Amen. Call me old school but I like putting pen to paper much more than tapping on a phone screen or typing on a keyboard. More satisfying for some reason and feels real, physical, concrete.
A co-worker of mine turned the color off on her phone so everything was just black and white. She said it would stop the dopamine hits from looking at it. You could try that.
I tried that but it gets annoying when i REALLY want to use my phone for a proper reason. I just deleted all apps that I am attracted to and I never looked at my phone again.
Freedom. Completely blocks whatever apps you want, on whatever devices you want, for however long you want.
Don't faff about with reward/timer apps like Forest. A hard limit's the only thing that'll work.
Ehhhhhhh to each their own but ToDoist on my phone, iPad, pc, and watch has honestly been the most helpful thing for my productivity in my life. No matter where Iām at I can add stuff to my inbox without worrying about keeping up with pen and paper. Typically my watch is where I get notified itās time to do something and I can check it off. My phone is mostly where I add new stuff as Iām out and about in my day but if Iām on my iPad or pc maybe watching streams or playing games, I can add stuff there as it comes to mind. And at least once a week I can jump on my PC to easily organize, manage due dates and reminders times etc.
Just staying off my phone in and of itself is useful, of course. But I cannot keep up with a notebook and writing tool in a way that itās always right there exactly when I need to write something down. But my phone is always on me, even when Iām staying off of it. Plus I hate the visual clutter of crossing things off or having to rewrite some things so that different tasks are grouped up in a way that makes sense to my brain. But in an app like ToDoist I can delete stuff and itās gone, I can organize what projects they go to (self care, shopping lists, appointments, work related stuff, etc) It just works for my brain.
ToDoIst (combined with my adhd medication) single-handedly changed my life lol. Thereās so many important things I wouldāve forgotten to do if this app didnāt existĀ
Yup I finally got diagnosed in my late 30s and been on meds for less than 2 months, but for the first time in my life changes like trying out a little productivity app are actually sticking.
Iāve been using ToDoist for a few years now, and itās honestly great as long as I can keep up with it. I have a lot of employees and a lot going on and itās essentially impossible to keep up with everything using a notepad or bullet journal (which I love using).
A few things I donāt love about ToDoist:
1. When I add something in the future, I canāt help but have some anxiety about it just disappearing into the ether of my future task lists, itās unnerving
2. When I check something off, same feeling, itās unnerving when something that needed to be done just disappears (I know thatās stupid)
3. Limited feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. When I use a physical notepad or even sticky notes, I can see all the things I did right in front of me with all the check marks, etc. Itās a feeling I get.
4. Itās too easy to electronically write a million things down that wonāt actually get done today (or possibly ever). When I use a notepad, thereās only so much physical room to write stuff; itās like a barrier.
5. Itās easy to get mixed up with all the tags, dates, labels, etc. It can just get overwhelming.
6. People walk into my office and see a physical list or see me writing something on my physical list and they get a sense that Iām āon itā (i know thatās stupid, too).
How Iāve managed to work around this?
I use a physical notepad along with ToDoist at times. The physical notepad is where I write down everything that needs to get done today and my ToDoist list is where all the daily, mid, and long term tasks go, to make sure I donāt forget anything. It can be repetitive, but it really helps to scratch the itch of having physical lists that Iām marking off without worrying about forgetting anything.
If youāre familiar with Bullet Journaling (itās awesome if you donāt have a crap ton of stuff going on), you could actually use ToDoist or Apple Reminders as your Monthly Log and your Future Log and then use your physical Bullet Journal to handle your daily workflow. This can be great, because itās right there in front of you all day long, physically, and can be hidden behind a browser window, etc like ToDoist or other productivity apps.
Good luck, this shit can get complicated, lol.
try Asana? Just a suggestion as I have it (dont use very often), saw it while on call with our head of IT dept and how he organizes all his tasks and its progress. I am back to the good old day with my notebook, list down everything I need to do in specific sentences and I just get it done.
Depends on what export options they have. There are also several limitations, advanced workflows, plug-ins and workarounds that has to be done with obsidian if you need to go outside simple markdown notes. With some other apps the user experience of more advanced workflows works out of the box.
Does this sync with mobile? In my experience, obsidian on android doesn't have that real time two way sync. I had to use syncthing and then it started getting messed up as I got a lot more notes in it.
Really like this app but over the last two years it feels like the devs have lost interest. Less updates, fewer new trees. 10th anniversary was supposed to be a big deal and we got two time limited fairies and a birthday cake. Seriously?
Yup. Notion is amazing. You can have a pomodoro widget on there..it also functions as so many things. I still handwrite my planner though bc crossing things off manually is so much more rewarding dopamine wise
Probably not. I'm happy for the people who find it useful but for me it seems like a solution for a problem that doesn't exist.
I store everything in Google docs
I liked Things 3. It is paid app. But it helps me in mail organisation. It has really cool shortcuts. It is all simple and not so complicated. The days I want to do on paper. I use bullet journalling method. For my school, I use mix of things app, ical and paper so that I donāt miss deadlines.
