Microsoft

Need to shake up your work routine? Try a productivity app.

There is, put simply, a ton of crap to get done. Keeping track of all of it can be a real nightmare, which is why you may want to set your sights on a productivity app. Increasing your productivity means something different to everyone. Maybe you often feel overwhelmed by the tasks in front of…

There is, put simply, a ton of crap to get done. Keeping track of all of it can be a real nightmare, which is why you may want to set your sights on a productivity app.

Increasing your productivity means something different to everyone. Maybe you often feel overwhelmed by the tasks in front of you and want a way to sort them into categories. Maybe you want a to-do list that’s better than a Google Doc. Maybe you want to split tasks into smaller, more manageable goals: a method that makes big projects seem less daunting and can also Speaking of distractions, maybe you want to decrease the time you spend scrolling through social media during the workday and increase the time you spend working. 

Whatever your needs, there’s likely a productivity app that’ll give you a little boost — or at least some insights into your current behavior.

What is a productivity app?

For the purposes of this list, we’re defining productivity apps as tools to help individuals spend their time according to their own priorities, whether those are work-related, hobby-related, or just a general decrease in social media use or screen time. There are also productivity apps available for business use — even versions of some of the tools on this list! — but we focus on personal productivity options here.

Most of the options on this list are available for iOS, Android, and desktop. Only one — Stayfocusd — is a browser extension; the rest are downloadable apps. Our top productivity tool, Todoist, is cloud-based, which means it syncs across multiple devices. If you work across several operating systems or expect to switch frequently between a desktop app and a mobile app, this might be a good option for you.

Free versions vs. premium versions

While the “21 days to form a habit” thing is , it does take time to get used to new practices — and to figure out what actually works and what you’re just honeymooning with. 

With that in mind, we generally recommend starting with the free version of your tool of choice for a month or so, then moving up to the premium version if it has features that you feel would improve your experience. 

Some tools on this list, like the list-making tool Do!, require a one-time purchase to get rid of ads. That’s generally worth it. Ads are extremely annoying (and not good, we surmise, for productivity). 

It’s important to note that even the best productivity apps are not an instant panacea for all your work-related problems. Even the tools you’ll end up liking will probably require troubleshooting and tweaks along the way as you figure out your ideal workflow. Give it time. And don’t forget to take breaks, hydrate, and prioritize sleep — you can’t app your way out of basic needs.

Here are our picks for the best productivity apps.

Best overall

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Image: Doist Inc

The Good

Streamlined UX • Cloud-based • Premium version is fairly affordable

The Bad

Limited to 80 projects in free version

The Bottom Line

Both the free and premium versions of Todoist are great for time management, but the premium version will get you a smorgasbord of features.

1. Todoist

Todoist is the mother of all to-do list apps, with plenty of features to play with in the premium version.

  • Free version: Yes
  • Premium version (paid monthly): $4 per month
  • Premium version (paid annually): $3 per month
See Details

Todoist is a task management powerhouse. It requires a bit more effort than list app Do! (also featured on this list), but will reward you with an efficient, streamlined way to organize all your tasks — and far fewer excuses to waste time.
Reviewers praise the productivity app for its clean look and ease of use, as well as its ability to sync between devices and apps. “It’s easy to navigate and use and the fact that it works on all my devices and syncs the creation and completion of the tasks is one of the things that helps make it a must have app!” writes one App Store reviewer. “I have been using it for a few weeks and find myself appreciating the native features that makes entering tasks a breeze.”
The first tier of Todoist is free, but a premium account costs $36 per year (billed annually) or $48 per year (billed monthly). In the premium version, users can invite other users to collaborate on tasks, set reminders, and write comments, among other things. If you’re new to the tool, we recommend using the free version for a while, then bumping yourself up a level if you love it. For the number of features you get, it seems to be a pretty good value.
Plenty of people use Todoist in conjunction with Getting Things Done, a book and task management system by consultant David Allen. If you’re struggling to make sense of the tool, consider approaching it from that angle.

Best website blocker

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Image: Stayfocusd

The Good

Easy to use • Useful “nuclear option” feature • Highly customizable

The Bad

Can’t set time limits for individual websites • Only works on Google Chrome

The Bottom Line

Though it does have limitations, Stayfocusd is a solid website blocker for the good-faith procrastinator.

2. Stayfocusd

Perusing r/relationships instead of working? Stayfocusd will help you stay off distracting social media and on top of your actual tasks.

  • Free version: Yes
$0 from Chrome Web Store

If your main barriers to productivity are social media doom-scrolling and Wikipedia holes, you may want to block your access to those activities entirely. The classic option for this is the Chrome extension Stayfocusd, which limits the amount of time you can spend on distracting websites. After the time limit you set is it up, you won’t be able to access the websites on your list. Don’t want to block all of YouTube? You can also block more focused destinations, like channels, subdomains, and individual webpages.
What sets Stayfocusd apart is its “Nuclear Option” feature, which lets you block a website for a certain amount of time regardless of the hours you’ve selected for unobstructed browsing. It’s called the Nuclear Option because it’s irreversible — once Twitter is blocked for 24 hours, it’s blocked. There’s no getting around it.
Otherwise, Stayfocusd’s major downside is that it’s easily overridden. It only works in Chrome, so if you really want to give into distractions, all you have to do is open another browser. But you’d never do that. We have faith in you.

