As you might have guessed from the title of this article, I have something of an… obsession? With productivity tools.
ADHD has been diagnosed on me (a shout out to everyone who was diagnosed as an adult!) To stay focused and productive, I rely heavily on systems. But — likely also because of the ADHD — I Love Try new things.
It means I never encountered a new software tool that I did not sign up for within about 2,5 seconds.
It is also the novelty of these new tools that motivates me to keep on track. A system is still a systems, correct?
In the last year, I’ve tried more than 57 different productivity tools. (I tracked it all in Notion, naturally — pop me a message if you want to see the receipts).
There are a few apps I’ve used for years and will continue to use.
Before we get into it, I want to acknowledge that ‘productivity tool’ is a really broad term. You’ll see it used for everything these days from email extensions to AI writing tools You can also find out more about the following: ChatGPT.
While these other apps and tools can undoubtedly help boost efficiency, in this article, I’m zeroing in on productivity tools in the more traditional sense — those that help me stay organized, plan my day, and stay focused.
We’ll get started.
Todoist
Free productivity tools for organizing your work
Todoist — no matter how many tools I try, I somehow always find my way back to you.
It just… works.
I find that Todoist makes sense to the majority of people. There are lists, there are kanbans (if you pay for the plan), and it also has a calendar with timeblocking. Todoist has many features that I would love to have (the color-coding of time blocks being one). However, it is an excellent second brain to help you organize tasks and projects.
It also plays really well with a bunch of other tools — you can easily add Slack messages as tasks, for example. It is highly customizable but doesn’t need much to start. There are also templates based off well-known productivity methods, such as Getting Things Done and The Eisenhower Matrix.
Also, it works great for corporate teams. My husband and I have several projects we collab on — and I do rather enjoy assigning tasks to him.
All of these features can be found on the free plan. However, their paid plans are also extremely affordable.
What are my favorite features?
- Comprehensive free plan
- The app, desktop and web versions are all beautiful
- Natural language processing, so you can type ‘Email Hailley tomorrow’ and the task will be added to your list for the next day.
- ‘Karma’ — a simple gamification system that gives you karma as you complete tasks
Cost: Paying plans start at just $5 per month.
Akiflow
The best productivity tool to consolidate tasks everywhere
Akiflow The end of the notification overload is near.
It goes beyond task manager — Akiflow is a task consolidator. It pulls tasks from your Slack account, Notion, Todoist Asana Trello and other apps into a single task inbox.
Then, organize them into folders and project and plot them in your calendar. If I, for instance, save a Slack message, that will appear as a Task in Akiflow’s inbox. You can then schedule it to a particular day.
Analytics is another feature that I like (and many productivity tools lack). Every task that is assigned a duration or time-blocked in your calendar — and completed — is tracked. You can then get an overview of how much time you spend on projects, meetings, and tasks.
The fact that I can see just how much I’ve managed to do in one day is very motivating. This is also very useful if you, like myself, work on several projects in addition to your regular 9-5. Akiflow lets me track my time spent working on social media or freelance content.
Also, it has a daily planner and shutdown ritual, solid productivity statistics, as well a booking calendar feature, similar to Calendly.
Akiflow can be expensive The following are some of the most common questions that people ask. They offer a lot of discounts for those who subscribe to emails and do the 7-day free trial. This is how I was able to afford it.
What are my favorite features?
- New features and updates are released frequently and with speed.
- Daily ‘rituals’ to help you get started and review your day’s work
- AI assistant, ‘Aki,’ which can help you organize your day
- Integrations are endless.
- You can use simple analytics to get an idea of the amount of time spent on specific activities.
Cost: You can pay $19 monthly if you want to. Look out for special offers.
Routine
A daily focussed view of productivity is the best tool to help you get more done.
Your never-ending list of to-dos can be overwhelming when it is captured into a system. I understand. I’ve had to shut down the app because the constant stream of checkboxes was too overwhelming.
A tool such as Routine Comes in. The app is beautifully designed and integrates your Notion tasks with events from your calendar.
The focus today feature is my favourite. It’s great for blocking out time. The only thing you see is what you are planning for the day.
The task manager differs from the rest in that your tasks can be organized on separate pages instead of folders. It also allows for notes to be added, making it a unique tool.
