My Productivity Tool Recommendations
Productivity tool opinions are like assholes…you know the rest.
There are as many productivity tool reviews and best-of lists out as there are crappy productivity tools. That’s why when I find things that work, I get excited about them.
As someone who truly enjoys the hustle and bustle, I often find myself with a lot of obligations, both personal and business (maybe to a fault at times). I have more ideas than I can execute. Spending time with family and friends is a must, no matter how much else is on the calendar. And it’s vital that I feel good physically, so blocking time to play tennis, row, meditate and sleep is necessary.
No tool or application can make us productive; that’s a personal decision and requires discipline to follow through. But certain tools jive with my methodology and mental processes.
Here are five tools that I use daily to help me kick ass:
Todoist: I’m a recovering paper planner addict (the first step is admitting the problem). It took me years and several failed attempts to give it up. I tried numerous digital alternatives but kept relapsing to my trusted planner. Eventually, though, the modern world prevailed. It became clear I had to use a process that allowed me to add tasks, meetings, and deadlines on the fly, and carrying my planner everywhere just wouldn’t cut it. I switched to Todist in November 2020 (after a failed attempt several years earlier) and haven't looked back. I created a project for each of my businesses and others for wellness, personal tasks, and a reading list. This segmentation makes finding and managing tasks simple. Since November 2020, I’ve completed 3,496 tasks in about nine months and earned 18,599 karma points. Do the points matter? Not at all, but it’s oddly satisfying to see your productivity score grow over time.
Notion: warning, the first time you use Notion will likely end in complete disaster. Notion is one of the most robust tools I’ve ever seen, making it daunting at first. But don’t be deterred. Now I use Notion as a hub for my wealth management business, a place to store notes, a planning tool for blog posts, and more. Notion bills itself as “the all in one workplace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases,” and they aren’t lying. It’s designed for flexibility, supporting workspaces that are compatible with your mental processes and the needs of your team. Notion's block system allows you to quickly make checklists, create calendar views, add images, input code, and more. Give it a try; it’s well worth the initial feeling of being overwhelmed.
Calendly: apparently, having a Calendly account is now considered a weird flex. I don’t care. It makes scheduling meetings with clients, podcast guests, and collaborators infinitely easier. Calendly is a scheduler that enables you to create meeting categories with simple rules (duration, availability, etc.), share your link with guests (or embed it in your website), and book meetings. This has all but eliminated annoying back and forth emails. As a bonus, Calendly has dramatically increased my booking rate. I no longer need to send emails with open-ended questions like “how does next week look?” Or “do you have 30 mins sometime Friday?” Just send the link and get a notification when the guest completes the booking. Simple and effective.
Dashlane: when you regularly log in to dozens of websites, it makes sense to utilize a password manager. Dashlane is more than that. As we all become more deeply reliant on online services, the importance of security grows. Bank accounts, social media sites, and e-commerce stores require various account types and password requirements. Dashlane makes keeping track of passwords a cinch. It also acts as a digital wallet, quickly completing payment information for online purchases. And the best part; they can’t see your data, and thus they can’t sell it. We are the product for many companies as they sell our information to the highest bidder. Dashlane utilizes technology that keeps users' information private, even from them; that’s a feature I can get behind.
Google Calendar: a digital calendar is a must, and when using other tools, integration becomes a necessary feature. Google Calendar syncs with ToDoist and Calendly, making it the single hub to see my obligations and events quickly. The various views (schedule, daily, weekly, monthly) ensure that you can appropriately zoom in to find specific openings or broader availability. In addition, you can sync multiple Google Calendars (work, family) and assign colors to help segment as needed. There’s plenty of customization available to ensure the calendar works symbiotically with your mind, no matter how organized or scattered it may be.
Productivity ultimately comes down to desire. Even the most sophisticated and integrated tech stack won’t save you from procrastination. But productivity tools can help you. These tools save me time, reduce redundancies, and declutter my brain, so I have more time to relax, work out, have fun, and be with my family and friends.
Would you mind sharing what tools have been effective for you?
