Productivity is never an accident. It's about staying committed to doing great work, planning smart, and putting in the effort.

And that can be a lot to handle but luckily, there are tons of productivity tools out there that streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and drive success.

But with so many choices, how do you pick the right ones for your small business?

In this blog post, we’ll share the 11 best productivity tools for small businesses that we think are game changers.

These are the tools we’ve found to be the most useful for the different needs any small business may have.

These tools are incredibly useful for all kinds of tasks— whether it’s task management, building out workspaces and databases, collaborating with your team, creating content for social media and websites, sending business proposals, or finding and keeping new leads .

Alright, let’s jump in!

Summary of tools:

Alright, that’s a lot of information, so let me quickly summarize everything you need to know.

1) Asana

Asana is powerful task management software designed to boost productivity and simplify task management for everyone involved.

Essentially, Asana reduces the time spent on emails, meetings, and juggling tasks.

For example, teams can create and assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress—all in one centralized platform. This cuts down on those long email chains or unnecessary meetings just to check on project updates.

Asana also promotes transparency by allowing everyone involved to see the status of each task. This not only saves time but also improves communication among team members.

If you’ve been working online for a while, then you’ll know how important this is. I’ve been working online for nine years, and I can’t stress enough how important it is to avoid  unnecessary meetings.

There have been plenty of times when I’ve sat through meetings that honestly could’ve been handled with an email, or a quick Slack message.

So, who is Asana for?

Well, Asana is perfect for teams and solopreneurs who want to streamline their workflows, as well as small businesses looking to grow and manage their tasks more effectively.

I've been using Asana for a couple of years now to track my personal projects, create to-do lists, and work on my content. It's a fantastic tool—definitely worth checking out.

2) Notion

Notion is a versatile workspace that acts as a one-stop solution for all your work-related needs. You can create everything from notes and to-do lists to knowledge bases and complex databases.

What I love most about Notion is how customizable it is—you can structure your workspace to fit  your unique workflow.

Whether you want to nest pages and subpages or link elements together, Notion makes it easy. 

I've used Notion for all sorts of  things, like creating content calendars, managing to-do lists, preparing content calendars for clients, building an internal database of clients and prospects, and so much more.

I’m a big fan of  Notion—it’s amazing. Definitely check it out!

3) Focus@Will

Focus@Will is a service that provides scientifically optimized music to boost your productivity and concentration.

It offers subtle, non-distracting background music that drowns out external distractions, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your tasks.

What’s really interesting about Focus@Will is how their music helps people enter a focused state within just 20 minutes of listening. Once you’re in the zone, you can  maintain that heightened concentration level for up to 200 minutes—that’s just over 3 hours.

One thing I love about this app is that it offers various soundscapes and includes features like a Pomodoro timer to optimize your productivity. If you’re not familiar, the Pomodoro technique is great for navigating through productivity cycles and staying on top of your tasks.

With that said, Focus@Will is especially beneficial for anyone working in noisy environments or  struggling with distractions.

I used their service for a couple of years because I had trouble focusing on work, and honestly, I was so glad I did. It helped me a lot. If you have trouble concentrating, definitely check it out.

4) Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a suite of productivity tools that include apps like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Calendar.

What I love about Google Workspace is how it lets you collaborate in real-time, store and share files, and manage your email and calendar seamlessly.

Since it’s cloud-based, you can access your files from anywhere with an internet connection.

I often use these apps on my iPad for quick access to information and get work done while I’m on the go. It’s honestly a lifesaver, and I can't emphasize enough how useful Google’s suite of tools is.

I don’t think I need to say more. It’s a must have for any business.

5) Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA) is a powerful platform that gives businesses valuable insights into how their customers interact with their websites and apps throughout the entire customer lifecycle.

What I love about Google Analytics is how it helps businesses act quickly on customer insights. It provides a detailed view of customer behavior, allowing us to make data-driven decisions and optimize our marketing efforts.

With Google Analytics, we can understand how customers navigate through our websites, which pages they visit, and what actions they take. This information helps us identify areas for improvement and optimize the user experience.

It also provides valuable data on customer acquisition, engagement, and retention, letting  us  track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, measure conversions, and spot growth opportunities.

Google Analytics is a must-have for any online business.

6) Prospero

Prospero is business proposal software that allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to create stunning proposals effortlessly.