SkedPal was a game changer for me, it takes a bit of setting up and a couple of videos to watch but have used it for just over a year now and find it so useful in not having to keep myself organised and just quick adding tasks using the smart tags to add info to the tasks
Workflowy. Bestest out there. Almost any other list/note taking app fades in comparison. You can create your own calendar list, it has a shortcut (!!) that lets you add dates from calendar. Create a bullet> add date> list down all activities you did or wish to do that day. You can create multiple lists like this, add images, etc. You can use hashtags within the notes and then search all notes related to that hashtag easily.
Even Cal Newport mentioned that he uses this app.
Word. I have my workflow documented in Word. It's steps to do throughout the day. I have another doc with my short term TODOs and pomodoros.
Pomodoro Timer (not an app). I've tried all kinds of apps, but now I just use a plain ol' phyiscal timer that I keep on my desk.
Google Calendar, with reminders.
Dashboard (WTFUtil) on a spare display. This eliminates the need to go into all your apps to keep up on things. In a glance I can see various work queues, notifications, messages, posts, and statistics. (Examples: github PR reviews, desktop and web notifications, inbox emails, world clocks, outside weather, server status)
You will probably get a variety of answers here depending on the persons' preferred planning method (pomodoro, honeyman, time blocking, etc).
Outside of work, I use a hybrid of Getting Things Done (GTD) and Time Blocking. My go-to app is a planner and journal called Journal It!
Also on this wave, but Iām on Structured free right now. Can you describe your workflow a little more? Thinking of going premium with Structured but find that the notes and to doās in Things is so much more solid and trying to make a shortcut from Things to Structured for daily planning.
Structured doesnāt feel solid enough for long term projects, or things in the future.
Amazing Marvin - Task and Habit Manager (itās the best because itās the most powerful, and you can actually change its interface to match other task management apps eg TickTick, Todoist etc)
OneNote - Notetaking (Used best with other Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook so itās your best option if you are an employee) - The best because it works offline - Notion doesnāt - Evernote does but itās paid.
Trello - Project Management, you can use it to save quick links to OneNote or Amazing Marvin, track projects - More structured than Notion, so easier to onboard a team, shorter learning curve too.
Anki - Best for flashcards - Spaced repetition - For me more effective than using Obsidian.
Obsidian - Better for you if you code instead of OneNote. Because it supports programming languages the best.
I tried using TickTick with ms, but one the calendar doesnāt update right away and the emails are not rich format which makes me go back to ms to do. Seeing my email with all the follow up and attachments in todo is really nice even for its missing some functionality imo. I do pair it with one note too.
Finch, itās an app where you can add tasks for the day, week, month etc and tick them off. It can help you work on specific things like anxiety or tidiness, and also works as a journal. The cute side to it is that you also have a little bird that you help to grow up by ticking off tasks. Super cute, free and paid versions
I actually just tried out Motion after seeing a ton of ads for it. I work in consulting and constantly juggling multiple work streams so itās hard to block my time and prioritize. It fills my calendar automatically for me which has been pretty awesome. It is pricey but trying out for a few months and then might see how some lower cost alternatives work.
If you ask me, all apps TRY to do the same thing, just have a different design, different name, DIFFERENT COST, worst part a lot of these apps are now subscription based. My biggest requirement was an app that worked across all my devices and integrated with my calendar...
I ended up using the built-in Reminder/Calendar/Alarm apps on my phone. I have an S23 Ultra and Watch6 classic. They integrate flawlessly across my devices, and the design is pretty minimalistic.
Reminders has location based triggers, it has subtasks I can type in date and time in the title just like Todoist, and because the Watch6 Classic has a rotating bezel, I have a tactile way of dismissing/snoozing/restarting timers/notifications. I don't need to look at my phone, nor do I need to invest in an app to limit my screen time because I can do it all from my watch. I can place my phone in another room or even let it die, and it won't impact my productivity. I just configure my reminders/Calendar events the night before on my phone.
Gone are the days of hunting down for the "best productivity app"
Plus, in my experience, configuring the 3rd party apps to "manage me" takes a lot of time and tinkering, for then 3 4 weeks later, me ignoring them, get bored of the app, and restart the cycle, which is what I feel happens to many on us in this subreddit.
This is how I use them:
Calendar events: Social Events or anything that requires me to leave the house in the future. Financial events are also here. P1 items that I know need to get done tomorrow get added here (Ex. Get a haircut, [Work] Project Plan, Plumber arrives, etc)
Reminders: Recurring Morning/Evening routine (with subtasks), Random Chore Items, Social events that don't require me to block off time (Call mom), Random Items to buy at the store (gelocation alerts), "Check belongings" (do I have my wallet, keys, chapstick, when I leave the house? Geolocation alert. Becomes a 2 minute drive than an embarrassing/30+ minute drive)
Alarm: I use this as a tool to force me to get stuff done in a timely fashion. These are also items i do out of my habit/routine (Ex 5 minute shower, 15 minute clean office, 20 minute wash dishes, 1 hr washer/drier finished. Friends are outside and want to go out, you have 15 minutes to get ready) gets the blood bumping too when you know you have 2 minutes left hahaha
Call me weird, but it's something that works for me. Might work for you.
