In this post, I want to share with you five free utility tools to stay productive at work. These tools can help you organize your desktop and manage your workflow, thereby increasing your efficiency.
I know that several free software apps are out there but the ones mentioned hereunder are available directly from their developers and they provide updates or support for these apps. So let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
How to Clean a Cluttered Desktop
Is your desktop cluttered? How would you feel if you could arrange all your scattered icons segment-wise in separate placeholders? You may say this isn’t difficult– I can put all my icons into separate folders and name them to identify the segments.
Well! in that case, you would have to double-click to open every folder and close them manually every time you access a file or a sub-folder.
I am sure many of you have heard about Fences, from Stardock.
This utility tool allows you to segregate your desktop icons in sectioned areas for easy access whenever you want while leaving your desktop clean and beautiful. Double-click and you will have a clean desktop.
Fences’ is a fantastic stable app. However, if you want it, you have to buy it. You can check it here.
However, there are two free alternatives to Fences
iTop Easy Desktop
A free product from one of the pioneers in antivirus software, Bit-defender. I have used this version of iTop Easy Desktop and found that though it is not as responsive as Fences, it gets the job done.
Nimi Places
This application comes with many features built-in like note-taking, generating thumbnails,
labels, themes, etc. If you prefer many functionalities in one app you can opt in for Nimi Places.
How to Manage Multiple Open Folders
There is another app from Stardock, it is called Groupy. This application groups all open folders into a tab format, just like a browser. You will experience accessing open folders like shifting between tabs in a browser.
This utility tool helps to navigate through many open folders without any hassle, fluidly. Naturally, just like Fences, Groupy also comes against a one-time fee.
Though not similar in functionality, there are a few free alternatives to Groupy.
Clover
Clover works as an extension of Windows Explorer with a multi-tab functionality. With this application, you can also add folder bookmarks.
Tidy Tabs
With the free version of Tidy Tabs, you can customize tab appearance, auto-hide tabs, and receive automatic updates.
Tablacus Explorer
A lightweight open-source app on this list is Tablacus Explorer which comes with Add-On support in various categories.
How to Run Multiple Apps
BetterDesktop Tool
Now that you have an uncluttered desktop, you can install the virtual desktop software called the BetterDesktop Tool.
This utility tool is free for personal use. It will allow you to run separate applications on more than one virtual desktop, which it will create on your PC. This functionality allows you to separate your workspace while keeping many applications open, all at the same time. If you have an old PC with low configuration, this app will definitely come as a relief.
You can have a Word and spreadsheet document open on one desktop and the YouTube application playing a melody open on the other desktop. A clean and uncrowded desktop will help you gain more focus at work. You can get this utility here.
How to Remember Your Tasks
Zoho Notebook
Another app in this list is a note-taking app called “Zoho Notebook.” There are many other standalone note-taking apps but the free version of Zoho Notebook is quite feature-rich and sets itself apart from the rest. Apart from daily notes, to-do lists, schedules, calendars, and website bookmarks it works seamlessly on multiple devices (PC, Tab and Mobile).
You can have this utility tool simultaneously on your mobile device and desktop and access it from anywhere. Don’t forget to add the Chrome extension to your desktop. This extension contains the web clipper, which allows you to extract text from any website for future reference.
How to Manage Your Workspace
Notion
The last free utility application in this list is the robust “Notion.”
This all-in-one AI integrated workspace tool can help you customize your own workspace in the form of building blocks. You can plan, execute and monitor your projects, collaborate with your team and track progress, and also integrate other apps.
You can also build a blog, take notes, and set schedules. This robust platform has a plethora of features, you can use according to your needs. There is a small learning curve associated with using Notion to your advantage.
I haven’t crossed this hurdle yet so I’ll stop here. However you can use Notion for free.
A Bonus Tip
Whenever we visit the internet, we tend to type in the full URL or at least the name part of a website and press (Ctrl + Enter) to fill in the rest. The following process comes in handy if you visit some common websites frequently.
You can create icons as shortcuts for your favorite websites. By clicking the three dots on the top right-hand corner of your browser, go to “More tools” in the drop-down list. Here, click the “Create shortcut…” in the sub-list.
Voilà, an icon of that website, is now on your desktop. The next time you want to visit this website, just double-click the icon, and it will lead you to your desired webpage.
Conclusion
All of these free tools are lightweight and consume very few resources on your PC. I am hopeful these tools will help you to become more productive at work and save you time.
There are many similar tools, but after using some, I have found the above free utility tools to be more user-friendly and versatile. If you know about similar free tools, share them with our readers in the comments. It will definitely benefit somebody out here.
