I am a complete sucker for new technology or a good productivity app. Here are the ‘must haves’ in my arsenal:

ClickUP

ClickUp keeps me sane in my work by keeping track of all of my projects and tasks. It is a very robust project management software with some very smart AI tools. I’m able to generate project and task summaries at the click of a button. I can also add in emails and Slack messages to an item. ClickUp will then generate a list of action items, display the overall sentiment of the involved stake holders. It also has a very handy time-tracker. Price: $168/yr (nonprofit discount; click here for 10% off on any plan)

Monarch

I have tried so many approaches to personal budgeting; from spreadsheets to YNAB — never stuck with any of them. But Monarch is easy to use, powerful, but not too heavy-handed. You can also track your credit score, investments and debt to easily show your net worth. And finally you can add another member to your account to track all household finances. Price: $100/yr; but you can get 50% off for your first year…which is a steal!)

Tick Tick

Last year I got a paid account on the Todoist app. But their pricing jumped from $48/yr to $60/yr; which is a bit steep for what I use it for. When looking into alternatives I found Tick Tick, which is cheaper and still offers many of the same features. I love how I can connect with my work calendar (which is a Google calendar) — but those meetings and tasks sit in the background. I keep Tick Tick dedicated to keeping my personal life tasks in one space. Todoist does have a more supportive user environment and feel (I miss their emails which encouraged you on your productivity — for Tick Tick you have to search out that validation); but they are pushing to become more of a team/business productivity tool — which is a mistake IMHO. Price: $35.99/yr

HubSpot

I am a bonafide evangelist for Hubspot; I just love it! It is the best CRM out there in my opinion. It has a user-friendly and inviting interface that doesn’t make you cringe when you load it. Yet it is very robust (and it can also get very expensive, so don’t say that I didn’t warn you). But you would not believe what you can get on the free account — which is exactly what I have. Seriously, don’t even bother with Google contacts (well, unless you must). You can integrate Hubspot right into your email. You can then save that email contact, log emails, and then have Hubspot give you an AI driven overview of your relationship with the person. And that is really just the tip of the iceberg. You can also set up a meeting calendar, payment link, and send out branded emails — all on the free account. You can also earn certifications through their Hubspot Academy. And oh, those are free too! Price: Free forever!