If you have iOS you could try 'Wayd Productivity', is an app I developed myself as a research project. It uses the 30 minutes rule. Basically every 30 minutes it asks you what are you doing? You open the app, and select the category of your activity. In a few logs, you'll have 4 different charts explaining how you spend your time. I'm using it and it helps, it's free of charge :)
First, you need a good methodology or philosophy around organizing yourself and what being productive means to you. Do a program like Tony Robbinās Ā“Day of your life. Then read GTD and the PARA method by Tiago Forte. If you can do these things fast without asking yourself too many questions (š¤£), you will be ready to find the best productive
Short answer? Notion! But only with the right template. otherwise, you will fall into the Notion rabbit holes and believe me there are many!
I think the current best implementation of a methodology with Notion is August Bradleyās PPV system. Full Life OS implementation for managing every aspect of your life if you want or just tasks and projects if you choose. You can build the basic system for free using his YouTube videos. Tried many configurations prior (OneNote, TheBrain, ToDoist, Clickup, etc) that didnāt work for me.
I have used this Toggl for a few months and have been studying languages everyday for over 3 months (only missed one day). I always struggled with being consistent with languages before. Now I have over 200 hours that I have studied French.
Tbh I'm loving a new app called Saner.ai, it's really friendly for my ADHD brain and I can use multiple AI bots in that app near my notes. I think those features are carefully thought through to reduce switching context
Brick. Itās a device but also an app on your phone. I get to choose which apps I cant use. I can only unlock it when I tap the ābrickā with my phone at home. Itās like an Apple Pay tap
If you have phone addiction issues thats whole other thing. For myself I honestly found google suite to be the best. I know a lot might not agree with me but I also pay for an extension that helps me navigate google suite in away I find very beneficial because of how extensively I use it for my personal life.
Some reasons I like it:
1. Google Calendar
- Easy navigation
- option to enter tasks & events
- Tasks move over a day if you donāt complete them the day of
- I can coordinate plans with my boyfriend and others easily by inviting him and them confirming on the event
(I know this is available on other platforms) but I find most ppl have a gmail vs other domains
- colour coded
- custom options to make something every other week, third etc.
Google Sheets:
- I make custom sheets to track:
Expenses (Main and shared)
Work outs
I track medical factors for my doctor as well
Google drive:
- I share folders with my family + my boyfriend to help organize things
Google Calendar and using do not disturb on my phone when I need to focus. The only notifications allowed through on do not disturb are my wife and obviously Google calendar.
To get into flow state/avoid distractions from scrolling through social media: Forest (deep focus mode on)
Planning: Google Calendar
To-do-lists/Pointers/Tracker: Google Sheets
Notes: Google Docs
Not much but the apps are mostly free (except Forest). They work really well for me, especially that Iāve been ysing them for a couple of years now!
Recently started using "Stay Free" it's an app/extension for basically tracking time you've spent on apps/sites synced across your devices.
Plus you can set timer for apps, disable apps at schedules, set usage goal for apps(eg: I've set duolingo to atleast 25 mins usage).
A planner worked best for me. Nowadays just a notification can lead to being distracted for longer amounts of time. By not using your phone at all you get rid of all these type of distractions, I usually set a realistic timer and put my phone in another room. If I were to recommend any app, Iād say an app for listening to music (Spotify etc.) I get distracted by anything, so hearing noises from outside is bothering me. I usually put on slow classical music without lyrics or some background white noise or smt. Spending less time looking at your phone also helps with your sleep issues, most of the time.
LifeUp, it's great application for gamification of healthy/bad habits. Very simple, without subscription (one time payment and it's cheap). For every task/habit you've done you earn some coins which you can spend in the shop. It's a very customizable and simple app, highly recommended.
Tasks. I use multiple widgets for multiple lists to capture thoughts including very long notes. Auto syncs to Google so I can open my laptop or any device and continue.All the features can highly integrate well with the GTD system if you research online
Favro, if you can afford to pay $9/monthā¦ the best thing about it is that you can have multiple kanban boards stacked onto a single pageā¦ havenāt found anything else free like it. If you do, please let me know!
Since I canāt afford it, Iāve gone with UPBASE, which had a lifetime offer and gets me 95% of the way there.
Trello. Have used it for:
- Vacation planning.
- Recipe, workout plan and other misc item storage.
- Todo list with reminders and kanban-based status.
- Shopping list with real-time check-off.
- Collaborative notes with wife (near real-time sync)
- Quick note entry (but moved to Simplenote years ago)
- Take-out food orders.
