Do time management apps really make people more productive?

Employees are using time management apps to make better use of the working day. But do they really work - and are they too Big Brother?

Andrew Chen, an investor in the San Francisco Bay Area, used to think that reaching zero in one's inbox was folklore. The tech entrepreneur now uses an app, Streak, to regularly clear his emails. He also gets all his scheduling done with the help of another digital time manager, Esper.

Time management apps have proliferated over the past few years as consumers increasingly try to squeeze more productivity out of their waking - and even sleeping - hours. Users hoping to curtail their time on Facebook and squeeze in more hours at the gym have flocked to apps like RescueTime and Toggl. You define the tasks and set the app to measure how long you spend on them.