8 Essential Apps/Tools for Focus and Productivity
Here are the apps and tools that help me manage my time, keep me focused, and reflect.
Happy Friday,
In this newsletter edition, I am sharing the 8 apps/tools that help me manage my time, keep me focused, and reflect.
Quick reminder/disclaimer: The tools you use don’t matter. 90% of great work is based on focus and consistency. Real work is about directly doing the thing. Fake work is focusing on the adjacent stuff.
I am breaking this down into inputs, reflection, and anti-distraction tools.
Inputs
Todoist - My task manager of choice. I put every task/thought/idea in here. The app is on all my devices including my phone/laptop/iPad/work computer.
The best feature is the speed you can capture thoughts from your head into the app.
Google Calendar/Outlook - I use my calendar religiously to track all my events including social events, workouts, and tasks (todoist integration). I also have Google Calendar integrated with Outlook to have work and life obligations in one place.
Notion - This is the Swiss army knife of apps. It’s a combination of Microsoft Word and Excel with a fun design. You can create a table, a board, a timeline, a calendar, or a list, or start with an empty page.
I primarily use it for writing (this newsletter), planning my quarterly goals, some light journaling, and as my knowledge management system (PKM).
Its biggest drawback is the amount of choices you have to customize it. I’ve wasted hours of my life setting it up just right (fake work). Use it as a blunt instrument and not as your best friend.
Omnivore - My “Read-it-later” app of choice. It allows me to save articles on the internet to read for later. It lets you have unlimited highlights and tag articles by topic. I also use another app Instapaper to send articles to my Kindle for distraction-free reading.
Reflection
There is something about a pen/pencil and paper that enhances thoughts. I’ve written before about my slow journaling method which is a great way to go deep with your thoughts.
For my journal, I use the LEUCHTTURM1917 (A5). It’s the perfect size. The paper feels nice to write on. Dotted lines all the way.
My notebook is MNEMOSYNE. It’s a Japanese brand, so you know it’s quality. It’s a spiral bond so it lays flat on a desk. I use this for general note-taking at work and for brainstorming.
Anti-Distraction Tools for Focus
I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating. Don’t keep your phone in your bedroom. Get another device for an alarm clock.
If you want to get extreme, get something like the Kitchen Safe. I lock my phone in here a few times a week — more in this article on cutting down on phone time.
We overrate our willpower and undervalue how the environment dictates our behavior.
When I am on my phone, I use Screen Zen. I find this better than the default screen time app on the iPhone. It lets you build multiple periods where certain apps and websites are blocked and hidden. It can also pause an app before it opens, so you can back out.
Which apps/tools do you use? Hit reply and tell me about them.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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