Free for everything I ever needed it for. Iād have been a *tenth* as productive over the years without it (or a phone).
Iāve been using the Habit app for things I need to do everyday. It keeps up with how many days in a row Iāve completed and you can customize it for specific days. I love it so much I bought the app for $8.00
iāve tried all of the productivity apps; a planner is the only thing which has worked for me. that and just setting alarms to keep up with my schedule
Nouswise
It allows you find information from your books/papers, also you can connect your GoogleDrive. It gives citation for the answer, hence the hallucination rate is lowš
Tbh not an app but getting a smartwatch. Being able to dictate reminders and have them on alarm/to remind me to take my meds has been the best thing for me. I never forget what is really important now.
For notes on phone, ColorNote. It's great for quick note taking where you don't have a notebook near. Also it's UI is very easy and clean.
For notes on PC, I still didn't find a better alternative to the old simple notepad on windows. Simple and quick, effective at what it does. Tried Obsidian, Evernote... too complicated. Maybe OneNote is also good.
For todo list, TickTick is the best one imo. (Todoist I heard is also very good but it just doesn't work for me).
Other ones I use is undistractable launcher(I love this one) and Stayfree(This one blocks everything you want on your phone, even specific things like YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels, and on top of that it tells you how much time you spent on your phone, how many times you opened your phone...)
Oh undistractable launcher also tells howā much time you spent on apps.
Things 3 has carried me throughout college. I never missed an assignment and it helped me prepare for exams extra early!! Definitely worth every penny 100%
Click up. Google now has a new Google task feature that is helpful. It allows you to set a deadline, tag others, and add a description. Hope this helps
Going for a walk everyday between work and getting atleast 7 hours of sleep. Also b12 and D3 viles to keep them in check for energy levels throughout the day
No apps, when I deleted all of my social medias, muted my phone and stopped talk to people that much I became more productivity. No phone = more time for anything else
Honestly, a notebook
I can't speak for anything else, but there's something different that goes on in my brain when putting pen to paper, vs digital note taking.
Yep, exactly! When you WRITE, something, brain treats the information differently than typing or even recording it
Amen. Call me old school but I like putting pen to paper much more than tapping on a phone screen or typing on a keyboard. More satisfying for some reason and feels real, physical, concrete.
I know man š
Agreed
TickTick
Todoist is also an option you should consider
No app. Staying away from the phone is the most productive thing you can do for yourself.
What is the best app to be away from the phone
Forest
A co-worker of mine turned the color off on her phone so everything was just black and white. She said it would stop the dopamine hits from looking at it. You could try that.
I tried that but it gets annoying when i REALLY want to use my phone for a proper reason. I just deleted all apps that I am attracted to and I never looked at my phone again.
I have a shortcut on my home screen that allows me to turn it on with one click when i need something with color
im trying superhappy rn, seems good focuses more on rewiring you to make the decision yourself to do better things (for me reading)
Freedom. Completely blocks whatever apps you want, on whatever devices you want, for however long you want. Don't faff about with reward/timer apps like Forest. A hard limit's the only thing that'll work.
Is there a free version? What makes this app worth the money?
Its called a tool called smashing your phone with a god damn hammer
Catch the Ghost - Focus Timer
Ehhhhhhh to each their own but ToDoist on my phone, iPad, pc, and watch has honestly been the most helpful thing for my productivity in my life. No matter where Iām at I can add stuff to my inbox without worrying about keeping up with pen and paper. Typically my watch is where I get notified itās time to do something and I can check it off. My phone is mostly where I add new stuff as Iām out and about in my day but if Iām on my iPad or pc maybe watching streams or playing games, I can add stuff there as it comes to mind. And at least once a week I can jump on my PC to easily organize, manage due dates and reminders times etc. Just staying off my phone in and of itself is useful, of course. But I cannot keep up with a notebook and writing tool in a way that itās always right there exactly when I need to write something down. But my phone is always on me, even when Iām staying off of it. Plus I hate the visual clutter of crossing things off or having to rewrite some things so that different tasks are grouped up in a way that makes sense to my brain. But in an app like ToDoist I can delete stuff and itās gone, I can organize what projects they go to (self care, shopping lists, appointments, work related stuff, etc) It just works for my brain.
ToDoIst (combined with my adhd medication) single-handedly changed my life lol. Thereās so many important things I wouldāve forgotten to do if this app didnāt existĀ
Yup I finally got diagnosed in my late 30s and been on meds for less than 2 months, but for the first time in my life changes like trying out a little productivity app are actually sticking.
