My list of essential productivity tools might contain a surprise or two.
What are your essential productivity tools?
When you Google “productivity tools,” most of what comes up are lists of apps. I love apps, and use them all the time. But there’s more to being productive than choosing apps. So I thought I’d share 6 tools – 3 “practical” tools and 3 “general” tools – that I think are essential to being productive in the sense of getting the things done that matter most to you, but also living a life that matters.
Calendar
Why it’s essential
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- It helps you avoid missed appointments, meetings, and commitments that are important to you.
- It adds to your awareness. To make the best use of your time, you need to know when and how it’s committed. A well-used calendar gives you a visual of that AND a record of how you’ve spent your time.
How to make it work for you
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- ALWAYS use it. Every day and/or time-specific appointment goes on your calendar; don’t try to keep any of it in your head.
- For actions you decide to take on important goals, schedule an appointment with yourself to do it at a specific day and time. Then keep that appointment! You need to honor the promises you make to yourself just as you would honor a promise made to somebody else you respect.
- Record relevant information in the calendar entry: address, who you’re meeting with (and their phone number), and other specifics. For example, input “phone conference with X to discuss Y” rather than just “phone conference.” If it’s a phone conference, include dial-in info or who’s going to call whom and at which number.
For business calls, if we’re discussing a particular document, I attach a copy of it to the digital calendar entry so it’s right there when I’m ready to make the call. - If you use a digital calendar, set alarms/alerts ahead of time for your appointments. Most digital calendars allow you to set default alert times for various kinds of appointments. My defaults are 15 minutes for most appointments, a couple of days for all-day activities, a week for important events like birthdays & anniversaries. (Allow time to prepare!)
- Color code your entries. If you want to see how you’re allocating your time among your various priorities, assign a color to each and use that for your entries. This is easy to do with paper calendars as well if you use colored pens/pencils or highlighters. At a glance, you can see if you’ve filled your calendar with work commitments and made no time for family or friends or personal projects or self-care.
- Leave white space between entries to give yourself time to breathe, think, and prepare.
- Consider shared calendars with your assistant or spouse, etc. It can be helpful when you need to involve other people or consider their schedules when making commitments.
Options
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- Paper – Wall calendars work best if you spend most of your time at a primary location. A pocket/purse-sized calendars is good if you’re mobile, so you can always pull it out when needed. There are lots of options for paper planners that include a calendar with different views such as monthly or weekly or day at a glance.
- Digital – There are TONS of options such as Google Calendar, iCal, and Outlook. There are also many 3rd party apps such as Fantastical and BusyCal (both Apple only). These are easy to share, easy to color-coordinate, easy to see if you’re over-filling your days, easy to set alerts, easy to create recurring events, and they sync across your devices.
Project/task management
It is essential to have a system in place to keep track of the things we need to do.
Why it’s essential
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- We all have lots to do and having a way to manage it all makes it easier to make sure nothing gets missed, and we do things efficiently and effectively.
- Having a tool to manage projects and tasks frees up our minds to focus on taking action. David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, was the first to introduce me to the idea that trying to keep things in our mind uses up mental energy that can better be spent elsewhere. We’re better at having ideas than storing them. Having a system gets those ideas out of our heads and into a trusted location, and our minds can focus on having ideas and creative problem-solving.
- Project management tools also serve as a record of things you’ve accomplished and can help you overcome the “I haven’t gotten anything done” misperception.
How to make it work for you
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- Always use it. Don’t try to keep anything in your mind.
- Find a system or tool you like and stick with it. Don’t expect to find the perfect tool. Just find one whose look you like and go with it. The key is to use it consistently.
- Start as simple as you can, but get as robust as you need it to be.
Check out the previous episodes below where I talk about task management in more detail.
Options
The advantage of digital options is you can sync your apps across devices, and you can sort tasks and view them in ways you need to see them. I personally use OmniFocus. Each morning I pull the top 3-5 tasks I want to get done that day and enter them into my Bullet Journal, and those are the things I focus on getting done. If I blow through them and still have energy and time to do more, then I go into OmniFocus again and pull another task or two out.
Idea and resource management
Why it’s essential
“Psychologists say we can hold from 5 to 9 thoughts in our immediate memory at any given time . . .”
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- We are good at having ideas but not good at remembering them.
- Ideas and information come to us at unexpected times.
- We can’t take action on what we don’t remember.
- Some ideas need time to marinate. Capturing even partially formed ideas can give them time to stew and develop.
How to make it work for you
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- Choose a tool, whatever appeals to you, and use it consistently. Always capture your ideas.