Best for accountability

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Image: FOrest

The Good

Fun premise • Effective motiva

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Microsoft

The Outer Worlds 2 is now $10 cheaper, as Obsidian details how to get a refund on your pre-order

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. The Outer Worlds 2 is now $10 cheaper, as Obsidian details how to get a refund on your pre-order Cash in hand. Image credit: Obsidian News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on July 23

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

The Outer Worlds 2 is now $10 cheaper, as Obsidian details how to get a refund on your pre-order

Cash in hand.

A character in a leafy ghilli suit leaps over a platform towards the camera while being shot at from afar.
Image credit: Obsidian

The Outer Worlds 2, the upcoming sci-fi FPS by Obsidian Entertainment will now be sold at $70 dollars, rather than the planned $80. This follows a statement by Microsoft confirming the U-turn earlier today.

Those who have already purchased the game at the $80 price point on Steam will have the purchase refunded and re-bought at the lower figure. On Battle.net, those who pre-ordered the game will have their orders cancelled and refunded, and will have to re-buy the game. Those on Xbox and PlayStation will have the difference refunded in the upcoming days.

This announcement was made on The Outer Worlds official social media accounts, with a cute in-universe statement and graphic. On the official Obsidian website, further explanation on how the price change will affect those who’ve already spent money has been provided.

Cover image for YouTube videoThe Outer Worlds 2 – Official Gameplay Trailer

Watch the gameplay trailer

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Microsoft

Microsoft reverses $80 first-party price hike to keep “full priced holiday releases in line with current conditions”

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Home News Microsoft reverses $80 first-party price hike to keep “full priced holiday releases in line with current conditions” Starting with The Outer Worlds 2 Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Microsoft reverses $80 first-party price hike to keep “full priced holiday releases in line with current conditions”

Starting with The Outer Worlds 2

Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment

Just weeks after confirming The Outer Worlds 2 will be the first Microsoft game to retail for $80, Microsoft has reversed the decision, revealing the highly-anticipated sequel will now launch for $69.99 in keeping with typical AAA pricing.

This will apply not just to The Outer Worlds 2, but indeed other “full priced holiday releases” launched across the period.

In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said Xbox was “focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99, in line with current market conditions.”

On social media, developer Obsidian posted: “We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing. As an organization devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we at the Earth Directorate have worked with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2. While this will not bring peace to the galaxy, or even your local colony, we assure you all that we are here to fight for all colonies in every way that we can.”

Microsoft announced last month that The Outer Worlds 2 would be the first Xbox title to retail at $80 following Microsoft’s planned price rises in May.

“We understand that these changes are challenging, and th

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Microsoft

Coyote malware abuses Windows accessibility framework for data theft

A new variant of the banking trojan ‘Coyote’ has begun abusing a Windows accessibility feature, Microsoft’s UI Automation framework, to identify which banking and cryptocurrency exchange sites are accessed on the device for potential credential theft. …

A new variant of the banking trojan ‘Coyote’ has begun abusing a Windows accessibility feature, Microsoft’s UI Automation framework, to identify which banking and cryptocurrency exchange sites are accessed on the device for potential credential theft. …
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Microsoft

Microsoft Server Software Comes Under Widespread Cyberattack

Breadcrumb Trail Links Home PMN Business Share this Story : Microsoft Rushes to Stop Hackers from Wreaking Global Havoc Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Microsoft Rushes to Stop Hackers from Wreaking Global Havoc Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the

Microsoft Rushes to Stop Hackers from Wreaking Global Havoc

Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.

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(Bloomberg) — Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.

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Microsoft over the weekend released a patch for the vulnerability in servers of the SharePoint document management software. The company said it was still working to roll out other fixes after warnings that hackers were targeting SharePoint clients, using the flaw to enter file systems and execute code.

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Multiple different hackers are launching attacks through the Microsoft vulnerability, according to representatives of two cybersecurity firms, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. and Google’s Mandiant Consulting.

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Hackers have already used the flaw to break into the systems of national governments in Europe and the Middle East, according to a person familiar with the matter. In the US, they’ve accessed government systems, including ones belonging to the US Department of Education, Florida’s Department of Revenue and the Rhode Island General Assembly, said the person, who spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

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Representatives of the Department of Education and Rhode Island legislature didn’t respond to calls and emails seeking comment Monday. A Florida Department of Revenue spokesperson, Bethany Wester Cutillo, said in an email that the SharePoint vulnerability is being investigated “at multiple levels of government” but that the state agency “does not comment publicly on the software we use for operations.”

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The hackers also breached the systems of a US-based health-care provider and targeted a public university in Southeast Asia, according to a report from a cybersecurity firm reviewed by Bloomberg News. The report doesn’t identify either entity by name, but says the hackers have attempted to breach SharePoint servers in countries including Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US. The firm asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the information. 