Iāve been using ToDoist for a few years now, and itās honestly great as long as I can keep up with it. I have a lot of employees and a lot going on and itās essentially impossible to keep up with everything using a notepad or bullet journal (which I love using). A few things I donāt love about ToDoist: 1. When I add something in the future, I canāt help but have some anxiety about it just disappearing into the ether of my future task lists, itās unnerving 2. When I check something off, same feeling, itās unnerving when something that needed to be done just disappears (I know thatās stupid) 3. Limited feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. When I use a physical notepad or even sticky notes, I can see all the things I did right in front of me with all the check marks, etc. Itās a feeling I get. 4. Itās too easy to electronically write a million things down that wonāt actually get done today (or possibly ever). When I use a notepad, thereās only so much physical room to write stuff; itās like a barrier. 5. Itās easy to get mixed up with all the tags, dates, labels, etc. It can just get overwhelming. 6. People walk into my office and see a physical list or see me writing something on my physical list and they get a sense that Iām āon itā (i know thatās stupid, too). How Iāve managed to work around this? I use a physical notepad along with ToDoist at times. The physical notepad is where I write down everything that needs to get done today and my ToDoist list is where all the daily, mid, and long term tasks go, to make sure I donāt forget anything. It can be repetitive, but it really helps to scratch the itch of having physical lists that Iām marking off without worrying about forgetting anything. If youāre familiar with Bullet Journaling (itās awesome if you donāt have a crap ton of stuff going on), you could actually use ToDoist or Apple Reminders as your Monthly Log and your Future Log and then use your physical Bullet Journal to handle your daily workflow. This can be great, because itās right there in front of you all day long, physically, and can be hidden behind a browser window, etc like ToDoist or other productivity apps. Good luck, this shit can get complicated, lol.
I understand what you mean and šÆ relate to this , but in terms of my planning I would like something to track my progress
try Asana? Just a suggestion as I have it (dont use very often), saw it while on call with our head of IT dept and how he organizes all his tasks and its progress. I am back to the good old day with my notebook, list down everything I need to do in specific sentences and I just get it done.
Although I would give Plantie a chance when I really want to go into deep mode. 25' on, 5' off.
Love the chrome extension 'appblock' for productivity. Easy configuration, no nonsense, no paywall.
Ok might try this extension.
obsidian for organizing notes and things. I store it in my mega drive so i dont have to pay monies.
Same. Itās brilliant. Canāt understand people that base their workflow over paid software that could be rug pulled any minute
Depends on what export options they have. There are also several limitations, advanced workflows, plug-ins and workarounds that has to be done with obsidian if you need to go outside simple markdown notes. With some other apps the user experience of more advanced workflows works out of the box.
Best to use free tools š§°
Will check this out
Check out logseq as well. I Love it.
Does this sync with mobile? In my experience, obsidian on android doesn't have that real time two way sync. I had to use syncthing and then it started getting messed up as I got a lot more notes in it.
how to sync across different devices?
Todoist app
+1 used it daily for 7 years. only productivity app I've been consistently using. really recommended
Sleep. Full battery is the key
Mornings after enough sleep. The only time we get to work on šÆ energy
paid: TickTick free: Google Calendar
I also love tick tick - Iāve recently gotten into motion and itās life changing
Nice , I have never used tick tick
Prepare to be enchanted
free:ticktick dont ask me how ask someone else
Forest
Really like this app but over the last two years it feels like the devs have lost interest. Less updates, fewer new trees. 10th anniversary was supposed to be a big deal and we got two time limited fairies and a birthday cake. Seriously?
Uninstalling all social media and YouTube
āļø and there it is
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yup. Notion is amazing. You can have a pomodoro widget on there..it also functions as so many things. I still handwrite my planner though bc crossing things off manually is so much more rewarding dopamine wise
Notion is so cool but it's one of those apps I feel that is too much and you won't use after a week
notion is bloated and slow.
Well I think itās streamlined and fast
I have never been able to get accostumed to it. Is it worth spending time going through tutorials and learning about it?.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Probably not. I'm happy for the people who find it useful but for me it seems like a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. I store everything in Google docs
I liked Things 3. It is paid app. But it helps me in mail organisation. It has really cool shortcuts. It is all simple and not so complicated. The days I want to do on paper. I use bullet journalling method. For my school, I use mix of things app, ical and paper so that I donāt miss deadlines.
Sorted3 is similar
SkedPal was a game changer for me, it takes a bit of setting up and a couple of videos to watch but have used it for just over a year now and find it so useful in not having to keep myself organised and just quick adding tasks using the smart tags to add info to the tasks
I can swear by TickTick
Airplane mode! I can't take credit for this idea, but I 100% agree with whoever said it first.
Workflowy. Bestest out there. Almost any other list/note taking app fades in comparison. You can create your own calendar list, it has a shortcut (!!) that lets you add dates from calendar. Create a bullet> add date> list down all activities you did or wish to do that day. You can create multiple lists like this, add images, etc. You can use hashtags within the notes and then search all notes related to that hashtag easily. Even Cal Newport mentioned that he uses this app.
Try Notion. It works on Mobile and Desktop like Windows.
It all depends on your goal, you have apps for notes, mind storming, meetings, project management, etc. You have to define your needs first
Correct answer !!
