ( the little programs I talked about earlier), a group having up to 5000 members 🔥 at the time of writing, secret chats (basically messages that disappear after a time you have set) and the ability to chat from whichever device you have whether a tablet, laptop, smartphone etc but telegram does not support Smart TVs...yet. 

## Zoom

Let me first admit that I had heard of [Zoom](https://zoom.us/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) but I did not take it seriously until quarantine came around. The simple reason for this is that I was used to Skype and on some rare occasion Google Hangouts now renamed to Google Meet. It took just a day for me to realize Zoom had zoomed (pun intended) out of the blue as everyone in my circles was talking about it, so I checked it out and I must say am impressed so far. 

[ZOOM Cloud Meetings - Apps on Google PlayStay connected wherever you go – start or join a 100-person meeting with crystal-clear, face-to-face video, high quality screen sharing, and instant messaging – for free! Award winning Zoom brings video conferencing, online meetings and group messaging into one easy-to-use application. Zoom is u…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google Playzoom.us![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3xA8F0tl3EzQl4-FpLVV3dhd8uqbqHNM76zs9FamH63X6h83n4ryX82qFm_mpSCjOa-y)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.zoom.videomeetings&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Zoom android app link

[‎ZOOM Cloud MeetingsStay connected wherever you go – start or join a meeting with flawless video, crystal clear audio, instant screen sharing, and cross-platform instant messaging – for free! Zoom is #1 in customer satisfaction and the best meeting experience on mobile. It’s super easy! Install the free Zoom app, cl…App StoreZoom![](https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple123/v4/b1/b3/a4/b1b3a485-aef3-412f-805f-9ba5a462a63f/AppIcon-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-0-85-220-9.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zoom-cloud-meetings/id546505307?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Zoom iOS app link

You might be already familiar with Zoom but I only use it for online meetings, preferably audio since I am not a fan of video meetings 🤷🏽‍♂️ nothing less nothing more. The main key points for using Zoom apart from the quarantine attention it got is the simple interface, ability to use it even without an account, performance over slower networks, automatic meeting recording when you are the host and the cool power shortcut of temporarily unmuting yourself by pressing the space bar. 

## Notion

Notion is that cool app your friends told you about that you might not yet have tried. Its an awesome mix of a task manager (like Trello), personal diary, book-marker, note-sharing-for-presentations kind of app. You get the idea, right? 🤔. Notion is available on the web, desktop as well as an app on Android and iOS. 

[Notion - Notes, Tasks, Wikis - Apps on Google PlayNotion is a new editor that blends notes, tasks, wikis in one app. DRAG, DROP, EDIT Use drag & drop and Force Touch to arrange any content. Great for prioritizing lists and to-dos. RICH MEDIA Supports images, to-dos, bookmarks, code snippets and 20+ block types. SYNC WITH MAC, WINDOWS, AND BROWS…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayNotion Labs, Inc.![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ry27Dofm9gwl8yh6MiBceZ7fDza2PTjymRXaKWhXlhLn4AIw5MBdm7vQkZQxNFhIFls)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=notion.id&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Notion android app link

[‎Notion - Notes, projects, docsNotion is the all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. \*\* Apple App of the Day \*\* \*\* WSJ columnist reviews: “a rare renaissance app,” “I used to need five separate apps... now it’s all in Notion” \*\*A Product Hunt favorite with 3k+ up-votes. It’s the perfect pairing to the d…App StoreNotion Labs, Incorporated![](https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple123/v4/d8/86/0c/d8860c1b-16e0-567d-2a5e-adac07568626/AppIconProd-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-10-0-0-85-220.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notion-notes-projects-docs/id1232780281?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Notion iOS app link

[Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.A new tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It’s the all-in-one workspace for you and your team![](https://notion.so/images/logo-ios.png)Notion![](https://www.notion.so/images/meta/default.png)](https://notion.so/?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Notion for the Web

Notion has a very simple interface but with many powerful features that you need to check out for yourself. I use Notion for keeping ahead of my personal tasks like writing blog posts, saving interesting links in a beautiful way, sharing meeting minutes that can be instantly updated by the collaborators whether on the web or app. This app helps me keep up with whatever schedule I have and from anywhere I am. Did I tell you that the app has this seamless way of syncing data? Okay well I just did. Aside from the work related thins 

## Trello

Trello is a simple task management platform for both individuals and teams. The app uses a style of task management called [KanBan](https://www.atlassian.com/agile/kanban?ref=mwanjajoel.com), which is a workflow management method designed to visualize the entire task list. Trello has an interesting feature called [Power Ups](https://trello.com/power-ups?ref=mwanjajoel.com) which is basically a plugin system that enables Trello connect to your calendar, slack and other applications. Trello is available on the web, desktop and as an app on Android and iOS. 

