Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have become increasingly virtual. The digital age has reshaped the way we work, communicate and engage with others. Working from home, attending Zoom meetings and taking part in online training courses have become the norm. In this new reality, mastering the art of remote project management, maintaining productivity while avoiding burnout, and effectively using visual aids to engage with virtual audiences have become essential skills.
In this dynamic environment, having the right tools can be a game-changer. Whether you need to efficiently manage projects, optimize tasks, design eye-catching visuals or create captivating content, I’ve selected my favorite tools for each of these needs. These tools are designed to boost your productivity and creative potential, and enable you to thrive in this virtual landscape.

1. Project Management Tool : Trello

Trello functions as a virtual mega-board, similar to a whiteboard divided into several columns. Each column, called a list in Trello, represents a category defined according to your criteria. These categories can include task stages such as “To do“, “In progress“, “Completed“, or project phases such as “Planning“, “Content gathering“, “Execution” and “Follow-up“. 
Within each list, you can create individual tasks, also known as “cards“. These cards can contain action points, to-do lists, ideas and so on. 
Essentially, you are the designer of your own board. For example, I’ve created a board to manage my blog posts, with lists such as “Ideas”, “Draft”, “Awaiting editing”, “Ready to publish” and “Published”.

In addition, there are many built-in automations (very easy to set up) designed to simplify your processes. Trello also offers Power-Ups – additional features and collaboration tools that can enhance the functionality of your board.
What I really like about Trello is its flexibility and collaborative, visual nature. It brings everything related to a project together on a single page. You can easily move lists and cards around, assign them to team members, attach files, set due dates, apply color-coded labels and receive notifications of changes.
This software is so versatile that you can use it whatever your industry, job or even for your personal projects. If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of free templates to choose from.

Trello is aligned with the principles of lean management, which aims to improve quality and efficiency by eliminating wasted resources such as time, money and effort. Trello certainly achieves this with its free – and already comprehensive – version (which is, incidentally, the one I’m currently using).

However, it’s important to note certain limitations of this free version, notably a ceiling of 10 team boards – boards where collaborative work with a team is possible – and only one Power-Up per board. Attachments must not exceed 10 MB. On the other hand, you benefit from an unlimited number of personal boards, lists and cards. 

Personally, I find that the free version of Trello offers many features sufficient to enable individuals and small teams to organize their projects efficiently.

“You cannot mandate productivity, you must provide the tools to let people become their best.”

Steve Jobs

2. Automation Tool : Zapier

Zapier acts as a digital matchmaker, bridging the gap between your different apps. Let’s say an event occurs in App 1 – you receive an email – and this triggers an action in App 2, generating a Slack notification for example.
You may have tasks that you repeat manually on a regular basis: sending the weekly report to your manager once you’ve received the data from your team, drawing up payslips every month, creating a spreadsheet entry when a new contact form is submitted, or creating a new file every time a new project is launched.
These tasks are part of your job, and they’re important. But just because a task is important doesn’t mean you have to do it yourself! All these robotic tasks can be automated with Zapier.

With its extensive integration capabilities covering over 5000 applications, Zapier lets you establish connections between the applications you use most frequently.

With its user-friendly interface, Zapier offers a simple, intuitive platform. Even people with limited technical expertise (myself included) can easily build automated workflows, called “zaps“, all without having to produce a single line of code.

Zapier’s advantage lies in its ability to streamline your work processes, saving you time by efficiently linking various applications and automating tasks that would otherwise be repetitive.

The free version of Zapier is ideal for those who need basic automation tasks. You can only run single-step Zaps – each Zap comprising a single trigger, such as the receipt of a new contact form, leading to a single action, such as sending a welcome email.
For those seeking more complex automation and the ability to implement multi-step Zaps involving multiple triggers and actions, Zapier’s premium offerings offer extended capabilities.

Now think about your daily tasks, and which parts of this workload could be automated. Once all these automated workflows are in place, how much more time will you have available for your core, creative work?