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In some systems they’ve broken into, the hackers have stolen sign-in credentials, including usernames, passwords, hash codes and tokens, according to a person familiar with the matter, who also spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

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“This is a high-severity, high-urgency threat,” said Michael Sikorski, chief technology officer and head of threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks Inc. 

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“What makes this especially concerning is SharePoint’s deep integration with Microsoft’s platform, including their services like Office, Teams, OneDrive and Outlook, which has all the information valuable to an attacker,” he said. “A compromise doesn’t stay contained—it opens the door to the entire network.” 

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(Bloomberg) — Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.

Article content

Microsoft over the weekend released a patch for the vulnerability in servers of the SharePoint document management software. The company said it was still working to roll out other fixes after warnings that hackers were targeting SharePoint clients, using the flaw to enter file systems and execute code.

Article content
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Story continues below

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Multiple different hackers are launching attacks through the Microsoft vulnerability, according to representatives of two cybersecurity firms, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. and Google’s Mandiant Consulting.

Article content
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Hackers have already used the flaw to break into the systems of national governments in Europe and the Middle East, according to a person familiar with the matter. In the US, they’ve accessed government systems, including ones belonging to the US Department of Education, Florida’s Department of Revenue and the Rhode Island General Assembly, said the person, who spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

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Representatives of the Department of Education and Rhode Island legislature didn’t respond to calls and emails seeking comment Monday. A Florida Department of Revenue spokesperson, Bethany Wester Cutillo, said in an email that the SharePoint vulnerability is being investigated “at multiple levels of government” but that the state agency “does not comment publicly on the software we use for operations.”

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Story continues below

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The hackers also breached the systems of a US-based health-care provider and targeted a public university in Southeast Asia, according to a report from a cybersecurity firm reviewed by Bloomberg News. The report doesn’t identify either entity by name, but says the hackers have attempted to breach SharePoint servers in countries including Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US. The firm asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the information. 

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In some systems they’ve broken into, the hackers have stolen sign-in credentials, including usernames, passwords, hash codes and tokens, according to a person familiar with the matter, who also spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

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“This is a high-severity, high-urgency threat,” said Michael Sikorski, chief technology officer and head of threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks Inc. 

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“What makes this especially concerning is SharePoint’s deep integration with Microsoft’s platform, including their services like Office, Teams, OneDrive and Outlook, which has all the information valuable to an attacker,” he said. “A compromise doesn’t stay contained—it opens the door to the entire network.” 

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Tens of thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of businesses and institutions worldwide use SharePoint in some fashion to store and collaborate on documents. Microsoft said that attackers are specifically targeting clients running SharePoint servers from their own on-premise networks, as opposed to being hosted and managed by the tech firm. That could limit the impact to a subsection of customers.

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A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment beyond an earlier statement.

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“It’s a dream for ransomware operators,” said Silas Cutler, a researcher at Michigan-based cybersecurity firm Censys. He estimated that more than 10,000 companies with SharePoint servers were at risk. The US had the largest number of such firms, followed by the Netherlands, the UK and Canada, he said. 

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The breaches have drawn new scrutiny to Microsoft’s efforts to shore up its cybersecurity after a series of high-profile failures. The firm has hired executives from places like the US government and holds weekly meetings with senior executives to make its software more resilient. The company’s tech has been subject to several widespread and damaging hacks in recent years, and a 2024 US government report described the company’s security culture as in need of urgent reforms.

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The Center for Internet Security, which operates a cybersecurity information sharing system for state and local governments in the US, found more than 1,100 servers that are at risk from the SharePoint vulnerability, said Randy Rose, the organization’s vice president of security operations and intelligence. Rose said more than 100 were likely hacked.

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The Washington Post reported that the breach had affected US federal and state agencies, universities, energy companies and an Asian telecommunications company, citing state officials and private researchers.

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Eye Security was the first to identify that attackers were actively exploiting the vulnerabilities in a wave of cyberattacks that began on Friday, said Vaisha Bernard, the company’s chief hacker and co-owner.

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Eye Security said the vulnerability allows hackers to access SharePoint servers and steal keys that can let them impersonate users or services even after the server is patched. It said hackers can maintain access through backdoors or modified components that can survive updates and reboots of systems.

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The SharePoint vulnerabilities, known as “ToolShell,” were first identified in May by researchers at a Berlin cybersecurity conference. In early July, Microsoft issued patches to fix the security holes, but hackers found another way in.

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“There were ways around the patches,” which enabled hackers to break into SharePoint servers by tapping into similar vulnerabilities, said Bernard. “That allowed these attacks to happen.” The intrusions, he said, were not targeted and instead were aimed at compromising as many victims as possible. After scanning about 8,000 SharePoint servers, Bernard said he has so far identified at least 50 that were successfully compromised.

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He declined to identify the identity of organizations that had been targeted, but said they included government agencies and private companies, including “bigger multinationals.” The victims were located in countries in North and South America, the EU, South Africa, and Australia, he added.

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—With assistance from Lynn Doan, Cameron Fozi, Daniel Cancel, Aashna Shah, Jane Lanhee Lee and Patrick Howell O’Neill.

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(Updates with additional information beginning in third paragraph.)

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