[Trello: Organize anything with anyone, anywhere! - Apps on Google PlayTrello is a visual tool for organizing your work and life. Join more than 35 million registered users to organize all your projects at work, at home, or anywhere in between. Whether you’re planning a website design project, vacation, or company off-site, Trello is infinitely customizable and flexib…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayTrello, Inc.![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TJjU3U7al-IhBi1PMP9YSh5oogw4JMFibe6c8vPVlaQBzu5CsqAYoYoWilUw3NDM5g)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trello&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Trello android app link

[‎Trello: organize anything!Organize anything with anyone—for free! Trello is a visual tool for organizing your work and life. Join more than 35 million registered users to organize all your projects at work, at home, or anywhere in between. Whether you’re planning a website design project, vacation, or company off-site, Tre…App StoreTrello, Inc.![](https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple123/v4/11/a1/31/11a13102-077d-a9f5-ce8e-10a2fa8af0bd/AppIcon-0-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-0-0-7-0-0-sRGB-0-0-0-GLES2_U002c0-512MB-85-220-0-0.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trello-organize-anything/id461504587?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Trello iOS app link

[TrelloInfinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It’s free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.Google![](https://d2k1ftgv7pobq7.cloudfront.net/meta/p/res/images/99b9fe5eef1924ee2fe0306b5cdd6541/home-preview.jpg)](https://trello.com/?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Trello for Web

I use Trello to keep the ever changing landscape of my work in balance. This app helps me prioritize my day so as to eliminate issues of burn out because, I believe work-life balance is important. You can use templates to layout your tasks on a kanban board, add comments to a given task, invite other members to collaborate with, add members to a specific task, set due dates, add attachments etc. Yeah, its task and workflow management 101\. 

## FreeConferenceCall

[Free Conference call](https://www.freeconferencecall.com/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) is a Zoom alternative that is quite simple to use but has been around for sometime. I first discovered this application while serving in church as many people were using it for mainly online prayer meetings. This simple but robust application has a generous free tier and also has a dial-in option which I have honestly never used. 

[Free Conference Call - Apps on Google PlayThe FreeConferenceCall.com app makes it simple to host HD audio conference calls with video conferencing and screen sharing. This award-winning audio + video conferencing tool lets you host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 1,000 participants per meeting. You also get screen sharing, inter…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayFreeConferenceCall.com![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lhlmuOsHFLjInom-8KczvqZ5VVzTVBerMI5AkS0RaEPRax2X9prJAp8mX588pzUwTR0)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freeconferencecall.fccmeetingclient&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Free Conference Call Android App Link

[‎Free Conference CallThe FreeConferenceCall.com app makes it simple to host HD audio conference calls with video conferencing and screen sharing. This award-winning audio + video conferencing tool lets you host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 1,000 participants per meeting. You also get screen sharing, inte…App StoreCarrierX LLC![](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple113/v4/5f/a1/42/5fa142f4-ad02-55a0-8180-3d9d9dc9c3f4/AppIcon-0-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-0-0-7-0-0-85-220.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/free-conference-call/id1076834814?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Free Conference Call iOS App Link

I use FreeConferenceCall for majorly hosting online prayer meetings at my local church as well as attending other prayer meetings in the same church. My use of FreeConferenceCall increased drastically in this quarantine season. FreeConferenceCall has a desktop application and a mobile application available on both Android and iOS though I have not used their mobile app....yet. 

## Spark Mail

Spark mail is a mail client that helps you love email again. I discovered this email client 2 years ago after being frustrated with the former options I had. This email client keeps up with my day and auto arranges emails in a way that helps me read the important ones in the moment and read the other things like newsletters when the work day is done. Its available on Android, iOS and Mac platforms currently. 