There’s only one downside to this app for me: there is no way of color-coding your tasks on your calendar. Routine is releasing some really cool features this year, so I am definitely watching their roadmap.
Best part — Routine has a comprehensive free plan. This will cost you absolutely nothing.
What are my favorite features?
- Focused ‘Today’ view to reduce overwhelm
- Clean and minimalist interface
- Solid integration list to consolidate work from other places
Cost: Paying plans start at $10 per monthly.
Toggl track
Time tracking software is the best productivity tool.
Have you ever come to the end of a day at work and thought, “Wow! “What did I even do today?” — it’s me, hi — then it’s time to explore Toggl Track.
This is one of the easiest time-tracking tools I have ever used. It helps me to be honest with myself about how my time actually goes. It allows you to track time by task or project, as well as set up billable rates for freelancers.
It is possible to track time in retrospect or as you are working. The instant I hit the “start” button, my productivity is instantly boosted. My time will be recorded so I am less likely to jump between tasks and fall into a TikTok hole.
Reporting features can be surprisingly useful. You can gain valuable insight even if you do not track each minute. You may be spending too much of your time on tasks or side projects that don’t fit into your job description.
Toggl is the only tool that offers analytics on this list. You can drill down by time period, project, or task — and have a handy bar/pie/line graph to go along with it.
My absolute favorites are the integrations. Toggl track is compatible with virtually any tool that uses the web.
With the extension enabled, the little pink ‘start’ button can appear on everything from Google Docs to Notion pages to emails. Todoist timeblocks are my favourite workflow. Then I start the Toggle task in Todoist’s web app.
Toggl will then automatically log me in to view the statistics.
What are my favorite features?
- Integrate with hundreds of different tools seamlessly
- Multiple ways to visualise your productivity data
- Share reports with your managers via export.
- Easily connect your timed work to invoices — amazing for freelancers.
Paying plans start at $10.
Sunsama
The best productivity tool to help you plan mindfully
The tools that I use must be pleasing to the eye. They have to be aesthetically pleasing, or I won’t use them.
The bar has been raised. Sunsama It is likely that the The following are some of the most popular ways to get in touch with each other This list is beautifully designed. It delivers on the promise of productivity, too — Sunsama is all about mindful planning and being realistic about what you can actually achieve in a day.
This is a great tool for those who love to block out time and tend to underestimate how much they can accomplish.
This app encourages you set an estimated time for each task, as part of your daily planning ritual. It also lets you know if you’ve got too many things planned.
The lightweight statistics and analytics are also great. You can easily see what you did with your time.
The only downside to this app is the cost — it comes in at $20 per month, $16 if paid annually, but can you really put a price on productivity? Probably.
What are my favorite features?
- Daily and weekly routines for planning guided
- Learn how to better manage your time with simple analytics
- List of Integrations that consolidate Tasks from Other Places
Cost: If paid annually, $20 per month is $16
P.S. If you need a tool like this on a tight budget, Ellie This deserves an honourable mention! Ellie, built by a developer independent, is very nice looking and functions in the same way.
Brain.fm
The best productivity tools for deepening focus
If I want to work in deep mode brain.fm Is my first port-of-call?
It’s a music app, but not in the way you think — brain.fm Uses audio with scientific backing that is specifically designed to focus you, relax or help you sleep.
According to their site, brainwaves operate at different speeds (Hz) that scientists generally break down into 4 categories that are associated with different mental states — one of these is “active thinking, problem-solving, and focus.”
“Brain.fm identifies the optimal Hz range for a given mental state and translates it into volume modulations within certain areas of our music,” This is what the company says. “This encourages your brain to increase the power level of brainwaves that are equal to or similar to the patterns we’ve embedded in the music.”
Whether it is a placebo effect or not, the ‘Focus’ mode really works for me, particularly for creative work. When I listen, I can often get into flow states.
Other apps offer similar features, but they don’t allow you to customise your sound in this way. brain.fm does. You can use simple filters to find what you like, be it cinematic sound, an acoustic guitarist, singing bowls or birdsong. I love thunderstorms.
The subscription fee is reasonable. It’s great if you like to work best with music but don’t care for lyrics (like I do). brain.fm Could help.
