Productivity tools are a dime a dozen nowadays. There are tons of cloud-based apps that allow you to track, plan and schedule your days.
When it comes to keeping things focused, though, I tend to lean on four productivity tools to keep me pointing in the right direction.
1. Microsoft OneNote
I first started using MS OneNote back in 2015 and haven’t looked back since. It’s a OCD planner’s dream, and possibly the only good thing that Microsoft has made in the past five years.
The taxonomies are clear and concise — you have Notebooks, Section Groups, Sections and Pages.
I generally use the Notebook view for the job that I’m currently doing, then the Section Group for the year that I’m in, the Section for the month and Page for the day of the month that I’m tracking or planning.
I personally find it more aesthetically pleasing than other cloud-based note apps — on desktop at least. The mobile app is a tad laggy, but this is my go-to solution as I use my laptop for 90% of my day anyway.
2. Apple Notes
Apple’s stock note-taking app isn’t anything special but gets a mention because:
a) It doesn’t use much data to sync (unlike OneNote) and
b) It’s the logical note-taking solution for an Apple ecosystem.
For more longform note-taking I tend to lean on OneNote, but Apple Notes is great for jotting down thoughts and ideas that pop up at random, or just holding important info that I need to access on the fly.
3. Google Calendar
Google’s calendar offering seems to be constantly improving. It’s an intuitive experience, if a little basic, and syncs seamlessly regardless of mobile OS.
I use it mainly to track appointments and vacation plans; generally things that I otherwise might forget.
4. Planoly
Full disclosure; I’m still playing around with Planoly after recently rediscovering it. But it promises to be an Instagram power tool with functionality for scheduling posts and Stories. Other standout features include Discover and Analyze tabs, with a full calendar view that provides a clear overview of your IG content schedule.
I’ll definitely be making more use of this once I’ve built up a bank of content.
Do you have any tried-and-trusted productivity tools apart from the ones I’ve listed above? Let me know.
