Free and Easy Productivity Tools You Didn't Know Existed
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Productivity is one of those elusive concepts in the world of entrepreneurship, business, and life. It’s something everything everyone wants to do better, but it can feel like the harder you try to be productive, the more work you end up making for yourself.
A month ago, I wrote an article about the right way to think about productivity. When most people think of productivity, they think the best approach is to just learn new tools and tricks to get the maximum number of things done.
But there’s a fundamental flaw in that approach: in reality, if the goal is to simply do more things, you may be wasting your time by doing things that simply don’t matter.
Cal Newport says it well in his book, Slow Productivity,
“This lesson, that doing less can enable better results, defies our contemporary bias toward activity, based on the belief that doing more keeps our options open and generates more opportunities for reward.”
Often, we’re so bogged down by the hum-drum of daily life, that we’re putting ourselves at a disadvantage of truly being productive at the right things.
Before we get into the best way to optimize your productivity, I think it is worth taking a moment to reflect on the “why” behind your productivity. I’d argue that the reason we should be productive is to make the most of our time in the ways that most-effectively prioritize the things that matter most in your life.
If you really care about spending time with your family, be productive so that you can make more time for them!
If you really care about the times at work when you get to be creative, be productive in how you plan your day so you can take care of the other stuff efficiently, leaving you with unhurried time to really let those creative juices flow.
If you prioritize vacations and leisure time, be productive with your weekly plans so that when those times come around, you can disconnect from the rest of the world and truly enjoy being in the moment.
If you need some help figuring out what the goal behind your productivity should be, consider reading the article I mentioned earlier by clicking the button below.
Once you have a clear understanding of what your ideal productivity system will enable you to have, we can finally get into the nuts and bolts of some tools to help you get going.
If you don’t like Notion, another viable option could be a big piece of paper and some jumbo crayons…
1. Create your productivity work-horse with Notion:
“Productivity apps” almost always disappoint me. I’ve never found one that can actually do everything I want it to do. I recognize that this might be a “me” problem!
Some apps work great as task managers.
Some have incredible UI that lets you view projects in different views and layouts to help you visualize and understand what the next task should be.
Some even have creative, new features that I’ve never thought about that inevitably stick with me so whenever I try something else, I keep reminiscing about it (I told you, this very well could be a “me” problem).
With that being said, I’ve stuck with Notion for years now, and I have to say, it is the closest I’ve come to a single app that can do what I want a productivity app to do.
Notion isn't just for note-taking. It’s a versatile application that lets you create to-do lists, manage projects, and even build personal wikis – all in one place. I’ve used it for multiple businesses and personal projects to plan, execute, and archive information that can quickly be pulled up if I ever need to see it.
I use it to store personal plans and information that Kayla (My wife) and I can use to help us plan our time together like vacations, house projects, and date nights. I’ve even used it to plan and run a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
I say all this because Notion can really be turned into whatever you need it to be, which can also be down-side to it.
It’s not the simplest application to just pick up and integrate into your regular life. But, if you’re willing to take some time to learn the ins-and-outs of it, You should be able to pick it up pretty quick.
There are also TONS of youtube videos and websites that sell templates if you’re looking to just get started as quickly as possible.
Big Picture: While I think Notion is a great productivity option, the more important thing is finding a system and sticking to it. The best system is the system you’re actually going to use.
Notion is free to use with some minor limitations, like file upload size and the number of people who can access pages (which can be challenging for groups or business that need several users interacting on a project). They do have a paid version that fixes these things, so my advice would be to try it, see if you think it’ll fit you and your organization, and then invest in it if you think it’s worth it.
2. Embrace Time-Blocking with the Pomodoro technique:
I fee like time-blocking has really come into vogue in the last year or so. Basically, Time Blocking is the idea of carving out time slots in each day, and then assigning each time block to a singular task or project, and solely focus on that thing for the duration of time.
There are loads of time blocking philosophies and people are normally pretty adamant that they use the best one. The Pomodoro Technique is probably the most well-known, and I’d argue that if you’re trying to get into time-blocking, it’s a great option to start.
The Pomodoro was created by a guy named Francesco Cirillo in the late 80s.
Long-story short, my man Francesco used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to create 25-minute intervals of focused work with a 5-minute break for him to be able to rest, recharge, and admire the beauty of his tomato-shaped timer. His love for this technique and glory of the tomato led him to name this now famous productivity technique the Pomodoro Technique (Pomodoro literally means Tomato in Italian).
The great thing about 21st-century technology is that we have embraced an age where you can take the usefulness of a 1980s tomato clock and carry it with you wherever you go thanks to your trusted smartphone, watch, or computer.
Here’s How the Pomodoro Technique Works:
Create a list of tasks that you need to take care of today.
Block your time out into 30 minute increments.
Assign each time-block a task.
ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS!! This only works if you embrace the tomato-powered productivity of focusing on one task at a time.
Start a 25-minute timer and try to get as much accomplished towards your task that you can. Really get after it, I like the feeling of being on the clock. It makes me feel like I’m playing a game and that usually helps me think outside the box and be creative about coming up with solutions to my task.
