As you may need guessed from the title of this text, I’ve one thing of an… obsession? with productiveness instruments.
I’ve ADHD (shout out to all the parents who had been identified as adults!) and I lean closely on techniques to assist me focus and keep productive. However — possible additionally due to the ADHD — I really like making an attempt new issues.
Which implies I’ve by no means met a brand new software I didn’t join in about 2.5 seconds.
I discover that the freshness of latest instruments helps encourage me to remain on activity, too. Hey, a system is a system, proper?
So, confession: over the previous 12 months or so, I’ve tried a minimum of 57 productiveness instruments. (I tracked all of it in Notion, naturally — pop me a message if you wish to see the receipts).
And but, there are a number of apps that I preserve coming again to, or have caught with completely, on my tooling travels.
Earlier than we get into it, I need to acknowledge that ‘productiveness software’ is a very broad time period. Lately, you’ll discover it utilized to the whole lot from e mail add-ons to AI writing instruments and ChatGPT.
Whereas these different apps and instruments can undoubtedly assist enhance effectivity, on this article, I’m zeroing in on productiveness instruments within the extra conventional sense — people who assist me keep organized, plan my day, and keep targeted.
If that sounds prefer it may be up your alley, let’s get into it.
Todoist
Greatest free productiveness software for managing your duties
Todoist — irrespective of what number of instruments I attempt, I by some means at all times discover my means again to you.
It simply… works.
Todoist is a planning software that may make sense for most individuals’s working kinds — it has lists, kanbans, and a time-blocking calendar view (on the paid plan).
Whereas there are some options I’d like to see added (the flexibility to color-code time blocks is excessive up on my wishlist), Todoist is an excellent second mind for duties and tasks.
Whereas it is rather customizable, it doesn’t require a lot configuration to get began. It additionally has nice templates primarily based on well-known productiveness techniques, like Getting Issues Carried out, The Eisenhower Matrix, and extra.
Todoist performs very well with a bunch of different instruments, too — you may simply add Slack messages as duties, for instance.
If you happen to’re trying to apply it to a bigger scale, it really works very well for groups, each company and in any other case. My husband and I’ve a number of tasks we collab on — and I do somewhat take pleasure in assigning duties to him.
Most of those options can be found on their free plan, however their paid plan is fairly inexpensive, too.
My favourite options:
Complete free planBeautiful net, desktop, and app versionsNatural language processing, so you may kind ‘E-mail Hailley tomorrow’ and the duty might be added to your record for the subsequent day.‘Karma’ — a easy gamification system that provides you karma as you full duties
Value: Free, with paid plans beginning at $5 per thirty days.
Akiflow
Greatest productiveness software for consolidating duties from in every single place
Akiflow is just about the tip of notification overwhelm.
It goes past activity supervisor — Akiflow is a activity consolidator. It integrates together with your e mail, Slack, Notion, Todoist, Asana, Trello, and a bunch of different instruments and pulls them right into a single inbox as duties.
From there, you may manage these duties into each folders and tasks after which map them out in your calendar. So, for instance, if I save a message in Slack, it is going to present up as a activity in my inbox in Akiflow. From there, I can schedule it for a particular day,
One other characteristic I really like (and that most of the productiveness instruments are lacking) is analytics. Each activity that’s assigned a period or time-blocked in your calendar — and accomplished — is tracked. From there, you will get a giant image have a look at how lengthy you spent on sure tasks, duties, or in conferences.
I discover it tremendous motivating to see how a lot work I managed to get by way of in someday. It’s additionally actually helpful, if, like me, you’re engaged on a number of tasks outdoors your 9-5. With Akiflow, I can observe what number of hours I spend on freelance work or my private social media content material.
It additionally has day by day planning and shutdown rituals, actually stable productiveness analytics, plus a calendar reserving characteristic like Calendly.
Now, Akiflow is costly however they provide a great deal of actually stable reductions when you subscribe to their emails or do their 7-day trial, which is what has made it inexpensive for me.
My favourite options:
Quick and frequent updates and new featuresDaily ‘rituals’ that can assist you get began and overview your day’s workAI assistant, ‘Aki,’ which can assist you manage your dayA enormous record of integrations with different toolsSimple analytics that can assist you get a way of how a lot time you’re spending in particular areas
Value: $34 month-to-month or $19 month-to-month paid yearly. Preserve an eye fixed out for normal promos.
Routine
Greatest productiveness software with a targeted day by day view
In case your unending to-do record tends to get too overwhelming when captured in a system, I hear you. Typically the countless stream of containers to examine can get slightly an excessive amount of, prompting me to shut the app, and hit YouTube as an alternative.
That’s the place a software like Routine is available in. It’s a actually superbly designed app that integrates together with your calendar to drag in your occasions and even Notion to drag in duties.
It’s fantastic for time blocking, which performs effectively with my favourite characteristic, the targeted at the moment view. It solely reveals you objects you’ve gotten deliberate for that day, which is nice for serving to scale back overwhelm.
