These days, I’m fortunate to work on interesting group projects, but a part of working with others means that I cannot work on just my personal timeline (i.e., procrastinate until I panic). And in my ever-evolving quest to become organized, I’ve started playing around with different productivity and time management tools. And to welcome summer, the few months in the year when many of us have the time to work on projects, I’ve compiled a list of tips and tools I’ve used, am using, or want to use. None of these are perfect and many of them I’ve used for a couple of months or days and have dropped. But we shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.
- Pomodoro Technique
This is a classic time management method, and there are a lot of free apps or websites that make it easy to do. Or you can just use an alarm that you already have. The Pomodoro Technique requires you to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break, and on and on. There is no hard and fast rule that it needs to be a 25/5 ratio, but the idea is that you work in chunks with small breaks in between to remain productive. Personally, this technique doesn’t always work for me–sometimes I get in a “flow” state, and taking a break would only hinder my work. And other times, even if I try, it’s hard to stay focused for the full 25 minutes. I still use the technique, but instead of viewing the rules as a must-follow, I prefer to think of it as a guideline.
Here are some websites and apps you can use:
- To-Do List
Using a to-do list is probably the first step many of us take when we try to get things done. I’ve tried many ways to utilize a to-do list–from a simple notepad, an everything journal, a Notes app on my phone, and other to-do apps. But I’m always on the lookout for a better way to do the to-do list. I’ve tried the following apps but found them lacking for one reason or another. But maybe they’ll work for you!
- The All-in-one Productivity App
Unfortunately, I haven’t found a (free) all-in-one productivity app that can do everything, like integrating multiple calendars seamlessly, turning events into tasks with the ability to create subtasks, and keeping all relevant notes and documents in one place. Additionally, the biggest hurdle for me is finding something that I will want to continue using. Here are some good but imperfect apps that I’ve tried on and off:
The best method for being productive is likely sticking with a method or tool that works for you most of the time. I’m still learning and figuring out which method works for me. Please share in the comments if you have any productivity tools or tips that have worked for you!
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