Day 17: Be productive, right now
Productivity Action Day 17. Tricks, er tools of the trade.
In order for you to be productive at many of the things you are doing in your business and in your life, tools can be a great help.
Your Mission Possible for Productivity Action Day 17, if you so choose to accept it is to:
Choose the right tool for the job at hand
I have a fascination with words and I looked up the word “tool”. Here is the definition I found:
Noun: a devise or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.
Did you notice anything? It said “especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.”
In your line of work and in your life, what tool(s) would help you excel at being productive?
Choose wisely
Ultimately, you need to find the right tool for you. One that will work well for you and that you will use.
For example, here are several that myself and my clients use (or have used):
- Calendar
- Digital Calendar (i.e. Google, iCal)
- Paper Calendar
- Daily (I love Day Designer for work)
- Weekly
- Monthly (it’s a good idea to have a big month overview)
- Notetaking
- Handwritten: 3-hole punch binder system, arc binder, notebook
- Online: Evernote, Google Keep (see additional references for others)
- Smartphone Alarms & Reminders
- iPhone Notes reminders (use Hey Siri to “remind me to…” works especially well when driving)
- Project Management Systems
- Online Systems such as: Asana/Trello (there are many, I’ve used both of these and currently am using the free version of Asana which I’m liking a lot)
- Paper is always good to lay things out where you are and what you are doing.
- Smartphone Timer
- Egg.timer (to keep yourself on track when working on the desktop and not wanting to go down the rabbit hole of your phone)
For instance, I now know what I really like and what works. But I’ve used or I’ve tried many of the above tools. That’s the key. Moreover, in order to find something that works well for you and that you’ll use, you need to experiment with different tools.
Subsequently, don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work right away. Give it about 30 days or even longer. Just don’t spend gobs of time (time waster) or money on trying to find the “perfect” one. The one(s) you will use regularly to stay productive is all you need.
It’s all in the application
The apps on your phone aren’t called apps for no reason. They are applications and you apply or do an action with them.
Further, another way to say that is the action of putting something into operation. And YOU are the who is getting into action. You are applying all you have learned and using the tools you have chosen.
Can you see how it’s in the use of your tools, the use of your actions that move you to your end result. It’s the application of your Productivity Actions that get you to where you are going.
Taking action, no matter how you take action (think of Productivity Action Day 16) is what leads to mega productivity and your mega results.
So please, do not get hung up in the tools you think you need or the apps you have yet to find. Get moving, get going and reach your end results.
A lot of what I use now is because someone recommended it to me or talked about how much it helped them so if you have any you would like to share please post in the comment box so that others can benefit too.
Additional References for you
IGTV: Kim Ravida IGTV
Paper Calendar: Day Designer
Note Taking Apps: Evernote
Article: Evernote Alternatives: 25+ apps for note-taking in 2020
Online Project Management Systems: Asana (www.asana.com), Trello
Timer: Simple Computer Countdown Timer,
These are just a few reference for you to explore. Feel free to find others that may suit your wants and needs.
Disclosure: Some of the links I have provided for you are my affiliate link. It costs you nothing but I may receive a small commission. Thank you.
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