It’s slightly completely different from most activity managers in which you could manage your duties inside pages somewhat than folders, the place you may create notes as effectively, which is fascinating.
The one draw back for my unicorn mind with this app is that there’s no straightforward option to color-code your duties in your calendar. Routine has a very thrilling roadmap, so I’m undoubtedly keeping track of all of the options they’ve deliberate for this 12 months.
Better part — Routine has a complete free plan. It is going to price you nothing.
My favourite options:
Targeted ‘As we speak’ view to scale back overwhelmMinimalist, clear interfaceSolid record of integrations to consolidate duties from elsewhere
Value: Free, with paid plans beginning at $10 per thirty days.
Toggl Monitor
Greatest productiveness software for time monitoring
If you happen to’ve ever completed a workday and puzzled, “What did I even do at the moment?” — it’s me, hello — then it’s time to discover Toggl Monitor.
It’s one of many easiest time monitoring instruments I’ve ever used, and it helps me keep sincere about the place my time is definitely going. You possibly can observe by mission or activity, and even set billable charges when you’re freelancing.
You possibly can observe your time retroactively or dwell as you’re employed. Hitting the beginning button on a time-tracking activity is like an instantaneous productiveness enhance for me. As a result of my time is being recorded, I’m means much less more likely to bounce between duties or fall down a TikTok rabbit gap.
The reporting options are surprisingly satisfying, too. Even when you don’t observe each minute, doing it will possibly supply actually useful perception. Are you spending an excessive amount of time on a aspect mission, or duties which might be technically outdoors of your scope?
There are another instruments on this record which have analytics, however nothing fairly on the extent of Toggl. You possibly can drill down by time interval, mission, or activity — and have a helpful bar/pie/line graph to associate with it.
The integrations are my absolute favourite. Because of a intelligent browser extension, Toggl Monitor pairs with virtually any web-based software, so that you don’t even must open Toggl to start out monitoring.
With the extension enabled, the little pink ‘begin’ button can seem on the whole lot from Google Docs to Notion pages to emails. One among my favourite workflows is to timeblock in Todoist, then begin a Toggle activity inside the Todoist net app.
That means, I solely must log into Toggl to overview the analytics.
My favourite options:
Easy integrations with a mindblowing variety of toolsMultiple methods to visualise your productiveness dataAbility to export stories to share with managersEasily join your timed work to invoices — superb for freelancers.
Value: Free, with paid plans beginning at $10
Sunsama
Greatest productiveness software for aware planning
I would like the instruments I take advantage of to be aesthetically pleasing. In the event that they’re not, I simply can’t convey myself to make use of them.
The bar is excessive, and Sunsama might be probably the most superbly designed on this record. It delivers on the promise of productiveness, too — Sunsama is all about aware planning and being reasonable about what you may really obtain in a day.
It’s wonderful for lovers of time blocking who are inclined to overestimate what they will get performed.
It encourages you to set estimated occasions for every activity as a part of a very pretty day by day planning ritual, and allows you to know when you’ve gotten an excessive amount of deliberate for the day.
It additionally has a light-weight stats and analytics characteristic so you may see the place you spent your time, which I really like.
The one draw back to this app is the fee — it is available in at $20 per thirty days, $16 if paid yearly, however can you actually put a value on productiveness? Most likely.
My favourite options:
Guided day by day and weekly planning routinesSimple analytics that can assist you higher handle your timeSolid record of integrations to consolidate duties from elsewhere
Value: $20 per thirty days, $16 if paid yearly
P.S. If you happen to’re searching for the same software on a finances, Ellie deserves an honorable point out right here! Ellie was constructed by an impartial developer, it’s very nice to have a look at, and works in the same means.
Mind.fm
Greatest productiveness software for entering into deep focus mode
After I must get into deep work mode, mind.fm is my first port of name.
It’s a music app, however not in the best way you suppose — mind.fm makes use of science-backed audio that’s particularly designed that can assist you focus, loosen up, or sleep.
In line with their website, brainwaves function at completely different speeds (Hz) that scientists typically break down into 4 classes which might be related to completely different psychological states — one in all these is “energetic considering, problem-solving, and focus.”
“Mind.fm identifies the optimum Hz vary for a given psychological state and interprets it into quantity modulations inside sure areas of our music,” the corporate explains. “This encourages your mind to extend the facility degree of brainwaves which might be equal to or much like the patterns we have embedded within the music.”
Whether or not it’s a placebo impact or not, the ‘Focus’ mode actually works for me, significantly for artistic work. I discover I’m capable of get right into a move state as a rule once I’m listening.
There are a handful of different apps and instruments that provide one thing comparable, however a lot of them don’t supply the flexibility to customise your sounds in the best way mind.fm does. Easy filters aid you pinpoint what works for you, whether or not that’s cinematic sounds, acoustic guitar, singing bowls, or birdsong. (I’m a fan of thunderstorms.)
