4 Apps That Help Me Live a More Productive Life | David Peletz
For a while, I’ve been experimenting with ways in which I can leverage technology to be more productive. I’ve tried dozens of apps and kept only the ones that work well for me. If any of these speak out to you, give them a try and see if they help you be more productive.
The apps that I use to increase my productivity are:
Trello
Toggl
Forest
Productive
Trello
Trello is a task management software that enables a user to create Kanban-style lists. I use Trello every day to track what I have to do. I like the fact that I can separate my tasks into different lists. I have a list that corresponds to each area of my life. I use Trello on my phone and laptop and enjoy that the app syncs seamlessly. While I used to rely on hand-written to-do lists, I found that I was doing repetitive work every day and lacked a unified place to hold all my tasks. If I didn’t accomplish my tasks for one day, then the next day, I would have to re-write that same task. Trello is a great solution for this.
Toggl
Toggl is a tool that enables users to track their time. Initially, I started with the goal of using this for just a week. After that first week, I was hooked. While some might view it as an inconvenience to have to “clock in” and “clock out,” I find it so valuable to be able to see where my time is going. Toggl also enables a user to sync with their calendar and automatically track time that way. I don’t use this feature, but it’s nice to know that it exists. Through Toggl, I’m able to gain insight into how I’m spending my time and assess if I’m putting enough time into my main priorities.
Forest
Forest is an app that is designed to help you stay focused. On Forest, you can plant trees for a certain amount of time. During that time period, if you navigate to any other app, your tree will die. Forest gamifies the process of focusing. The cool thing is that as you get more points for focusing, you can use them to plant a real tree. At first, I didn’t use Forest that often. I found it to be a bit gimmicky. Now, I use it every day. I like the fact that it keeps me off of my phone and I feel weirdly motivated by their point system. It’s also fun to see how much “focused” time I’ve accumulated over days, weeks, months, and years.
Productive
Productive allows you to track your habits. You can do this on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. I like using this app, as there are many habits that I try to implement into my life and it’s nice to be able to use technology to track them all.
If there are any apps that you use to be more productive, please share them with me. I hope this article gave you a sense of 4 tools that I use daily and how they make me more productive.