What are my favorite features?
- Sound filters are available in a variety of options to help customize your soundscape.
- You can use it for sleep, meditation, focus and much more.
- An app for every device — there’s a version for desktops, phones, and tablets. In-browser use is also available if that’s what you prefer
Cost: Spend $9.99 per Month or $79.99 annually
Focus Traveller
Pomodoros are the best productivity tool to enjoy fun sessions
Focus Traveller This app is like a Pomodoro, only way, way funnier. The app lets you make a mountain climbing avatar who will only climb the peak if you are actively working. When I’m looking for a way to remove my phone from the equation and to add an extra incentive to start working, this app comes in handy.
My little mountaineer will climb the mountains if I prop up my phone next to my work desk and type my tasks.
It’s a treat to use. There is ambient sound, animation, and soft sounds. If you enable deep focus mode, the avatar won’t climb if your move away from the app.
If you’re motivated by gamification or need some extra incentives to stay off TikTok (🙋♀️), Focus Traveller might be worth a try. The app isn’t crammed with features or analytics but sometimes a little boost in mood can do the trick.
If you are able to work long enough, then your avatar will also celebrate the moment they reach their goal. Yay!
What are my favorite features?
- Create your own avatars and terrain
- Background sounds that are soothing and simple
- Focus with friends — you can set up a ‘Travel Group’ if you want to work with someone else
Cost: There is no cost, but there are paid plans for fun backgrounds that start at $0.99/month.
Notion
The best productivity tool to take notes and documents
If you are interested in productivity software, then you already know what it is. You can learn more about this by clicking here.. This list is incomplete without Notion.
It is the Swiss Army Knife of productivity. Notion can create everything from simple notes to fully-formatted documents or advanced databases. Notion is used to plan, write, and edit much of the blog content at Buffer. This blog is being written in Notion.
It’s also what I use to keep track of my weekly exercise. Notion is so powerful that I keep track of my games in Notion.
Notion is flexible, which means that it can be customized. You can find out more about it here. what you need — but the downside is that it does take some time to set up the way you want. Due to this, I chose not to use Notion for my task planning and management (although you can absolutely do so). The clarity I sought in a different, focused tool was what I required. My personal and work life is largely based in databases.
Notion has so many templates that once you discover your flow you won’t want to live without it. It also works well with tools such as Routine and Akiflow.
What are my favorite features?
- It is possible to link databases related to a project.
- The ability to view multiple databases simultaneously transforms them into calendars, kanbans or other views.
- You can create stunning documents by using formatting options
- The ability to ‘publish’ pages and share them publicly
Cost: Pay as little as $10 for a free plan
Superlist
The best productivity tool for list lovers
Superlist Although it is relatively new, this task manager/notes tool has already made waves. It’s designed by the same folks behind Wunderlist (RIP), and it shows — it’s sleek, minimal, and surprisingly powerful.
It’s easy to use and has a great interface. Even mundane tasks are made fun.
Superlist, despite its simplicity, has some hidden features, such as AI meeting notes and a voice-assistant that turns a random thought into actions.
Superlist isn’t as complicated as Akiflow and Notion but this was the whole point. It’s a great way to get things done, without feeling like you are managing an enormous system.
There’s also a free, comprehensive plan which gives you access to all of these features. You should check out Superlist if you’re looking for a beautiful, simple task manager or notes app.
What are my favorite features?
- Lists shared that automatically update (hello shopping list for the family)
- Add items quicker with natural language processing
- AI Meeting Note-Taker can add items automatically to your To-Do list
Cost: Plans starting as low as $15 per person/month.
It’s my top tool testing tip: If you find that something doesn’t work, cancel the test. Your productivity system should not become a burden.
It’s important to experiment with various systems and find the one that works best for you. Also, keep a list of all your main tasks in order not to lose anything. (I’ve done it!)
Did I miss your favorite tool? This article was already too long to add all the tools I would have liked! And since I’m tracking this task, I know it’s time to move on to today’s other items…
There are just so many great ones that I found it difficult to pick my favorite. Please let me know if there’s anything else you would like added to this list. You can either leave your suggestions in the comment section or reach out to me. @kirstilang on Threads.
