Boosting your productivity can have a tremendous effect on you career, personal life, and even your health. However, a lot of people are having a hard time focusing and getting things done in spite of looming deadlines. This isn't because they're lazy or incompetent; often people struggling with productivity just don't have the right tools to keep them on track.

Thankfully, the tech and mobile industries have come up with programs and apps in the productivity sphere to help users boost their efficiency and accomplish more things. If you feel that you could use more productivity in your work and personal life, the following 5 apps should to the trick:

Evernote - Think of it as your cloud-based notepad. Evernote allows you to quickly jot down your thoughts, grocery lists, and other things that you need to remember. Evernote has a web app, a mobile app, and a software version for your PC and Mac. What's great about it is that since it's stored in the cloud, you manage notes seamlessly between devices. For instance, you can add a note using Evenote web, and update it while on the go using the mobile app.

Rescue Time - This is a great tool that lets you monitor and maximize your time. Rescue Time allows you to track the apps and programs that you're using to see how you're spending your time. Rescue Time also lets you enter in project or task information (including deadlines and specifics) to help you track your progress and see if you're accomplishing things on schedule.

Additionally, the program serves as a great tool for limiting distractions. If you find that you're wasting too much time on a certain website (such as Facebook or Reddit) you can set Rescue Time to block those sites temporarily so that you can focus on getting things done.

Pocket - Blog posts and articles are undoubtedly good sources of information and entertainment. However, they can also be big distractions that keep us from completing tasks. If you find yourself blog or website hopping on the job, use Pocket-a nifty app that acts as a "DVR for the web" and allows you to save articles for later.

So if you find an interesting article but don't have time to read it immediately, simply Pocket it for easy access in the future, and get back to what you're supposed to be doing.

TeuxDeux - Managing to-do lists with TeuxDeux is as easy as dragging and dropping tasks into different days, sliding between lists, and crossing out done tasks. TeuxDeux works by letting you organize your task according to the day. It also has a section called "someday" for those tasks that aren't immediate, but you want to remember to do when you get the chance. TeuxDeux has a free browser version, but if you want to easily managing tasks while on the go, you can download its mobile app version as well.

Clear - If you spend a lot of time on the go and keep your to-do list on your phone, then check out Clear-the do-do list with character and style. Clear is extremely intuitive and makes managing tasks a breeze. It lets you use simple mobile gestures such as swipe, pull, pinch, and shake to add, arrange, or delete tasks, making your to-do list quick (and fun) to use.

Image credit: VFS Digital Design on Flickr