7 Best Productivity Tools to Add in Your Development Arsenal in 2020
Tags: productivity, tools
Published: 2020-09-15 11:54:58

---
title: 7 Best Productivity Tools to Add in Your Development Arsenal in 2020
published: True
description: The role of a developer is challenging. However, if you want to complete more work in less time, you need to pick the best productivity tools from this list.
tags: productivity, tools
//cover_image: https://direct_url_to_image.jpg
---

Well, coding is not the only thing that a typical developer does throughout his work hours. There are many other responsibilities of a web developer that makes their role quite challenging.

Not only developers need to [write clean and efficient code](https://dev.to/taillogs/how-to-write-a-good-piece-of-code-2gmj), but they have to meet strict [deadlines](https://pmtips.net/article/how-to-make-your-remote-team-win-at-deadlines), communicate with team members, and manage their time smartly.

As a developer, you need to focus on getting more work done in less time. But how can you make this happen when you have to take care of so many responsibilities.

Well, there are tools that allow developers to have an upper hand at the work by boosting their productivity. Being a [web developer](https://dev.to/emmabostian/6-mistakes-youre-making-as-a-beginner-web-developer--how-to-avoid-them-5gj4), you should use tools to bring more efficiency at work and take care of your job responsibilities with ease.

##Why You Need Productivity Tools at Your Disposal?

Often developers who haven’t used [dedicated productivity tools](https://digest.myhq.in/best-apps-for-freelancers-productivity/) wonders: how can a tool make us more productive? Well, the answer to this question is quite simple. Productivity tools do not accomplish work on your behalf but rather streamline the processes so that you can complete more tasks in less time.

As a developer, you always have to be a step ahead in terms of work because unpredicted situations, like the appearance of code-bugs, can distort your work timeline. That is why it’s important to stay at the top level of your productivity to make sure you complete your development work within the defined time limit.

##7 Productivity Tools You Need As a Developer
Now, it’s time for you to know about the [best productivity tools](https://www.proofhub.com/articles/best-productivity-tools) that you can start using anytime as a developer. 

###For Writing and Testing Code
<b>1. [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/)</b>
![Visual Studio](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/g0b5zbxtzfsfdwai17zz.png)
Visual Studio is unquestionably among the most popular and widely used IDE (Integrated Development Interface) to write, debug, test, and deploy codes. Developed by Microsoft, Visual Studio is perfect for web, mobile & desktop apps, games, and AI development.

The best thing that makes Visual Studio a must for your development work is its code suggestions feature. The app’s AI-powered development interface analyzes your edits to provide you with code recommendations and autocomplete code statements. This helps you to save a considerable amount of time while writing lengthy and complex codes.

<b>Key Features:</b>
Comes integrated with comprehensive testing tools
Version controlling with Git and Team Foundation Version Control  (TFVC)
A Large number of extensions are available to enhance your coding experience
Supports development with all major programming languages, including  C++, Node.js, .NET, and Python.

Supported Platforms: Windows | macOS | Linux 

<b>2. [IntelliJ Idea](https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/)</b>
![IntelliJ Idea](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/wqn8v4gkqigse84t5tng.png)
IntelliJ is another great IDE that is mainly used for Java development. However, it supports other programming languages, such as JavaScript, HTML, and SQL. The software is developed specifically with the aim to increase developer productivity with its features, including the intelligent coding assistant.

The smart code completion in IntelliJ IDEA provides you suggestions for classes, methods, etc. according to your code pattern and reduce the code that you have to write. Additionally, the software provides you framework-specific assistance so that you can write codes faster in programming languages other than Java as well.

<b>Key Features:</b>
Allows you to find duplicate lines of code easily
Keyboard shortcuts make the development process even faster
Built-in developer tools like decompiler, FTP, etc. ensure that you do no waste time switching to multiple development tools
Track and control all the changes made to source code with version control using Git, SVN, Perforce, and many more

Supported Platforms: Windows | macOS | Linux

###For Work Management
<b>3. [ProofHub](https://www.proofhub.com/?utm_source=Dev.to&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Project%20Management&utm_term=Best%20Productivity%20Tools%20to%20Add%20in%20Your%20Development%20Arsenal&utm_content=BN)</b>
![ProofHub](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/0l2cq0du7dacv260s3sr.png)
ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software, which allows you to manage all your development projects from a single place. The software combines several [advanced task management tools](https://www.proofhub.com/articles/task-management-tools) like Kanban boards and Gantt charts to make it fairly easy for you and your development team to stay on top of all your work.

