Maximizing Your Productivity by Choosing Your Tools

Have you ever tried to do a quick job that needs a hammer, without a hammer? In a pinch, lots of things can do a hammer’s job – a textbook, a brick from the side of the road, maybe even a shoe if you’re desperate –, and you can make it work pretty well. Thinking on the fly and solving a problem with a paper clip or a plastic knife is gratifying, but then the next time you use the right tool for that job you realize how much easier it actually is. Anything can be a hammer, but a hammer does the job so much better.

At the end of the day, your productivity depends on you, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t steps you can take to set yourself up for success. In this series of How to Get It All Done, we’ve looked at how to boost your productivity by doing things like building better habits, overcoming procrastination, and quieting the noise in your life, and, in this post, we’re looking at choosing the right tools. Don’t waste valuable time and energy making it work with subpar supplies. It’s time to work smarter, not harder and find the tools to give your productivity the boost it needs.

Paper vs Online

When it comes to productivity tools, there are a million options out there, and different people in different roles will need different tools to work for them. But the first choice to make is a choice of format. Are you a pen and paper person or are you looking for apps?

Though it may seem outdated to keep a paper planner or calendar, many people still prefer to keep track of their time commitments and tasks with a trusty pen and paper. Whether it’s the outlet for creativity that comes with organizing things by hand, the boost in memory from writing out your responsibilities rather than typing them, or the hit of dopamine you get from actually crossing off a task from your to-do list, there are plenty of points in favor of paper tools. But is it worth it to carry around a planner or notepad everywhere when your phone could do the job just as well? For some people, it really is! There are absolutely ways to make paper tools work, but it all comes down to your particular situation and responsibilities. If it’s helpful to sync your calendar with other people on your team, then paper tools will hinder you rather than help you. But if a physical to-do list helps you remember your tasks three times better, then don’t give up that asset. For a lot of us, online tools will be the way to go – whether out of preference or necessity –, or maybe you’ll end up with a combination of some online tools and some paper ones. What’s most important is that you find what works best for you specifically.

What Tools Do You Really Need?

Now that we have our two big categories to choose from, it’s time to map out which tools we need to succeed. Depending on your roles and responsibilities, you might need more specialized tools to accommodate your work or communication, but there are two tools that everyone is going to need. Author Tim Challies outlines the essential tools in his book Do More Better. In chapter five, he writes that we all will need a tool for time commitments and a tool for tasks.

Time Commitments

It doesn’t matter how good your memory is, you need a place to put all your time commitments to avoid double booking yourself or missing something important. You can use the calendar app that comes with your phone, or download an additional app, like the widely regarded Google Calendar. Or you might opt for a desk calendar so you can see everything laid out in front of you. This article explains the pros and cons of the most popular calendar apps today. But whichever calendar you choose to use, put everything in it so that you have a home base to work from when it comes to scheduling and making your plans each week.

Tasks

The second tool you’ll need to get it all done is a task app. Putting tasks in your calendar might be overwhelming, and it will definitely be confusing. You need a place to put every little thing on your mental to-do list so that nothing slips through the cracks and gets left hanging and undone. If you just need a piece of paper, more power to you, but if you’re looking for an app to be your task hub, look no further than Todoist. PCMag writes in ‘The Best Productivity Apps for 2024’ that “of all the to-do list apps on the market, Todoist is consistently rated at the top. It's one of the most advanced to-do apps you'll find.” This app holds all your tasks from big to small in customizable categories for simplicity. And if you don’t like Todoist, you can always just use your notes or reminders apps, because what matters is that you know where you can find your priorities when you need them.

Additional Tools

Your most important tools are for tasks and time commitments, but there are more tools out there that might give you that extra edge. Here are some additional apps and programs you might want to try out to maximize your productivity.

• Shortcuts: This is an app that comes already installed on iPhones, and it allows you to set up triggers on your phone. Again from PCMag: “You can make one that says, ‘When I stop my phone's Wake-Up alarm [that's the trigger], automatically play a morning news podcast.’ Another example is ‘When I arrive at such-and-such a location based on GPS, automatically silence notifications.’”

• RescueTime: This app gives you reports on how much time you spend on different sites and apps throughout your day. This will give you awareness so that you can set goals or remove distractions as you go. ($6.50/month)

• Habit Tracker: If you’re looking for a simple app to track the habits you’re building, this app may be your new best friend! You can customize your goals and reminders so that you stay on track.

As always, find what works for you! Everyone’s styles and demands are different, so experiment and stock your toolbox with what you need to get it all done. Happy hunting!

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