Guide on Choosing Useful Productivity Tools for Creatives
- Adilla
- Jul 4
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 11
The idea of organisation combined with creative work seems like a bad idea on its way to chaos. But actually, creativity and structure could benefit you more than you think. Have you ever felt a loss of what to do or overwhelmed by the numerous tasks you have to fulfil in a given week?
With a bit of structure and housekeeping, you’ll notice that your productivity levels improve. However, you can’t just use any productivity or project management tools to organise your projects. ‘Traditional’ apps for productivity don’t suit the creative chaos of their work. That’s where creative productivity tools come in.
So, here’s an in-depth guide on project management tools for creative minds.
Table of Contents
What Are Creative Productivity Tools?
Creative productivity tools are tools that have the features of a ‘traditional’ project management with modules that aim to boost creative productivity. They are built to fit the needs of a creative project and creatives.
However, not all productivity tools out there fulfil the needs of a creative project. So, is there a best productivity tool for creatives? There are a few types we listed out below that you can look into that could best fit your projects.
Why Do Creatives Need Specialised Tools?
As mentioned previously, ‘traditional’ productivity tools aren’t made with the flexibility that creatives need when it comes to project management and organisation as a whole. Not only that, but they also need those tools to have features where they can collaborate and share their creative processes for documentation.
With these features, they’ll be able to streamline their creative workflows, manage projects better, and improve collaboration along with creative ideas.
Strategies and Tips on Choosing the Right Tools for Your Team
So, before going through the creative tools that you want to try, there are some things you should do first.
Key Features to Look For: Flexibility and Customisation
Does your team require extra flexibility when it comes to structuring and organising your projects? If it does, customisation should be a key feature to look for.
Visual Project Tracking Type
Would a visual view of your project timeline benefit you more? Does it need to be a simplified version of the timeline, or would you prefer a more detailed version?
Easy Collaboration
If collaboration is important for your creative teams, check if the tool has real-time collaboration or is accessible to all devices. This will benefit remote or hybrid teams well.
File Sharing and Feedback Integration
Does their storage for file sharing have ample space, or is expansion possible? When the files are shared, is adding feedback a feature in the tool for easy comments and reviews?
Integration With Other Creative Software
Is there integration with other creative software so that the workflow would be streamlined across all platforms?
Tools Provided in Free Versus Paid
Not all tools on the market are free or require full payment to use them. So, look into the budget of your team and what tools are essential in the paid version of the software.
Step-by-Step of What to Prioritise in A Creative Productivity Tool
Now that you know the key features in creative productivity tools to check, what are the needs of your creative projects?
Identify Your Main Challenges First
What are the main issues of your projects? Is task tracking a main concern for you or a clear view of the objectives of the project?
Use Free Trials Before Committing
Take the time to try out the free trials of each software or app for productivity. User interface could be a driving factor for creatives when it comes to productivity or project management software, as they would be more inclined to choose something that is more visually pleasing.
Start Out or Stick With A Few Tools
When committing to creative productivity tools, it is better to stick to a few rather than many, which leads to our section on what to avoid when choosing either paid or free tools.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Creative Productivity Tools
Now that you have the needs and requirements that you would need in your tool or apps for productivity, keep in mind what you should avoid doing when committing to your newly adopted tools.
Too Many Tools
As tempting as it is to try as many tools as you want to keep track of everything, it could do you more harm than good. Switching apps not only wastes your time but also spreads out information, increasing the chance of forgetting where you placed certain details.
Only Using the Tool Once
When starting out with a new creative productivity tool, it can be hard to integrate it into your daily schedule. So, it is not uncommon for people to forget that they have a creative tool they need to use as they perform their tasks. Start out with a small goal of using the tools for a few minutes a day or even starting your workday with it.
Aiming For Perfection
Planning and organising can be fun (especially decorating your planner), but remember, you do have actual work to do other than just the organising bit. So, start with just a simple list of to-dos and deadlines before slowly adding more to it.
Not Trying to Find What Works for You
As previously mentioned, it would be tempting to try everything, but once you find what works for you, stick to it. If you still haven’t found what works for you, do a checklist of what you like in your subscribed tools so you can do a process of elimination of the pros.
Ignoring The Final Step of Reviewing or Reflecting
Tracking and planning your tasks are good and all but remember that you do need to review and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. When it did, can it be improved further? If it didn’t, should you switch to other creative productivity tools?