Once the timer goes of, start a 5-minute timer and disconnect from your task. Go outside and stare at birds, grab a cup of coffee, day-dream about wandering through a Sicilian Pomodoro farm. It’s important to have a few minutes where your brain can rest, so that when you get back to business, you feel fresh and ready to bring your a-game to whatever you’re doing.
Once that timer goes off, get back to another 25-minute time-block.
Rinse and repeat until your task list melts down into a productivity Tomato Passata (Okay, I’ll stop the tomato jokes).
The Pomodoro technique works great with phones because you can save time-blocks into the native apps without having to download any extra app. If you’re looking for a physical timer to use (I put one out on my desk. I like being able to see how much time I have left without getting distracted by notifications), here’s a link to the timer I use. If you’re wanting to be a Pomodoro Purist, here’s a link to a timer that looks similar to the one that the great Francesco Cirillo would have used.
3. Schedule Like a Pro with Notion Calendar:
We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of something. You’re actually feeling pretty productive, when suddenly you get a phone call from someone that makes your heart stop. You answer the phone and hear the phrase: “Hey, where are you? DId you forget…”
It’s horrible. I’m someone that is prone to forget about meetings. I really enjoy being able to get into the details of work and can quickly become too invested in that work to keep track of the time (another great reason why the Pomodoro technique is useful).
I would be LOST without a calendar. There would be no chance that I’d get to everything and everywhere I’m supposed to be on a daily basis. Therefore, I’ve really dedicated a lot of effort into my planning to making sure my calendar is up to date.
I actually prefer physical note-taking and task management for a lot of reasons. I remember details better when I use them, it helps me visualize what needs to be done, but with calendars, I’ve found that I need a digital one for day-to-day
Like productivity apps (Notion, Asana, etc.), I’ve tried a lot of calendar apps. Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Fantastical, just to name a few. I’ve settled recently on Notion’s new calendar app, creatively named, “Notion Calendar,” for a few reasons.
I like simplicity in my life, and hate having to double check multiple apps to make sure I’ve remembered all the details of what’s going on. This is Notion Calendars greatest strength.
If you’re investing in making Notion your primary task-list and database for projects, you can easily integrate projects into your weekly calendar and they stay updated if you changed a due date on a project. Even better, if you schedule a meeting and you know you’re going to need to take notes, you can set it up to where it’ll create a page in Notion that you can use for that.
That, my friends, is simplicity.
Fair warning, just like with Notion, there are some downsides to Notion Calendar. It’s relatively new and some of the features aren’t fully developed and can be glitchy sometimes. It doesn’t have my favorite user experience and the customization for it is more limited than your other big-name calendar accounts that you have to pay for.
Which leads me to one of it’s greatest strengths: Notion Calendar is free. Which means, you can give it a try and then stop using it if it isn’t a right fit for you.
4. Master Your Focus with Do-Not-Disturb:
Distractions are a productivity killer. Turning your devices to Do Not Disturb helps you reclaim your focus by blocking distracting notifications and apps for set periods. Whether you need to power through a writing session or tackle a complex project, this simple trick creates a distraction-free zone to maximize your productivity.
If you have an iPhone, you can set different work modes (I have a home mode, work mode, and do not disturb) that can be set based on the time of the day or your geographical location. I love this feature because it takes away the responsibility of having to actually remember to change this.
Work has gotten more complex in the last 100 years, and usually requires more of our brain to take care of business. If you’re trying to operate on a high level while also checking your most recent snapchat notifications, new deals at your favorite pizza location, and checking to make sure Twitter isn’t actually called Twitter anymore…, restricting your devices to limit potential distractions can be a huge game changer.
If you think this is a weak-point to make in a productivity article, I challenge you to try this for a week and see if you notice a different in your work output. Leave a comment saying something like, “You know what, Matt? This isn’t a weak point at all!”
5. Leverage the Power of Google:
Don't underestimate the free tools already at your fingertips! Google Calendar, Tasks, and Docs offer powerful features for scheduling, organizing to-dos, and collaborating on documents. By leveraging these built-in tools, you can streamline your workflow without spending a dime.
As a long-time Mac user, I’ve felt that my options for applications can feel restricted. Apples Pages, Numbers, and Keynote seem lack-luster to me, while the Microsoft Office suite is expensive and can feel a little clunky on my computer.
This is why I really appreciate the work Google has put into their apps like docs, sheets, and forms. If you’re like me and wish there was just a good free option for things like Word and Excel, there are! And even better, you probably already have them.
If you have a Gmail account, these apps are already included with your account, and they offer you a place to create important documents that you can easily collaborate with others by working in the cloud.
Concluding Thoughts:
This article was fun to write because it forced me to think back on what has worked and what has NOT worked in my life as I tried to create a workflow to help me get things done. Over the years, I have tested a lot of options and these are the ones I’m currently a big fan of.
That doesn’t mean I’m committing to working the rest of my life with these tools NOR should it mean that you have to either. But, I do think people simply don’t realize the usefulness of the free tools people probably already have at their disposal.
These options can serve as a starting point for you. Try them! And when you find one you just can’t really get on-board for, go look for something different.
That’s the sweet-spot in productivity: When you realize what you need, and then have the parameters to go look for something that’s really going to elevate your work to the next level.
