I keep getting questions about what tools I use and do not use, all regarding productivity. After I share the rules of this game, I will share the list of tools I use. The links attached don’t have any affiliate marketing, and I can’t say that I recommend them to everybody.
I said it’s a game. Oh yes, it’s the game of finding that perfect tool that does exactly what you need AND want. For some, it’s like playing whack-a-mole; for others, it’s a very intense series of experiments, and most folks are in between. I will define a productivity tool as one that does one of the following jobs:
- It acts as an influx gate for your work sources (email, Slack, phone calls.)
– This is the only way others can add work to your plate. Sometimes, it’s “send me an email,” other times, it’s “create a ticket,” and maybe sometimes it’s “re-arrange this list of tasks how you see fit.” - It keeps metadata of tasks (usually a task manager). The order in which a task sits in your queue is also part of the task’s metadata.
- It keeps time records of your work or interactions (calendar).
- It keeps rich-type information for access and archival (note-taking, Wikis, journal).
Everything else concerns effectiveness and mastery of specific tasks and problems. A Pomodoro timer is an example of this.
So, we have some definitions that already might stir some conversations; let’s add some spiciness also with some of my rules:
- You need to find a good workflow and the tool that follows it afterward.