5 Types of Creative Productivity Tools You Can Consider
There are several types of tools or apps for productivity, specialised for different purposes. We categorised and listed a few for you to get familiar with their purposes.
1. Collaboration and Communication Tools
One of the main things that a creative productivity tool needs to have is a space not just for communication but also for collaboration with the team. Here are a few tools you can try:
1. LucidChart
This is a cloud-based graphic software that creates a wide range of design tools and features. It has real-time collaboration, so the team won’t have to take turns when adding to a design.
2. FigJam
A collaborative whiteboard that allows creative teams to brainstorm and plan virtually in real time. It offers a range of features that can help with design processes.
3. Google Workspace
For teams on a limited budget, it may not be fully integrated for a creative team, but with its accessibility, it’s a choice for teams learning how to collaborate virtually.
2. Project Management Tools
As I mentioned previously, traditional project management tools would not work with the unpredictability of a creative project, so there’s a difference in how creative PM would lead creatives. So, here are some paid and free project management software that can help creatives:
nTask
This project management software can keep your team in sync with its ability to track task progress and status. Creative leaders can plan projects and manage their team’s tasks.
2. Birdview
Project management software that can assist with work efficiency, as teams can gain visibility into all projects. This visibility helps teams understand their workload and capacity, ensuring they have transparent expectations regarding their tasks.
3. GanttPro
For leaders who are familiar with the Gantt chart and want to utilise it with a creative team. What makes this different from a traditional Gantt chart is that collaboration is possible, and task management is also implemented in this tool.
3. Productivity and Focus Tools
We are all victims of distraction and bite-sized entertainments that could break our focus. So, here are productivity and focus tools that keep you staying on track with your creative tasks:
Freedom
This tool is able to block not only applications but also websites to help increase productivity. It also comes with synchronisation across Windows, iPhone, Mac or iPad.
2. Forest
If you want to be productive and contribute to the environment, this app for productivity would be for you. You plant a tree as you begin your focus. When you pick up your phone without fulfilling the focused time, the plant stops growing. So, for every plant that has successfully been planted and grown, a real tree will be planted by the organisation.
3. Brain.fm
If you’re the type to zone into work with music, this app for productivity would be for you. It focuses on music that helps with brain stimulation, which is certified by auditory neuroscientists.
4. Feedback and Review Tools
Centralising your feedback and reviews is important so you can check them with ease when fixing and updating your work.
Proofhub
A proofing software that assists in streamlining graphic design review and feedback. They have features where you can attach visual files to be evaluated by your teammate by adding them to the task.
2. Pastel
A lightweight software that can collaborate and give feedback. It allows users to share websites and even visual files while giving contextual feedback.
3. Filestage
This software helps streamline feedback and files that require approval. This tool allows a team to invite even external approvals (like stakeholders and clients) to review their work.
5. Time Management Tools
This would be essential for remote creative teams that are working in a different time zone to help leaders better track their work progress and match the project’s deadline.
1. Everhour
This tool helps you stay in sync with the estimated project timeline so you can stay on track with your progress.
2.Harvest
Accessible software that you can use on the web, so using just your phone is possible. It can even give insights into the project with a report set in the tool.
3. Paymo
A tool that allows you to assess your team’s performance and optimise it more effectively. This will help categorise the time entries of your team, giving detailed reports for project leaders
Looking for an All-in-One Creative Productivity Tool? TESSR Might Be Your Answer
If you’re wondering if there is an app that has all of these productivity tools in one space, TESSR can do all that. Not to sound like a '90s commercial, but our free project management software is made with creatives in mind. We know how unpredictable it can get throughout a creative project. Don’t take our word for it; try it yourself!
How These Productivity Tools Can Help Creatives Prevent Burnout
The mental load of clutter can be paralysing, even if it's just digital clutter. This could affect the creatives' mental energy to produce their work. Reducing the time of guessing what to do next and the chaos of tracking your files and documents for reviews and feedback will help promote a better and healthier workflow.
Conclusion
Organising and planning can be overwhelming starting out, but once you find the right productivity tools, your creative projects will run smoother and are less likely to be a creative chaos.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there somewhere I can read why a lack of project management could affect creative projects?
We do have just that here in our blogs! We hope that it encourages you to implement project management in your work.
As a freelance studio, should I hire a project manager, or can I do this on my own?
While it is good to have a professional to help you, if it's not within your budget, we do have a guide that could help you get started!
How do I know if I’m not micromanaging my team?
We have written a blog on how to best identify if you are or are not micromanaging. All the best!
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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