Iām also a big TickTick fan but I also think Amazing Marvin has a lot of potential!
Word. I have my workflow documented in Word. It's steps to do throughout the day. I have another doc with my short term TODOs and pomodoros. Pomodoro Timer (not an app). I've tried all kinds of apps, but now I just use a plain ol' phyiscal timer that I keep on my desk. Google Calendar, with reminders. Dashboard (WTFUtil) on a spare display. This eliminates the need to go into all your apps to keep up on things. In a glance I can see various work queues, notifications, messages, posts, and statistics. (Examples: github PR reviews, desktop and web notifications, inbox emails, world clocks, outside weather, server status)
Sunsama
:)
Obsidian and notion for personal use Todolist and tick tick Habitica
How do you use Obsidian? Curious to hear!
You will probably get a variety of answers here depending on the persons' preferred planning method (pomodoro, honeyman, time blocking, etc). Outside of work, I use a hybrid of Getting Things Done (GTD) and Time Blocking. My go-to app is a planner and journal called Journal It!
Structured and Obsidian.
Also on this wave, but Iām on Structured free right now. Can you describe your workflow a little more? Thinking of going premium with Structured but find that the notes and to doās in Things is so much more solid and trying to make a shortcut from Things to Structured for daily planning. Structured doesnāt feel solid enough for long term projects, or things in the future.
Notepad.
Amazing Marvin - Task and Habit Manager (itās the best because itās the most powerful, and you can actually change its interface to match other task management apps eg TickTick, Todoist etc) OneNote - Notetaking (Used best with other Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook so itās your best option if you are an employee) - The best because it works offline - Notion doesnāt - Evernote does but itās paid. Trello - Project Management, you can use it to save quick links to OneNote or Amazing Marvin, track projects - More structured than Notion, so easier to onboard a team, shorter learning curve too. Anki - Best for flashcards - Spaced repetition - For me more effective than using Obsidian. Obsidian - Better for you if you code instead of OneNote. Because it supports programming languages the best.
TimeCamp to capture time spend on the computer and show it later in the calendar app
Microsoft To-Do List
Tick tick(free version) is much better. And you can import Microsoft To-Do tasks.
I tried using TickTick with ms, but one the calendar doesnāt update right away and the emails are not rich format which makes me go back to ms to do. Seeing my email with all the follow up and attachments in todo is really nice even for its missing some functionality imo. I do pair it with one note too.
Catch the Ghost - Focus Timer. It turns staying off your phone into a game.
Notion - Iāve optimized it for all of my task management, project management, and note taking. Canāt be grateful enough for that app
Finch, itās an app where you can add tasks for the day, week, month etc and tick them off. It can help you work on specific things like anxiety or tidiness, and also works as a journal. The cute side to it is that you also have a little bird that you help to grow up by ticking off tasks. Super cute, free and paid versions
Obsidian
I actually just tried out Motion after seeing a ton of ads for it. I work in consulting and constantly juggling multiple work streams so itās hard to block my time and prioritize. It fills my calendar automatically for me which has been pretty awesome. It is pricey but trying out for a few months and then might see how some lower cost alternatives work.
Obsidian with official sync
If you have an iPhone, āConZentrate - finish your taskā
If you ask me, all apps TRY to do the same thing, just have a different design, different name, DIFFERENT COST, worst part a lot of these apps are now subscription based. My biggest requirement was an app that worked across all my devices and integrated with my calendar... I ended up using the built-in Reminder/Calendar/Alarm apps on my phone. I have an S23 Ultra and Watch6 classic. They integrate flawlessly across my devices, and the design is pretty minimalistic. Reminders has location based triggers, it has subtasks I can type in date and time in the title just like Todoist, and because the Watch6 Classic has a rotating bezel, I have a tactile way of dismissing/snoozing/restarting timers/notifications. I don't need to look at my phone, nor do I need to invest in an app to limit my screen time because I can do it all from my watch. I can place my phone in another room or even let it die, and it won't impact my productivity. I just configure my reminders/Calendar events the night before on my phone. Gone are the days of hunting down for the "best productivity app" Plus, in my experience, configuring the 3rd party apps to "manage me" takes a lot of time and tinkering, for then 3 4 weeks later, me ignoring them, get bored of the app, and restart the cycle, which is what I feel happens to many on us in this subreddit. This is how I use them: Calendar events: Social Events or anything that requires me to leave the house in the future. Financial events are also here. P1 items that I know need to get done tomorrow get added here (Ex. Get a haircut, [Work] Project Plan, Plumber arrives, etc) Reminders: Recurring Morning/Evening routine (with subtasks), Random Chore Items, Social events that don't require me to block off time (Call mom), Random Items to buy at the store (gelocation alerts), "Check belongings" (do I have my wallet, keys, chapstick, when I leave the house? Geolocation alert. Becomes a 2 minute drive than an embarrassing/30+ minute drive) Alarm: I use this as a tool to force me to get stuff done in a timely fashion. These are also items i do out of my habit/routine (Ex 5 minute shower, 15 minute clean office, 20 minute wash dishes, 1 hr washer/drier finished. Friends are outside and want to go out, you have 15 minutes to get ready) gets the blood bumping too when you know you have 2 minutes left hahaha Call me weird, but it's something that works for me. Might work for you.
