by Caryl Teh

We can’t rally our whole team in the same physical space, but maximum efficiency with minimum fuss is still possible thanks to the wonders of technology. So here are some platforms to help you achieve just that.

1. Google docs

Purpose: allow multiple people to work on the same document at the same time.
Other benefits:

• You can get real-time comments and suggestions from as many collaborators as you need.
• Stylish templates.
• Email-invites to grant easy access to other collaborators.
• Mobile access.
• (my personal favourite) offline editing so you can keep working even when there’s no internet connection! 
• Robust permission settings make sharing private and public information a breeze.

2. Confluence

Purpose: gives your team an organised digital workspace that they can go to, to fact check.

• Confluence is a space to share company-wide announcements, updates, and actionable meeting notes. All this makes it easy to kickstart participation within a flexible workspace.

3. Slack

Purpose: to send a quick update, ask a one-off question, or share a stress-relieving video of that adorable pupper.
Other benefits: 

• It’s less disruptive than a video call, and easier to surface than an email. 
• Slack has a great organisation labelling system to help you keep work and play conversations separate and easy to find. 
• This also allows you and your teammates to answer at the best time for them.  

4. Zoom

Purpose: video and voice calls (especially to brainstorm, check-in, build team spirit, or give constructive feedback that might be mistaken for being argumentative if just done over text).
Other benefits:

• Screen-sharing in real-time.
• Change your background!
• Free for up to 100 people on the same call.
• Keep track of everyone on a gallery view.

5. Dropbox

Purpose: share files or presentations in a secure way.
Other benefits: 

• Don’t need to worry about losing that tiny USB stick. 
• It’s easy to organise so you spend less time searching for the latest version of that file, and more time focused on actually producing great work.

6. InVision

Purpose: for nailing details in visual collaboration.
Other benefits: 

• Real-time feedback and commenting.
• Digital whiteboard for brainstorming, syncing, presenting, and screen sharing.

7. Trello

Purpose: manage and keep track of your projects, people and tools.
Other benefits: 

• Calendar views.
• Custom fields.
• Connect apps to different tools (eg. all the tools we mention here).

8. Headspace

Purpose: a meditation and healthy living app for when you need to step away.
Other benefits: 

• It’s still important to look after your mental health. 
• Headspace is a tool that aims to reduce stress, improve mindfulness and save you from burnout. If you’re the type who associated home with a place of relaxation but are now faced with the dilemma of having to work from home, this tool could be especially helpful to help you step away from your home-work-station without stepping out of your home.

If you like what you just read, check out parts 1 and 2 if you haven’t yet!

Source:
https://blog.trello.com/tools-for-remote-work-success-infographic