[Spark – Email App by Readdle - Apps on Google PlaySpark brings the great email experience for professionals and their teams. Effortless, beautiful and collaborative. 🚀 “It’s a combination of polish, simplicity, and depth” – FastCompany “You can create an email experience that works for you” – TechCrunch “Spark is a fast, smart way to manage your …![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayReaddle Inc.![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/trF95QR3S7GHyeInBIOdlgCEwLymo6V47sIumTio06KmkDXnZ749VO_5uvls-k-kyQ)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.readdle.spark&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Spark mail android app link

[‎Spark - Email App by ReaddleSpark brings the best email experience for professionals and their teams. Effortless, beautiful and collaborative. “Best of the App Store” - Apple “It’s a combination of polish, simplicity, and depth” - FastCompany “You can create an email experience that works for you” - TechCrunch \*\*Beautiful an…App StoreReaddle Inc.![](https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple113/v4/b3/96/db/b396db12-590d-9d51-84d4-51df7dcc5975/AppIcon-0-1x_U007emarketing-0-7-0-0-85-220.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spark-email-app-by-readdle/id997102246?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Spark mail iOS app link

[‎Spark - Email App by ReaddleSpark is the best personal email client and a revolutionary email for teams. You will love your email again! “Best of the App Store” - Apple “It’s a combination of polish, simplicity, and depth” - FastCompany “You can create an email experience that works for you” - TechCrunch \*\*Beautiful and Int…Mac App StoreReaddle Inc.![](https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple123/v4/e6/cf/cb/e6cfcbc2-0275-7386-a59f-b871a2fbc5dd/AppIcon-0-85-220-0-4-2x.png/1200x630bb.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spark-email-app-by-readdle/id1176895641?mt=12&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Spark mail for Mac

Spark has this cool feature of commenting on emails sent and these comments are only visible by your team members. This is one of those features that made me adopt Spark mail as my standard email client. It's just amazing to discuss an email with your team mates before sending it out. The other feature is the ability to draft a single email with your teammates. This is basically a blend of Google Docs and Gmail and its such an awesome feature, you need to try it out yourself. 

## Canva 

[Canva](https://www.canva.com/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) is my go to place for quick and easy creative design work I need for different things especially social media presence for my teams. I discovered and began using Canva about 2 years ago when I was looking to make a simple graphic for one of my teams and I needed it real fast. I highly recommend Canva especially for those of you who are not into graphic design but need something simple and neat for the occasion. 

[Canva: Graphic Design, Video, Invite & Logo Maker - Apps on Google PlayCanva makes design and video editing amazingly simple (and fun)! 🙌 Create stunning Christmas cards, Holiday wallpapers, and New Year greetings with your photos and videos—even if you’re not a design expert! A versatile free graphic design app: full editor, Instagram story maker, video maker, video…![](https://www.gstatic.com/android/market_images/web/favicon_v2.ico)Apps on Google PlayCanva![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vR81aVaGtNxhvtsxk7XdHqVVG0kdkvDKFD7YsGb1ZR6ZQACANPt8cyPImx9_8WqOVoWu)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.canva.editor&hl=en&ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Canva App Android Link

[‎Canva: Graphic Design & VideoCanva makes design amazingly simple (and fun)! Create stunning designs with your photos and videos—even if you’re not a design expert! Whether you need an Instagram story, logo maker, or birthday invitation—create all these graphic design needs and more on Canva. Available on your iPhone, iPad, and…App StoreCanva![](https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple113/v4/c8/f0/e8/c8f0e863-a471-3721-3511-e823491edd62/AppIcon-1x_U007emarketing-0-7-0-0-85-220.png/1200x630wa.png)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canva-graphic-design-video/id897446215?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

Canva App iOS Link

I have not used all of Canva's features since it's just my go to tool for quick and easy neat graphics for an occasion especially the Internationally celebrated days like Mother's day. Canva has lots of templated creative design "snippets" in different categories and I believe its aimed at creative design for the rest of us. You can quickly make posters, logos, Instagram posts, Facebook posts, Flyers, Book covers etc. 

## IINA

First of all, delete VLC player from your Mac computer 😒 then install [IINA](https://iina.io/?ref=mwanjajoel.com) .Well, apart from the pronounciation issues with the name, IINA is a futuristic media player for Mac period. Unfortunately its not available for Windows PCs yet but for those who are curious, the player is completely free and [open source](https://github.com/iina/iina?ref=mwanjajoel.com) (meaning the code is actually available for free). I use IINA to keep me engaged on Youtube while allowing me to work, basically never missing a thing. 

[https://iina.io/](https://iina.io/?ref=mwanjajoel.com)

The sleek interface, automatic playlist loading, awesome touch bar feel for those who have touch bar enabled Mac computers, automatic play resuming, automatic subtitle detection and downloading, Picture-in-Picture, Force Touch support, Stand alone music mode for audio files etc etc. If you have a Mac computer, I think IINA is a worthy media player, well at least for me.