3. AI Tool :  Bing Image Creator

Whatever you’re working on, whether it’s a blog post or a professional presentation, you always need eye-catching images to make your work stand out.
Of course, there are plenty of places to find free images, like Pexels (which I love), but sometimes you just want an image that matches exactly what you have in mind. That’s where the magic of AI comes in!
With Bing Image Creator, you can easily create your own customized images. Simply describe what you want, and Bing creates the image for you.
You can ask for something like “illustration of a cat in a garden wearing a cowboy hat, manga style”.

The great thing is that the tool gives you a choice of four different images. Once you’ve found the one you like, you can download, save or share it. As with any AI tool, you may need to modify your instructions slightly or be more precise. The system isn’t perfect: sometimes odd details appear, like strange fingers or mistakes on a computer keyboard.

From my own experience, Bing Image Creator is a really handy tool for creating great images, and it’s a lot quicker than searching through a bunch of image websites. Plus, it’s totally free!

“Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence; it is a tool to amplify human creativity and ingenuity.”

Fei-Fei Li

4. Graphic Design Tool :  Canva

Canva is a versatile online graphic design platform that lets you create a wide range of professional visuals.
Whether it’s eye-catching posters, captivating slideshows, stunning images, event flyers, CVs, cards, logos or infographics, Canva offers a dynamic platform to bring your creative visions to life and let you express your unique ideas. Personally, I often turn to Canva to design infographics and visual elements in my blog posts.
With its user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop functionality and vast selection of templates, you can effortlessly create professional designs for your website, blog or business, or write a standout resume.

You can choose ready-to-use templates for your favorite social media platform, such as Instagram posts or Linkedin banners. Stock photos, videos and graphics are available, with hundreds of thousands of choices. 

Canva has a free version that offers a wide range of tools and features. However, there are more that can be accessed with a paid account. I always prefer to choose non-paid tools, which is why I use the free version of Canva, but I sometimes get frustrated when I can’t resize my project, remove image backgrounds, or use my branding kit, and find out that the exact template I want is paid for. Depending on your needs, it may be worth opting for the paid version.

Overall, Canva a simple solution for creating professional, eye-catching visual content without the need for in-depth design expertise.

5. Video Editing Tool :  Wondershare Democreator

When you want to share your ideas with a slideshow, create an Instagram post or develop a presentation video that sells, settling for ordinary slides or basic videos is a thing of the past. Whatever content you share, it needs to be engaging and professional.
That’s where Wondershare DemoCreator comes in, a platform that simplifies the video editing process while offering a range of features to enhance the quality and engagement of your content.

Let’s take a closer look at why it’s my favorite video editing tool: 

• Its intuitive, user-friendly interface makes it easy for beginners (like me) and experienced users alike to navigate the editing process.
• It’s packed with video-editing features, from smooth transitions to trimming clips, adding captions, integrating animations and using filters or visual effects for dynamic images.
• You can also capture your computer screen, which is useful if you want to show people how to use a program, share a presentation or explain something step-by-step.
• You can add a personal touch by incorporating webcam recordings – or using only your voice if you prefer not to appear on screen – for explanations and comments.

What I particularly like is the library of templates and animations that you can add to your clips if you don’t really know where to start. There are so many resources (a lot, really) that you’ll be able to find a style that suits you.

So it sounds like the ideal tool? Not quite: the free version adds a watermark when you export your videos. Moreover, the free version limits recording time to a maximum of 10 minutes, and certain editing functions and advanced effects are exclusively available in the paid versions.
So you may find that the free version doesn’t meet all your needs, and you may want to consider upgrading to the paid version (which is what I did) to access additional features and capabilities. 

In my opinion, subscription packages offer good value for money compared with other tools available on the market.

Conclusion

It’s fascinating to see how the digital landscape offers a world of possibilities for improving our productivity, creativity and overall work experience.
From project management to automation, or visual design to video editing, these tools pave the way for more efficient, creative and engaging virtual interactions.
Remember, in this ever-changing world, adaptability is key. Embrace these tools, integrate them seamlessly into your workflow and watch how they transform the way you approach tasks and projects.

It’s time to harness the power of technology and make your work a rewarding journey into this exciting virtual world!

If you’ve already tried these tools, I’d love to hear about the impact they’ve had on your work. And if you’re using other tools that have been game-changers for you, please share them with me! I’m always excited to learn new ways of doing things and exploring tools that can enhance my virtual work experience.

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