How to be More Productive
- Focus on most important tasks first
- Use the 80/20 rule to focus your time on the most impactful tasks
- Break tasks into smaller pieces
- Keep a distraction list to stay focused and jot down ideas you think of while you're working
- Learn from successes as well as mistakes
- Manage your energy (not just time)
- Practice the Pomodoro Technique
- Get better at saying “no”
- Cultivate deep work
- Don’t multitask
Productivity Tools and Apps That Actually Work
Productivity tools can make your life a lot simpler. They help you to save time, improve focus, and improve the overall quality of our work. However, every time I talk about productivity tools, I also talk about the downside. Too much technology often decreases our productivity. That's why the list of apps and tools is short.
Notebook — I prefer A5 sized notebooks with a soft cover and good quality paper. This Moleskine does the job well.
Calendar — My standard iOS calendar app is my favorite productivity tool. I primarily use my calendar for time blocking.
Trello — Trello is a versatile project management tool that can be used in many ways. I use this productivity app as a backlog of tasks that I have to do. With Trello you can create ‘boards’ for every project you have. And on every board, you can list all the actions you have to complete for that project. Every week I take some time to update my projects. That helps me to improve my focus, so I know what I have to do.
Evernote — By far the best note-taking app there is. Research shows that our brain works in a similar way Evernote stores notes, ideas, tasks, etc.
RescueTime — The easiest way to track your activities. You’ll be surprised how much time you’re wasting on useless activities. Measure it with RescueTime, become aware of the time-wasting activities, and then get rid of them.
Grammarly — I use this tool probably the most out of all the resources on this page. If you’re writing anything that’s more than an email, use this app. I highly recommend getting the premium edition.
Be Focused — This is the Pomodoro app I use on Mac. But any app will do. It’s important that the timer is visible. Whenever I don’t use a Pomodoro timer, I just waste hours every day. This app can easily save you one hour per day.
