My Boring Productivity Toolbox

1-Minute Engineering on Productivity — Edition #9

Photo by Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash

I firmly believe that there is no such thing as an all-in-one tool. In the digital world, the Swiss knife metaphor might be a myth.

The carpenter metaphor, on the other hand, might be spot-on. A craftsman has different tools for different jobs. For example, a carpenter knows that a handsaw is more fitting for precision work and that a circular saw is better for cutting large pieces of wood.

Instead of restlessly searching for a tool that will meet all our needs, we could look for apps and tools that are better suited to certain workflows. If you are a tech enthusiast like me, this mindset makes exploring new apps, tools, and services less stressful, as there is no pressure on finding the ultimate app that will revolutionize your workflows.

What I found, however, is that my productivity system is kinda boring. I have been using the same apps and tools for a couple of years now, and I don’t think I’m going to change them anytime soon.

Here are the five components of my system:

• A notebook

• A notes app

• A calendar app

• A task manager app

• A reminders app

The Notebook

I’m currently using the reMarkbale as my notebook, but before that, I used a physical one. I love writing on paper, and this device makes the digital handwriting experience feel like actual paper.

To use the brain metaphor, I think of the notebook as an external working memory or short-term memory. In the working memory, we joggle on average with five to seven items.

Thus, I use the (digital) paper to aid my actual short-term memory. It is a physically dedicated space for me to:

• Prioritise my work and record new tasks

• Take notes

• Write my thoughts and ideas

• Draw and doddle

• Plan my day, weeks, months, and life

At the end of the day, I take all the relevant things from the working memory and move them to the long-term memory:

• Useful notes, thoughts, or ideas are moved into the notes app

• New tasks or deferred ones go into the task manager app

• Events and meetings are scheduled in the calendar app

• Things that I need to remember doing go to the reminders app

Whatever I don’t copy to another place will remain archived in the notebook, and it will be accessible if I need it anytime in the future.

The Notes App

For long-term notes, I use the Apple Notes app. I use it to keep notes on the projects I work on, the areas of my life, and the topics I resonate with or that interest me.

In a way, this has become my Second Brain for notes, thoughts, ideas, and other information.

Information comes here from two places:

• From the notebook, when I migrate useful notes, I take them during the day

• And directly when it doesn’t make sense to go through the notebook

One aspect that I love about the Notes app is that it is seamlessly integrated into the Apple ecosystem. I can effortlessly take notes on my Mac and iPhone, and they are instantly available on all devices (provided there is an internet connection).

It could provide better search functionality, though.

The Task Manager App

When it comes to managing my workload, I use the Things app. I use it to manage tasks across all areas of my life and keep track of the projects I’m working on.

Tasks come from a variety of places:

• The projects I’m working on

• The ideas I join in my notebook

• From the office

• From the activities I have to do at home

• When I’m running or exercising

Things make it easy for me to capture them. Like the Notes app, it is well integrated within Apple’s ecosystem, making it easy to add tasks from my Mac, iPhone, and even Apple Watch.

When it comes to execution, I take the tasks from Things and move them in the Notebook:

• Tasks that I plan on a weekly basis,

• Tasks that I plan on a daily basis.

The non-negociable feature is the ability to add context-aware tasks with a single keyboard shortcut on my Mac. For example, if I’m reading an email and there is something I need to do about it, I press shift+cmd+space and get a prompt to create a new task that is linked to the email.

The Calendar App

For managing my events and meetings, I use the Apple Calendar for my personal life and the Google Calendar for my work life. For a better view of my schedule, I integrated Google Calendar with Apple Calendar.

However, I don’t use the calendar only for events and meetings; I also use it to block time for getting tasks done.

If Things helps me keep track of what I need to accomplish and the notebook to prioritize the next steps I have to take, then the Calendar is where I plan the execution of the steps.

First, I prioritize my work and then use the Calendar to allocate the time to complete it. This helps me have a clear picture of what I want to accomplish and when I will work on it.

Most importantly, it prevents me from overlapping commitments and creates a space for focus and deep work.

The Reminders App

Although it is not necessarily, I separate tasks from reminders. To ensure I don’t forget something important, I use Apple Reminder.

There is not that much to say about this, but I think the distinction is important:

• Tasks are action items that help me make progress on my goals, projects, or initiatives

• While a reminder is something I must not forget to do, like a shopping list or taking a pill at doctor’s orders.

For example, I have a shared Reminder list with my wife, on which we add things to buy when we prepare to go shopping. I try to keep it simple.

That’s all what it takes to have a working but boring productivity system: a notebook, a notes app, a tasks app, a calendar app, and a reminders app.

—Alex

PS: I’m curious to read what’s in your productivity toolbox. Leave a comment below or reply to this email. Cheers!