There is always 2 sides to everything. Same with the use of technology. Some say technology is the source of distractions hence it is one of the causes that lowers your productivity. On the other hand, technology has also changed the way of our lives, be it personal or work. We cannot deny the needs for technology in this fast pacing world.
In my world, technology has always been part of my life. I was very much amazed with technology since young. I got my first computer when I was 12 and at that time, it was the most amazing thing in my world. My first computer was without a hard disk and was running DOS prompt command. Still it was like the best wonder of the world. I spent hours playing games and trying new things with it. I also got my first computer lesson at 12 and I never stop learning in this IT world since. I am glad my interest in technology has never really changed (same goes with my love for blue color). I am that consistent when it comes to things I love or rather obsess.
Regardless of what some other would say about technology being the distractions or bad, I would like to advocate that technology may help your productivity and life in this information overload and fast pacing world (if you use it the right way that suits you). I believe technology brings a lot of potential in improving our lives. Just look around you. I am sure you own many stuff that are techie enough. At the very least, you have a smart phone and probably cannot live without.
The real issue about productivity is about making the right choice on the tools that works for you. Hence, I always explore the different tools out there that can help me. Of course, tools are just tools if we do not use them with a goal in mind or a well-planned process, they just become another apps on your computer or mobile phone. Our habit or routine plays an important role in the whole productivity process. Tools are just your assistants to enhance your way of work. Do not forget tools do not do the work for you. You are still the one who control what is getting done.
Let’s review some of the useful tools that I recently integrated into my workflow:
Google Calendar
To me, my day to day schedule is all on my google calendar. I like to put on a weekly view so I can see what I have from Monday to Friday. I rely on this the most for all my meetings and due dates. I even rely on this for remembering birthdays every year by setting recurring annually reminders. I used to love the planner (on paper or book) but keeping track with it was a bit hard that you have to bring it with you everywhere. Although I love nice notebooks and colorful stationery, I cannot bring myself to write on them and at the end, I decided not to buy any now. I have become a serious advocate for paperless, hence I totally do off with paper or notebook for remembering meetings or important due dates. I am also trying to do off with writing notes on paper, though I occasionally like to scribble on recycle papers with pencil. For work, google calendar is where staff collaborate for meetings and due dates. There are actually more to Google Calendar functions that I found recently. You can schedule tasks to appear on the calendar so you can dedicate times to the tasks. You can also schedule Focus Time where it can at least help you mute the chat notification (not a big thing to me) and reject any meeting invitation (if you set so). I think this is very useful for improving productivity by schedule deep work session (if your work schedule allows that opportunity).
OneNote
I have talked about this before. Among the many note taking application, I still love OneNote the best. Maybe it is its design that really suits my way of working. I like the folder style type as if it is the physical folder where you can segment pages with each section. I really like this as it is how I work when it comes to compartmentalize or organize information. I had not used it for a few years but now that I am back to it, I am happy. I can see myself making some progress and I am going to rebuild my OneNote to be the most informative note for myself. You can read my old post about its functions here.
Any.do
It is something I found recently when I was looking for a better to-do list. My first impression of it was good. It is easy to use and straight forward. You create your task lists under whatever categories you like. Then you can add them to My Day (the current day) or plan them out over a week under Next 7 days. I particularly like this function that allows me to plan tasks for the week. Let’s be realistic. You have 101 tasks in your list and no one will be able to complete all of them in one day or even a week. By doing this planning, the overwhelming feeling can be minimized. This is also good for learning to prioritize. On individual task, you can add reminder, description and sub-tasks. It also can sync with Google Calendar so you can clearly see what is your plan for the day. It is free to use, however, if you wish for more advanced functions, there is a premium plan for subscription.
Pomodoro
I am sure Pomodoro is nothing new to everyone (at least in the academia). It is the most effective method to start your work and keep track about your time spent. When I want to start a task, I just start the Pomodoro counter and it will prompt me after 25 minutes to take a 5 minutes short break. The task I started may not be completed in 1 Pomodoro, so I can easily continue another round until completion. Then you will be able to keep track or even measure how much time you spent for that particular task (if measurement is important to you). Otherwise, it is simply satisfying to just focus on working for a fixed amount of time before every break. Currently, I am using the Pomodoro chrome extension called Marinara: Pomodoro Assistant. It does not have complicated functions and you can customize simple amount of minutes for one Pomodoro or how many Pomodoro you want before a long break. I have seen more comprehensive Pomodoro application before where you can plan tasks with how many Pomodoro and keep track on that. However, I cannot recall now what is the name of the application.
Do you have more good tools that you think really help your productivity or workflow? Do share with me. I am sure there are many tools out there that worth exploring.
Jenn's Studious Life 