Blogging is all about writing, right?

Yes, writing is the most important as well as the toughest part of blogging. We have to spend a lot of time to create high-quality contents.

But as a blogger, we also need to spend time on other things like promotion, monetization, optimization, etc to grow our blog.

So how can we manage writing part efficiently and manage our time?

The answer is, using the right writing tools. By using the right tools, we can save 50% or more of our time and use it on something useful to our blog.

And to make things easier for you, I’ve created a list of best writing tools that include writing, editing, productivity, image & headline tools and more. Not only that, but I’ll also give you the best laptops and keyboards to use.

Look no further to get the right tools, and let’s get started.

[toc]

Writing Tools

1. Google Docs

I have tried many apps to write my posts, like Microsoft Word and WordPress Editor, yet I always go back to Google Docs.

The ability to write and edit your post anywhere without relying on a word processor installed in your laptop is definitely a game changer.

And not just that, but being able to share it at the click of a button with anyone in the team so they can check it and give feedback without the need to download and upload files is mind-blowing.

And you don’t need to click Save to save changes as it has autosave function, so you don’t have to worry if your app crashes — which happened to me multiple times with Microsoft Word.

Platforms: Web, Android, iPhone & iPad, Chrome Extension.

Also: How To Import Google Docs Articles To WordPress

2. Draft

Another online word processor that is similar to Google Docs created specifically for creative writers.

I use it from time to time, and whenever I use it, I can feel the difference. A feature like auto simplification is a great one to help you cut down useless sentences.

The ability to send it for professional editing review at any time and get the results fast even during Christmas is another added bonus.

And I am just scratching the surface of the features of this app. Check them all here. All that for less than $4/month.

It was named as the best word processor by  TechCrunch. So you can’t go wrong using this tool.

Platform: Web.

3. IA Writer

Do you lose focus the moment you start writing, and start editing or formatting back and forth in your writing and can’t focus on producing more content?

We’ve all been there, and that is why this tool is created.

With the focus mode in it, you won’t find anything to distract you. This option even allows you to focus on a sentence or a paragraph so that you don’t lose focus on other paragraphs.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone+iPad.

Editing & Proofreading Tools

4. Grammarly

After you are done with writing, all the editing features in normal writing processors are barely enough to correct basic grammar and spelling mistakes, and that is where Grammarly comes in.

Grammarly can easily detect the wrong words and sentences to make sure your writing is correct and clear. The algorithm they have developed over the years make the tool read like humans, so you don’t have to care so much about advanced grammar mistakes, spelling errors, or even punctuation mistakes. It also offers plagiarism checker to check duplicate content.

Don’t compare it to any of the word processors. Just check their free version and you will be blown away.

If you love writing at Google Docs, you’ll also love Grammarly as it supports Google Docs.

Platforms: Web, Windows, Mac, Browser Extension (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, & Edge), iOS, Android.

5. Hemingway App

Hemingway App is another editor that focuses mainly on making your writing clear by discarding nonsense sentences in your writing.

It highlights complex sentences that you need to simplify. It even highlights words that have the simpler alternative.

It gives your writing a reading score, so try to make it close to 10 as much as you can to make your writing clearer.

Platforms: Online, Mac, & Windows.

6. WhiteSmoke

Another editing tool like Grammarly that has more editing features than normal writing processors.

It is similar to Grammarly, and you don’t need to use both.

The added benefit to this tool is the translator tool which translates your text better than Google Translate does.

There is a free trial version of the tool, but there is no generous free version as Grammarly. However, their basic version — which is more than enough for most bloggers — is 40% lower than Grammarly. Still, I prefer Grammarly.

Now that you know the writing and editing tools, let’s focus on the productivity tools. How can you get more posts created with less time? Let’s continue.

Platforms: Desktop, Web, Mobile App.

Productivity Tools

7. Todoist

Todoist is awesome. Before using it, I’ve tried many to-do list apps. But this is the only one that I can stick with.

I always have a to-do list to go through whenever I write a new post. This to-do list helps streamline the process of research, writing, editing and formatting the post before publishing it. This helps me get more done without sacrificing the quality of my posts.

Todoist is a simple yet great tool to help you do this.

Platforms: Web, Desktop (Mac & Windows), Mobile (iOS & Android), Wearables (Apple Watch & Android Wear), Browser Extensions (Chrome, Safari, & Firefox), Email Plugins (Outlook & Gmail)

8. Trello

Trello is an interesting project management tool that helps you group tasks and share them with your team members in an easy and simple way.

I mainly use Trello for managing blog posts. From an idea to publishing a blog post, all of the tasks are maintained from Trello board.

Platforms: Web, Mobile (iOS & Android), Desktop (Mac & Windows).