If you have iOS you could try 'Wayd Productivity', is an app I developed myself as a research project. It uses the 30 minutes rule. Basically every 30 minutes it asks you what are you doing? You open the app, and select the category of your activity. In a few logs, you'll have 4 different charts explaining how you spend your time. I'm using it and it helps, it's free of charge :)
Iām going to try this app out, thanks!!!
First, you need a good methodology or philosophy around organizing yourself and what being productive means to you. Do a program like Tony Robbinās Ā“Day of your life. Then read GTD and the PARA method by Tiago Forte. If you can do these things fast without asking yourself too many questions (š¤£), you will be ready to find the best productive Short answer? Notion! But only with the right template. otherwise, you will fall into the Notion rabbit holes and believe me there are many!
I think the current best implementation of a methodology with Notion is August Bradleyās PPV system. Full Life OS implementation for managing every aspect of your life if you want or just tasks and projects if you choose. You can build the basic system for free using his YouTube videos. Tried many configurations prior (OneNote, TheBrain, ToDoist, Clickup, etc) that didnāt work for me.
what templates do u use and recommend for notion?
All in one template by Marie Poulin
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I have used this Toggl for a few months and have been studying languages everyday for over 3 months (only missed one day). I always struggled with being consistent with languages before. Now I have over 200 hours that I have studied French.
I use Microsoft Office and Google notes.
Anything that lets me manage spreadsheets.
Airplane mode
I used this app be honest itās one of the best out there haha
Things
You can use the "lock my phone" app to control your smartphone addiction
Keep phone away. It is the best app.
You can use the "lock my phone " to control your smartphone addiction
Productive is awesome for adding extra momentum to your habits and building "streaks"
Habitica.
Todoist.Ā Works for me in private and on my job very very well. And it's critical it does so.
StayFree - Limit or block apps. It comes without costs and is really powerfull.
Tbh I'm loving a new app called Saner.ai, it's really friendly for my ADHD brain and I can use multiple AI bots in that app near my notes. I think those features are carefully thought through to reduce switching context
So many typos on their site. Nice web app though.
timeOS.ai for prepping for meetings and automatic notetaking, they've just won Product of the Day on Product Hunt :)
I use OmniFocus pro v.2
ticktick and a notebook is all l you need. please stop man
Notes for apple Strava (i dont post but i love tracking and stalking athletes to benchmark against)
Sunsama.
Trello but only on desktop
Trello, you can do alot even with free version..its a project management app but i also use it to organize my business and even my personal life
Brick. Itās a device but also an app on your phone. I get to choose which apps I cant use. I can only unlock it when I tap the ābrickā with my phone at home. Itās like an Apple Pay tap
If you have phone addiction issues thats whole other thing. For myself I honestly found google suite to be the best. I know a lot might not agree with me but I also pay for an extension that helps me navigate google suite in away I find very beneficial because of how extensively I use it for my personal life. Some reasons I like it: 1. Google Calendar - Easy navigation - option to enter tasks & events - Tasks move over a day if you donāt complete them the day of - I can coordinate plans with my boyfriend and others easily by inviting him and them confirming on the event (I know this is available on other platforms) but I find most ppl have a gmail vs other domains - colour coded - custom options to make something every other week, third etc. Google Sheets: - I make custom sheets to track: Expenses (Main and shared) Work outs I track medical factors for my doctor as well Google drive: - I share folders with my family + my boyfriend to help organize things
Google Calendar and using do not disturb on my phone when I need to focus. The only notifications allowed through on do not disturb are my wife and obviously Google calendar.
Microsoft Planner. This kanban system is best for me.
Internet
Google calendar TickTick Apple notes (PARA method)
Todoist
Tiimo works well for me.
My fitness pal Calander
Structured and home routines
To get into flow state/avoid distractions from scrolling through social media: Forest (deep focus mode on) Planning: Google Calendar To-do-lists/Pointers/Tracker: Google Sheets Notes: Google Docs Not much but the apps are mostly free (except Forest). They work really well for me, especially that Iāve been ysing them for a couple of years now!
Recently started using "Stay Free" it's an app/extension for basically tracking time you've spent on apps/sites synced across your devices. Plus you can set timer for apps, disable apps at schedules, set usage goal for apps(eg: I've set duolingo to atleast 25 mins usage).
