My Productivity Toolbox: Part One

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A few weeks ago I mentioned in a previous post that I have gone from having a swiss-army knife to a toolbox-mode of approach to how I manage my life. I have had to split them up into subcategories, they are; Projects and Goals, To-Do Lists, Calendars, Habits, Writing and PKM (Personal Knowledge Management).

I have decided to do two blog posts, a part one and two. This is mainly because the later sections have quite a few apps. This first part will go over Projects and Goals; To-Do Lists and Calendars; and Habits.

Projects and Goals

Notion

Notion was my original swiss army knife. Although I still use it – I have taken a few of the things off the knife and made them their own tool. However, one of the best ways I have found to manage projects and goals is still through this app.

Notion’s databases are the best I have found. This is primarily because its capability is based on a blank slate. You can create the most complex database with formulas and more. For me, I have kept it very basic and it serves its purpose. I have used August Bradley’s template; however, I have cut the unnecessary columns that I do not use.

I have these columns in my Projects database:

  • Pillars
  • Project
  • Review date
  • Status
  • Priority
  • Goal outcome
  • Type
  • Completed
  • Goal
  • Progress
  • Quarter

The main difference with both databases is that I have no link to my knowledge database that August has. As mentioned in a previous post why I find issues with having everything in Notion. Now yes I am aware that I have an app for my habits as well. I have just listed them in Notion, I don’t actually track them there.

The columns I have in my Goals database are:

  • Pillars
  • Goals
  • Habits
  • Value goal
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Photo by Nadeena Granville on Unsplash

To-Do Lists and Calendars

Todoist

Before I used Notion to track my to-do list for a while, I used Todoist. After deciding I needed a dedicated app, primarily after the database began to be clunky, I went with TickTick. This was a very brief period of time. I ended up being back with Todoist after I found some features lacking in TickTick. Though, you ‘can’ manage tasks in Notion – I soon found out that personally, I shouldn’t.

After moving back to Todoist I have come to the decision that I really should not have ever left. Even though some people might find a to-do list in Notion fine, for me, having multiple things to keep track of – with different elements – and a lot of reoccurring tasks, I needed something with a bit more that could assist me.

Morgen and Google

This is the app (in reality two) that I am most excited about. I recently found out about Morgen – and though I usually am not into apps that are not cross-platform, this is an exception. This is primarily because I consider Morgen a lovely skin to what is a Google Calendar.

Since the pandemic, I have been back to spending a lot of time at home. Thus, I have been using my laptop a lot. I have no real need for my calendar available on my phone. Because of this, having Morgen is fantastic for my needs. Also, as I am not scheduling – I can do what I need to on a free plan.

Habits

Habitfy

I had completely forgotten that I had paid for a premium account – right at the start of this app. Back then the app was in its early phases. I intended to go back to the app once things had progressed a bit further, but I completely forgot about the middle of December.

What I like about Habitfy is that it is also a mood tracker.

It also has statistics that you can look at on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.

Responses

  1. Stuart Danker Avatar

    Omg Notion is like a wonder app for me. I keep my writing ideas, to-dos (the calendar), journals, reading list, and even recipes in there. It’s such a wonder that it’s available for free. Can’t imagine using another platform for organisation. Anyway, thanks for this post!

  2. […] on from Part One, here is the second part of my toolbox. This post will focus on my writing and reading apps – […]

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