9. Strict Workflow

Do you lose focus when you start writing? You open YouTube or start scrolling your social media newsfeed, and next thing you know, you’ve wasted precious time already!

If so, then the Pomodoro technique is for you. It helped me over the years to maintain focus on the tasks at hand.

The technique basically works like this: you work for 25 mins and rest for 5 mins. Do this for 4 sessions and then take a 30-min rest.

This helps you focus when working, and rest when not working.

And a great tool to help you do this online is Strict Workflow. It is a Chrome extension that you can add and start using in less than a minute.

Another great feature of this extension is, you can block particular sites (like Facebook) while working. Whenever you try to visit a block during work, it will show something like this –

Platform: Chrome Extension.

Read: Best Chrome Extensions That Will Make You Insanely Productive

10. Noisli

Noisli is a music online tool which you can stream in the background to help improve your productivity.

It helps increase your focus and thus increase the workload done. Add this to the Pomodoro technique and you will surely notice a difference.

You could also use it to relax. Maybe use it in the 5-min rest when doing the Pomodoro technique.

I don’t use this tool all the time. I use it when I feel distracted.

Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, Chrome Extension.

Image Editing Tools

11. Snagit

Adding images is essential to make your post more scannable and to illustrate your writing.

Snagit is a great tool by TechSmith that helps you take screenshots with ease and edit them in no time. You can also use it to create animation and video.

It has many advanced features for editing that allows you to create moving images and so on.

Platforms: Windows & macOS.

12. Pixabay

Getting high-quality and royalty-free images to insert in your post nowadays is kind of a hassle.

Many have been fined upwards of $10K and more for taking an image that is not theirs.

This is where Pixabay comes in. It helps you find high-quality images that are royalty-free just by searching and clicking a button. You can download the image in multiple sizes to fit your needs, and you don’t need to mention the creator.

Also: 30 More Sites To Download Royalty Free Images

Platform: Web.

13. Canva

Do you want to create an image but just blindly hate Photoshop or don’t want to pay the fees? And do you want a tool that is plain and simple to use to get things done quickly?

Then Canva is the tool you need.

You can select the image size as you want, or use the aspects that they show. You can modify it based on the platform on which you are creating your content.

Platforms: Web, iPad, & iPhone.

Check: Canva Alternatives: Tools & Apps Like Canva

Headline Tools

14. CoSchedule Headline Optimizer

Eight out of 10 people read a post because of its headline. Screw it, and everything you do is nearly useless.

That is where CoSchedule headline optimizer comes in.

This tool gives your headline a rating and shows you suggestions to help you improve it.

Try it once, and you’ll be addicted to this tool.

Platform: Web.

15. Thrive Headline Optimizer

You already know how important headlines are. Now the question is, how do you know if you wrote the best headline?

Even if you optimize it with CoSchedule, you don’t know if you chose the right one or not.

That where Thrive Headline Optimizer comes handy.

This tool enables you to test headline ideas, so you just send traffic, and it tells you which headline is better than the other. It is not suitable for new blogs, but if you have big blogs, it will be beneficial over the long run.

Platform: WordPress Plugin.

16. HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator

Getting stuck in generating blog post ideas is common.

Use this tool whenever you want, and it’ll take you seconds to come up with multiple ideas at once. Just enter 3 keywords related to your topics, press the orange button and you are done.

Don’t like the ideas? Click back and then click on the orange button again without changing the words. Do this multiple times, and then change the keywords to have boatloads of blog post ideas enough for a year.

Platform: Web.

Laptops & Keyboards

18. Apple MacBook Pro

Maybe, you are wondering why I would mention MacBook pro as a tool to help you write faster.

First of all, I think that if you have the budget, then you need to spend on a good laptop. After all, that is the most important tool you need to create content.

Having a good laptop that doesn’t shut off often and that doesn’t need to be fixed every few months is important. All of that wastes your time.

Also, having a slim laptop like Apple’s helps you squeeze more writing any place you are.

19. Lenovo ThinkPad

This laptop is great if you prefer to write with your hands. You can write on the keyboard place and that writing can be transformed on the laptop in a digital format.

This is very useful for many people especially those who love creating illustrative images or just need to illustrate a point using hand and paper.

20. Das Keyboard

If you have a poor keyboard on a laptop or prefer to have wider spaces between keys, then you need an external keyboard.

There are many keyboards that claim to make typing faster, but I like to recommend the Das keyboard for most users. It has a perfect travel time and a long cable, so you don’t have to worry about connectivity.

This is one of the few things that you won’t know you need it unless you try it out.

Conclusion

Writing posts is the backbone of blogging and content marketing.

The faster you can get it done, the better results you will get.

You can just create more posts or spend that extra time on promoting the heck out of every post you create, thus having a higher ROI on your time.

Having the right tools can help you do just that.

Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you use any other writing tools? Let us know via comment.