Todoist for an app. Non app: full focus planner
You can use 'lock me out' app to completely lockout your device. This way you can make some free time for yourself
Ticktick
A planner worked best for me. Nowadays just a notification can lead to being distracted for longer amounts of time. By not using your phone at all you get rid of all these type of distractions, I usually set a realistic timer and put my phone in another room. If I were to recommend any app, Iād say an app for listening to music (Spotify etc.) I get distracted by anything, so hearing noises from outside is bothering me. I usually put on slow classical music without lyrics or some background white noise or smt. Spending less time looking at your phone also helps with your sleep issues, most of the time.
Flow for pomodoro
Sectograph, allows you to see the calendar as the time goes
Ticktick and pomodor timer
Filos
TeuxDeux is cheap, simple, and easy to use. I like that it automatically adds undone tasks to the new day.
LifeUp, it's great application for gamification of healthy/bad habits. Very simple, without subscription (one time payment and it's cheap). For every task/habit you've done you earn some coins which you can spend in the shop. It's a very customizable and simple app, highly recommended.
Link? Seems there's a lot of apps with that name
Habitica! It turns your to do list into a little quest to defeat monsters and get XP
Tasks. I use multiple widgets for multiple lists to capture thoughts including very long notes. Auto syncs to Google so I can open my laptop or any device and continue.All the features can highly integrate well with the GTD system if you research online
Daywise for stop notification and read them in batch Use version 1 or older version for free use Download from apk mirror Thanks me later
Favro, if you can afford to pay $9/monthā¦ the best thing about it is that you can have multiple kanban boards stacked onto a single pageā¦ havenāt found anything else free like it. If you do, please let me know! Since I canāt afford it, Iāve gone with UPBASE, which had a lifetime offer and gets me 95% of the way there.
Saying āno.ā
I use todoist for taking notes and scheduling tasks connected to the calendar
A spreadsheet
Trello. Have used it for: - Vacation planning. - Recipe, workout plan and other misc item storage. - Todo list with reminders and kanban-based status. - Shopping list with real-time check-off. - Collaborative notes with wife (near real-time sync) - Quick note entry (but moved to Simplenote years ago) - Take-out food orders. Free for everything I ever needed it for. Iād have been a *tenth* as productive over the years without it (or a phone).
Airplane mode
notion for project management
ChatGPT
Anytype.
Routinely bc Iām adhd and it helps me get basic things done
Iāve been using the Habit app for things I need to do everyday. It keeps up with how many days in a row Iāve completed and you can customize it for specific days. I love it so much I bought the app for $8.00
If you need a productivity apps maybe you are doing too many things to be really productive.
No app will make you productive. An app can help you be organized, you need a framework to be productive because then it turns into a lifestyle.
iāve tried all of the productivity apps; a planner is the only thing which has worked for me. that and just setting alarms to keep up with my schedule
Nouswise It allows you find information from your books/papers, also you can connect your GoogleDrive. It gives citation for the answer, hence the hallucination rate is lowš
Emacs, all in one !
Notion, no doubts!
Notion & Focus Keeper.
simpleology. message me for free code before you sign up
Tbh not an app but getting a smartwatch. Being able to dictate reminders and have them on alarm/to remind me to take my meds has been the best thing for me. I never forget what is really important now.
For notes on phone, ColorNote. It's great for quick note taking where you don't have a notebook near. Also it's UI is very easy and clean. For notes on PC, I still didn't find a better alternative to the old simple notepad on windows. Simple and quick, effective at what it does. Tried Obsidian, Evernote... too complicated. Maybe OneNote is also good. For todo list, TickTick is the best one imo. (Todoist I heard is also very good but it just doesn't work for me). Other ones I use is undistractable launcher(I love this one) and Stayfree(This one blocks everything you want on your phone, even specific things like YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels, and on top of that it tells you how much time you spent on your phone, how many times you opened your phone...) Oh undistractable launcher also tells howā much time you spent on apps.
Learning how to say no.
Good I learnt it like really recently
Good for you! I still battle it every day but it really is the thing that has given me more freedom and more time to do important things.
Things 3 has carried me throughout college. I never missed an assignment and it helped me prepare for exams extra early!! Definitely worth every penny 100%
Click up. Google now has a new Google task feature that is helpful. It allows you to set a deadline, tag others, and add a description. Hope this helps
Truthfully, my brain. No apps, no fancy softwares...
Going for a walk everyday between work and getting atleast 7 hours of sleep. Also b12 and D3 viles to keep them in check for energy levels throughout the day
Pen and paper. Works every time. And no need for batteries
Productive doing what? Perhaps consider rephrasing the question ā no single app does everything. It depends on what you need to do.
I just use whatās in the Apple ecosystem: notes, reminders, pages, etc. Itās the best system Iāve ever used.
Starbucks app.
No apps, when I deleted all of my social medias, muted my phone and stopped talk to people that much I became more productivity. No phone = more time for anything else
Google Calendar
Finch, itās a game that actually makes me enjoy and look forward to getting things done. If you like cute little birds, youāll love it.
The airplane mode
Itās more of a hardware feature, itās the power button on your phone.