For development teams, it is essential to delegate tasks to team members and let everyone know who’s working on what. With ProofHub, you can break your projects into multiple tasks, select one or more assignees for a single task, attach files, and add comments to tasks. The software also makes it easier for your development team to collaborate effectively, track work progress, and ensure timely completion of projects. 

<b>Key Features:</b>
Upload, organize and share all your work files from a single place
In-built timers let you track time spent working on individual tasks and save all the time data in timesheets that you can access later [Gantt charts in project management](https://www.proofhub.com/articles/gantt-charts) offer a timeline view of all the tasks and help you identify the critical path for completing a project in the shortest possible time
Send instant text messages to communicate with your team members with the integrated chat tool

Supported Platforms: Web | Android | iOS

<b>4. [Todoist](https://todoist.com/)</b>
![Todoist](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ljcq2ff1tv00xw7h3bir.png)
Todoist is among the top-rated to-do list apps that will help you to keep your coding tasks well-organized. With this task management tool, you no longer need to remember the tasks assigned to you because the app is going to keep a record of all your upcoming as well as completed tasks. This will ultimately help you to focus on work and give your best to complete all your assignments on time.

You can quickly add tasks to your to-do list and add comments, define due dates, and set reminders for them. Todoist also allows you to prioritize tasks for making important things stand out on the to-do list.

<b>Key Features:</b>
Tasks labels make it easier to keep your to-do list well-organized
Delegate tasks to other people of your project team
You can attach files directly with tasks 

Supported Platforms: Web | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS

###For Time Tracking
<b>5. [RescueTime](https://www.rescuetime.com/) </b>
![Rescue time](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/5t10u00rdgylzifqgv0b.png)
RescueTime is a powerful time management tool that allows you to get full control of how you spent your work hours. Along with automatic time-tracking, the software also comes with the ability to block distractions so that you can stay focused on your work.

The main highlight of RescueTeam is that it automatically tracks the time and records how much of time you spend on different apps, websites, etc. The detailed time reports give you a good idea about your working habits and also allow you to determine activities that hamper your productivity.

<b>Key Features:</b>
You can block access to websites that distract you from your work
The manual FocusTime sessions are extremely useful when you want to do work in sprints
Set smart goals and divide your work hours according to the activities that you want to undertake

Supported Platforms: Web | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS

<b>6. [Toggl](https://toggl.com/)</b>
![Toggl](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ad9htmoespnczqoqupyw.png)
Keeping a record of all your time data is convenient with Toggl - a leading time tracking tool. Your whole development team can use it to keep a detailed record of how each member spends their working hours across different projects and tasks.

Toggl app allows you to start tracking time with a single click. Also, the tracking reminders help you to stay assured that you never forget to start the timer. You can also make manual time entries daily, weekly, or whatever seems convenient to you.

<b>Key Features:</b>
See time data of individual team members at a single place using Team Dashboard
Set the estimated time for a project and get alerts if the project’s total time goes over the predefined time limit
Export time reports in Excel, CSV, and PDF formats
Supported Platforms: Web Browsers | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS

###For Team Communication
<b>7. [Chanty](https://www.chanty.com/)</b>
![Chanty](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/yfqd44clxbeywgzckrk4.png)
Chanty is a dedicated team communication and collaboration application that allows team members to stay connected. With this app, you can start a conversation with your teammates over text messages, high-quality audio calls, or video calls.

The app supports code, which makes it possible to share lines of code directly within a chat. You can also share documents, pictures, videos, GIFs, and YouTube video links directly with your colleagues. To make sure that you can easily access important messages, Chanty allows you to pin them.

<b>Key Features:</b>
Highlight specific team members in a chat using @ mention
Supports voice messages
Teambook provides quick access to the message history  

Supported Platforms: Web | Windows | macOS

<b>Bottom Line</b>
While working as a developer, your productivity matters as much as your coding skills. Productivity tools not only boost your output but also improve the overall quality of your work. By having the right set of tools to manage your work, it will become much easier to finish complex and dynamic development projects on time.

Good luck with your choices!