It’s not free, however the subscription is fairly affordable. If you happen to’re the sort of one that works finest with sound however finds lyrics distracting (like me!) mind.fm may assist.
My favourite options:
Big number of sound filters that aid you customise your experienceUse it to focus, sleep, meditate, and moreAn app for each machine — there’s a model for desktops, telephones, and tablets. You need to use in-browser too, when you favor
Value: $9.99 per thirty days or $69.99 per 12 months.
Focus Traveller
Greatest productiveness software for enjoyable Pomodoro periods
Focus Traveller is a Pomodoro timer, however means, far more enjoyable. Within the app, you create a mountain-climbing avatar, who can solely scale the height whilst you’re working. Each time I must remove my telephone as a distraction and add one other incentive to get working, I flip to this app.
I’ll prop my telephone up subsequent to my desk, kind in my activity, and set my little mountaineer to climbing.
There’s ambient noise, delicate animations, and it seems like slightly deal with each time I take advantage of it. Plus, when you toggle on deep focus mode, your avatar will cease climbing when you transfer out of the app.
If you happen to’re motivated by gamification or want some additional incentives to remain off TikTok (🙋♀️), Focus Traveller may be price a attempt. It’s not full of analytics or integrations, however typically the little temper enhance is what you want.
Plus, when you work for lengthy sufficient in a day, your little avatar will have a good time once they attain the summit. Yay!
My favourite options:
Customise your avatar and terrainSimple, soothing background soundsFocus with buddies — you may arrange a ‘Journey Group’ if you wish to work with another person
Value: Free, although there’s a paid plan for extra enjoyable background choices, at $0.99 per thirty days.
Notion
Greatest productiveness software for note-taking and documentation
If you happen to’re all for productiveness instruments, you in all probability already know. However this record wouldn’t be full with out Notion.
Notion is the productiveness equal of a Swiss Military knife. You need to use it to create easy notes, absolutely formatted paperwork, and superior databases. At Buffer, a lot of our weblog content material is deliberate, written, and edited in Notion. (I’m drafting this weblog put up in Notion, because it occurs.)
Exterior of that, I take advantage of it for the whole lot from writing podcast scripts to monitoring my weekly exercises. Heck, I even preserve notes about video games I’m at the moment taking part in in Notion.
Notion’s flexibility means it may be precisely what you want — however the draw back is that it does take a while to arrange the best way you need. Due to that, I select to not preserve my activity administration and planning in Notion (although you completely can do this). I discovered that I wanted the readability of a separate, extra targeted software. However most of my different work, private {and professional}, takes place in a single database or one other.
All that stated, there are such a lot of nice templates on the market, and as soon as you discover your move, Notion turns into the software you didn’t know you couldn’t dwell with out. Additionally, it performs very well with different instruments like Routine and Akiflow.
My favourite options:
The flexibility to attach databases for associated projectsMultiple views that flip databases into kanbans, calendars, and moreFormatting choices that assist you to create stunning documentsThe capability to ‘publish’ pages and share them publicly
Value: Free, with paid plans beginning at $10
Superlist
Greatest productiveness software for lovers of lists
Superlist remains to be pretty new, but it surely’s already making waves as a activity supervisor and notes software. It’s designed by the identical people behind Wunderlist (RIP), and it reveals — it’s modern, minimal, and surprisingly highly effective.
I really like the way it handles subtasks and recurring objects, and the interface makes even mundane to-dos really feel enjoyable.
So simple as it appears, Superlist has some highly effective options tucked away, like AI assembly notes, and a voice assistant that may flip a ramble into actionable to-dos.
It’s not as advanced as one thing like Akiflow or Notion, however that’s precisely the purpose. Superlist helps you get stuff performed with out making you’re feeling such as you’re managing a large system.
Plus, there’s a complete free plan that provides you entry to loads of this. If you would like a superbly designed, dead-simple activity supervisor and/or notes app, Superlist is price exploring.
My favourite options:
Shared lists that replace in real-time (howdy, household buying record)Pure language processing that can assist you add objects fasterAI assembly note-taker that may routinely add to-do objects to your record
Value: Free, with paid plans beginning at $15 per individual per thirty days.
My prime tip for instruments testing: If one thing on this record doesn’t fairly click on, don’t be afraid to cancel after the trial. The very last thing you need is to your productiveness system to develop into a chore in and of itself.
I extremely suggest experimenting with completely different techniques to seek out what suits your mind finest (and holding a grasp record of your most necessary duties so nothing will get misplaced in between tool-hopping. I’ve been there!)
Did I miss your favourite software? There are lots of others I’d have appreciated to incorporate right here, however this text is already slightly lengthy! And since I’m monitoring this activity, I do know it’s time to maneuver on to at the moment’s different objects…
In all seriousness, although, there are such a lot of wonderful ones on the market that it was powerful to decide on my favorites. If you happen to’d prefer to suggest one thing else for this record, pop them within the feedback or discover me @kirstilang on Threads.