- Develop a habit of reviewing and processing your notes regularly.
- Move ideas from short-term capture to longer-term storage in a system you can access when needed.
- Reviewing your ideas lets you add to/develop and find connections because ideas spark ideas.
- Take action! The ideas that matter most are the ones we implement.
Options
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- Evernote
- Dropbox
- File folders
- Apple Notes
- Microsoft OneNote
- 3×5 cards/pocket-sized notebook
- Voice memo recorder. If you have a smartphone, you probably have one by default. The app that I use is called Instacorder. I use it when I’m driving or for some other reason can’t write or type but want to remember an idea.
Your brain
Our ability to understand and manage it and make it work for us rather than against us can be the most important thing we can develop in terms of living a productive life.
Why it’s essential
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- Without a well managed, clear-thinking brain, we’re not able to do anything else.
- Our ability to think creatively, solve problems, create solutions is what makes us human beings so unique and amazing.
How to make it work for you
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- Get to know your brain. Learn to be an observer. Pay attention to how you think and your self-talk. Where does your mind go when it wanders or when something challenging, difficult, or unexpected happens? Be curious, but not judgmental, about what you’re thinking and why. Learn what contributes to clear and creative thinking and what interferes with it. We as humans have the ability to think about our thinking, to evaluate our thoughts, consider whether they’re true, whether they serve us.
- Learn to manage it
- Become conscious of what you’re thinking, and the consequences of those thoughts. What we think about is what creates the reality we live in. How we choose to think creates the world we live in.
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- Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to 3.)
- Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (Yes or no.)
- How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
- Who would you be without the thought?
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- Circumstances can trigger
- Thoughts, which cause
- Feelings, which motivate
- Actions, which cause
- Results (which lead to thoughts)
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- Learn to choose thoughts and beliefs that serve you
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- Invest in your brain. Invest not only in knowledge and skills but also in learning to manage your thinking: coaching, therapy if you need it, uplifting content that can help direct your thoughts in more productive directions. (Listen to this podcast episode by Brooke Castillo where she explains that investing in your mind can be the best investment you can make.)
- Take care of your brain so that it can be both physically and emotionally healthy.
Unencumbered time
By unencumbered time, I mean time without obligations, when you can think, dream, rest, and rejuvenate. Nobody is going to give us free time. We have to make it happen and be intentional about it.
Why it’s essential
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- It allows time to relax and rest physically and mentally.
- It allows time to think, which is necessary for us to gain perspective and evaluate options.
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“Unstructured free time is an incredible weapon against stress. When we intentionally schedule unstructured free time on a regular basis, we’re much less likely to feel overwhelmed. When that chunk of free time arrives, we suddenly realize, this is the time during which I am obligated to do absolutely nothing. So what strikes my fancy?”
How to make it work for you
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- Schedule it. Putting it on your calendar shows you think it’s important.
- Make the most of it. Plan for it, unplug, allow yourself leisure–not a plan to accomplish something specific
- Try something new. Go somewhere different for lunch, try an activity you’ve never done. Julia Cameron, who’s the author of The Artist’s Way, talks about Artist’s Dates, which is taking yourself to a place that nourishes and inspires you.
- Get outside
- Take a nap (or go to bed early)
- Pamper yourself
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Health
Why it’s essential
You are most able to be productive, both in terms of getting things done and of enjoying your life, if you are as healthy as possible. When you are strong in body and mind, you’re able to accomplish more because you have more physical and mental energy.
How to make it work for you
Simply take care of yourself! You don’t get a new body or a second shot.
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- Adequate sleep
- Good nutrition
- Sufficient water
- Regular medical, dental, eye appointments
When you are as healthy as you are capable of being, DO the things that matter to you. Take the actions that get you the results you want. Use your healthy body and mind to accomplish the things that matter most to you and live a life that matters.
What do you think?
Do you agree these tools are essential? Did I miss any tools you think are essential? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below this post or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or send me an email.
Resources
Articles
Podcasts
- Task Management 101 – TPW215
- Making the Most of Your To-Do List – TPW145
- What’s On Your To-Do List – TPW130
- How to Choose the Best Task Manager – TPW065
- The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo – Episode 259
Books
- Getting Things Done, by David Allen
- The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
Tools
- Bullet Journal
- OmniFocus
- Todoist
- Nozbe
- Evernote
- Dropbox
- Microsoft OneNote
- Instacorder voice memo recorder app
- The Work (Byron Katie)
- The Model (Brooke Castillo)
Announcements & Reminders
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