In my search to simplify my life, I’ve always way been keen to find ways to get more done in less time and use my time as efficiently as I can. My journey to simplify, doesn’t end there, there is also the goal to get what is in my head out in one way or another to free up my mental space and hopefully reduce stress.
I am not productivity expert by any stretch of the word, but I certainly have tried certain tools and resources in my quest to simplify my life and be more productive so I can get what I need done, and move onto other things. If you are wanting some suggestions to be more productive and get more done these are 6 tools I have used for a number of years now that might help you.
Disclaimer: None of these listed below are sponsored tools or apps, they are just my opinion, and what I have found works for me 🙂
6 Productivity Apps That Help Me Stay Productive
- Colournote (App)
Colornote is a great place to make any random notes I want to make on the go or to refer back to often such as:
- Making a list of places to visit on holiday
- My shopping list
- Shows I want to watch
- Hashtags I use for Instagram posts etc
It’s great for when you need to write something down and don’t have a paper or pen!
For example, I have lists of hashtags I use for certain post topics, such as Finance, that I can just copy and paste into Instagram saving me minutes for each post that I can put to better use! You could even use it just to note down your daily spending as you go until you can add it into a worksheet later on when you sit down at your computer.
- Google Calendar
Google Calendar is where I keep all my scheduling. Anytime I book in an event or appointment, have plans with friends or a house repair job, I’ll note it into my Google Calendar. I love that this calendar can be used from my phone on the go.
I can invite people to any event, so I can invite my husband or my friends via email and they’ll get a calendar notification as well. I can also buy online like tickets to an event and it will automatically add it to my calendar.
It helps to keep me organized and know where I have to be at what time! You can also enter the details of the event including the location and time so everything is in one place!
And it can’t hurt to have a notification to remind you an event or appointment is coming up the day before or the morning of!
- Trello
I used Trello as a To-Do List as well for note-taking where I can ‘tick off’ completed tasks and take all the satisfaction that comes with that! Trello is essentially a digital pin board with post it notes. So you can pick a topic and then list what you want in that category and then Archive it when it is completed, or move it to a ‘Done’ List.
I use trello to keep track of things such as:
- My ‘To Buy’ List: I have different stores that I shop at frequently I.e. Bunnings, Kmart and I will add anything I need to buy when I go there next. This helps me to be productive as I know when I go to the store what I need to buy at a glance. How frustrating is it when you go to a shop and your brain just goes blank! Trello also helps me avoid impulse shopping as I build up these shopping lists over time as I need and over time it has helped me to reinforce a barrier to spending, if I want something it goes on the list, I don’t necessarily get to buy it that second! This also helps me to be more productive, as instead of going to the shops every week or even multiple times a week *shudders*, I will instead, build up a list for that store and might just go to that shop once that month rather than multiple times. Here I am still getting what I need, but saving myself multiple trips to get it, and it really helps me to prioritise what I need now, vs what can actually just wait until I can go shopping there.
- Meal Planning
I have one Trello board for Meal Planning, I have the days of the week and a whole list of meal ideas to choose from. On each meal post I have the ingredients I need to make it, so I can easily see what I need to buy from the shops in order to make that recipe. This helps me to be more productive as it allows my Meal Planning process to only take 5-10 minutes a week! And habits that are easy are much easier to stick with!
- Book Recommendations
If you are anything like me, you will hear and endless number of book recommendations. So I keep those in a list in my Trello board. I may not get to most of them, I’m certainly ambitious but realistic, but I can always refer to the list if I ever want a new book to read. Not that that has happened too often hehe.
- To Dos
I have a To Do List Trello Board that I divide into Today, This Week & This Month, an idea I got from Joshua Fields Millburn from The Minimalists. There is where I note down things I need to do like make a call, pay for my insurance renewal, get a haircut etc. I even use Trello in my work as an Accountant to make sure I know tasks I need to complete and when and I can track what I have and haven’t completed.
These are just some of the things I use my Trello list for but the possibilities really are endless when it comes to how to be more productive! And the best thing is, it is completely free to use!
- Three Item Task List
I use my Three Item Task List for my personal and Work To Dos. I love having digital To-Do lists like Trello, and I certainly utilise those, but I also love just having things written down as well.
So each week, I prepare two of these schedules that incorporate both my To-Dos and my Schedule, so kind of a blend of my Google Calendar and Trello for the week ahead just so I can see everything in front of me on one piece of paper that I can carry around in my handbag. No heavy diary necessary!
You can grab the very same Three Item Task List I use here in my Etsy Store!
The idea of this List is to select the Top 3 things you need to do that day. It is there to help you prioritise your To Dos. So if you think of Trello as a list to help you note down your To Dos, and the Three Item Task List to highlight what is the most important of those To-Dos. It also helps drown out some of the noise that my digital To Do Lists have with having so many tasks, here I can simplify and say, those are all well and good goals, but these are my most important goals to achieve this week.
- Habits App
A couple of years ago, I discovered Habit Tracking Apps and how they can be helpful to keep you motivated to stick to your goals and create new habits! And we can all use as much help as we can get to build new habits and be more productive!
I use the ‘Habits’ app and set up some habits I wanted to build such as:
- Go to the gym
- Play bass
- Meditate
- Go for a walk
- Water
- Bring Lunch
- Take Vitamins
Just to name a few. You can open up the app once a day and record what habit you did that day and the circle on the left will colour itself in over time based on how close to 100% you are to your goal!
- Google Drive
Google Drive allows me to organize all my documents and files. It’s changed my tax return game up so much. I have folders for every single year of taxes and type and subfolders to organise expenses by category. I am an Accountant and even I don’t enjoy Tax Returns, so if you are like me, and keep to be more productive I highly suggest you set up a digital filing set up in Google Drive.
Generally, I will try scan receipts as I go with my phone camera and upload the file into Google Drive when I am holding the receipt. I then rename the file so that the file can be easily searched by a keyword rather than having to actually know the location of the file. Plan B, is just to sort these folders by Store or Category I.e. Warranties or Kmart.
It’s also where I keep a lot of my other projects and worksheet such as my budget, blog ideas etc.
Well there you have it guys, Six Tools That Help Me to Be More Productive. I hope you found this helpful and it helps you with your goals to simplify and take back some of your precious time to do more important things! 🙂
Do you have a any favourite apps that you use to help stay organized and productive? Please let me know which ones you prefer to use in the comments.