Prospero puts over 100 customizable templates at your fingertips, which means you no longer have to start from scratch or spend hours designing proposals from the ground up.

What I really like about Prospero is the ability to track your proposals.

You don’t have to guess whether your proposals have been reviewed or made an impact. Prospero gives you real-time analytics and insights, so you know exactly how your proposals are performing.

This tracking feature saves us time and helps us make data-driven decisions.

And the best part? You can use it for free.

You don’t need to buy a membership to create your first proposal. This is key because it allows you to land  your first client, and use that revenue to cover the cost of your plan.

I love Prospero—they're fantastic!

7) Canva

Canva is design software that makes it easy for anyone, regardless of design expertise, to create beautiful graphics.

One thing I love about Canva is its vast collection of professionally designed templates.  These templates cover a wide range of industries and purposes, making them a great starting point for anyone who's not confident in their design skills or simply wants to save time by not starting from scratch.

And Canva's drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to personalize these templates to match your brand identity or specific needs. You can add your own images, change colors and fonts, and even save and use your brand kit. I love it—it’s amazing.

Oh, and another great feature— Canva lets you share your designs directly from the platform or download them for printing or uploading to social media.

If you’re a small business owner looking to improve your marketing materials or just someone who wants to create eye-catching visuals for personal projects, Canva is a must-have.

I’ve used Canva for years, and I love it. I can’t recommend it enough.

8) LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator (LSN) is a sales tool that helps businesses connect with the right people.

One of the key benefits of LinkedIn Sales Navigator is its ability to prioritize accounts based on connections. And by doing this, businesses can focus their energy and resources on prospects with a higher likelihood of conversion.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator also shines in identifying decision makers— you know, the people most likely to make purchasing decisions.

With advanced search filters and personalized recommendations, businesses can pinpoint potential customers with precision.

These insights empower sales teams to tailor their messaging and strategies accordingly. Resulting in more effective outreach and higher conversion rates.

Another thing I like about LinkedIn Sales Navigator is its insights into buyer behavior and preferences.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator analyzes data like job changes, company updates, and shared connections to help businesses gain a deeper understanding of their prospects' needs and interests.

And as a result, sales people can engage in more personalized conversations with potential customers.

I’ve been using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for a while, and it’s become an invaluable tool in my business arsenal. I love it.

9) Slack

Slack is a messaging app designed for businesses so teams can work in a more connected way.

One thing I love about Slack is its flexibility. It offers a simple interface that allows users to tailor their workspace to suit their specific needs.

Essentially, Slack adapts to your workflow rather than dictating it. You can create channels for different teams or topics, or integrate with other tools and apps—it's totally up to you.

Also, a great thing about Slack is how it promotes inclusivity. It’s a platform where everyone in an organization has access to the same shared and searchable information.

This is important because when teams work together in channels, information is shared with everyone at once, keeping everyone aligned and enabling faster decision-making.

And the best part? 

You can start using it for free. So yeah, definitely check it out.

10) Thrive Themes Suite

The Thrive Themes Suite is a collection of powerful tools designed to help businesses thrive online. This suite provides everything you need to create a high-converting website that drives more leads and sales.

What I like most is its ability to create stunning, conversion-optimized landing pages. You don’t even have to start from scratch—they offer plenty of templates you can use to save time and build better pages.

The suite also offers quizzes for lead generation, tools for creating online courses, evergreen scarcity tools, and lead generation forms.

If you have a WordPress website, the Thrive Themes Suite is one of the best ways to optimize your website for maximum conversions.

I’ve been using Thrive Themes since 2015 and can't recommend them enough. Their service is excellent.

11) Recurpost

Recurpost is a social media management tool that allows businesses to set up content libraries with evergreen updates to automatically share over time. It saves so much time and it allows businesses to not have to worry about their social media presence.

Recurpost is perfect for businesses that don’t need to share tons of time-sensitive content. For example, the news and trends.

So, if your business has a lot of evergreen content, use Recurpost to always have something to share on social media without having to spend tons of time creating new content and scheduling it.

My final thoughts

At the end of the day, there are tons of productivity tools available for small businesses  and it can be overwhelming to choose the right ones that will truly make a difference in your day-to-day operations.

But by focusing on your specific goals and needs, you can find tools that will streamline your workflows, boost efficiency, and drive success for your business.