Daily Apps I Use To Keep Track Of My Tasks, Goals and Productivity

Many of us have busy lives and numerous aspirations to pursue. For me, I like to write things down to ensure that I have a clear head for new things. I prefer to empty my thoughts before I go to bed, so that I can rest easy knowing that I have not forgotten anything.

(Wix stock image)

Over the years, I have experimented with various traditional and digital tools to keep a tab on my errands and productivity. Whilst I do not claim to have the perfect setup, I do have a toolkit that is most suitable for my current needs.

In the past, I have fallen into the trap of using too many applications. I think it is important to avoid spreading yourself too thinly across multiple platforms. It can be highly counterproductive as you end up recording different pieces of information in different apps. You might not notice it again or spend some time looking for it, leaving you disorganised and inefficient.

I would like to share my current suite of Tools (in order of most used) and also as a point of future reference. They are as follows:

Apple Notes

This is my instant canvas where I keep the bulk of my day-to-day errands and itemised tasks. When I am out and about in the streets, I often find myself writing down a sentence or two to remind myself when I get back home. It contains my primary to-do lists and has a minimalist interface.

On a daily basis, I currently use this app the most. Before Apple Notes became available, I used to write many things on sticky notes and notebooks. Google Notes is a decent alternative that I have used in the past but I find it a little harder to focus on.

Microsoft Excel

Excel might be considered old-fashioned by some but it has played a profound impact in my productivity for personal goals and work. I have a schedule that contains my 20+ targets for 2022 as well as multiple trackers to record my progress for the main parts of my business.

One of the spreadsheets is dedicated to this website and contains future content ideas to be developed. I also keep various parts of my business strategy here and like to use Excel as an inspiration board where I can record my ideas. Like a centralised trove.

Calendar

I stick to one universal app which pulls in all of my work meetings, personal items of work, errands and activities. A few years ago, shortly after taking on a management role, I realised that my time was being spent with colleagues more than on my own tasks.

I started blocking time out in my calendar for individual tasks. For example there would be two hours allocated for a task named "complete 1st draft of platform drawings". I found that this greatly improved my efficiency because it committed me to doing that particular task and challenged me to complete it within a certain timeframe. It is especially effective for mini-deadlines that I set for myself which all contribute to the overall deadline.

It also improved my work schedule because colleagues saw my calendar and adjusted meetings to be on a particular day or clumped up in a specific part of the day. Scattered meetings throughout the day can often be disruptive to work productivity but I was lucky to be in the position to optimise it.

Trello

I like to store very long term targets here for future reference. The concept of the apps is based on boards so it is very easy for me to organise my thoughts by topic.

The interface is clean as it separates lists and individual items, making it easy to digest a lot of information in one go. I find it easy on the eyes, particularly with the use of colour coding. I have used it to plan my holiday itineraries.

Paper and Pen

(Wix stock image)

For any standout tasks that must not be missed on a particular day, I still use traditional sticky notes and pen. I find writing it down on paper reinforces it in my brain, gives a sense of urgency and presents a visible reminder throughout the day (should I forget about it). The danger of course is that sometime you can end up with a desk littered with sticky notes if you are anything like me.

One More I am Considering:

I heard Notion has some unique features for productivity. I plan to test it out later this year.