Six Productivity Programs I Use Every Day
Google Calendar
I’ve talked about my love for Google Calendar, but I can’t say enough good things about it! I use it for creating my weekly schedule, but I will sometimes plan my entire day right on my calendar. I also LOVE utilizing the reminders feature on Google Calendar. I will remind myself to do certain tasks for my business, or to change my toothbrush every 3 months. It is so useful in both my personal life AND my business. This is one of my favorite productivity programs because it helps me know what to do and when! And it reminds me of things I would otherwise forget about.
Calendly
On the topic of calendars, I LOVE Calendly! It’s my scheduling app. I connect it to my Google Calendar and create event types for my coaching calls, meetings, AND even my editing clients sessions. It helps me not double book myself, and it helps me keep a good work life balance! DEFINITELY check it out if you aren’t using a scheduling app. Another great scheduling app is Acuity. I found Calendly a lot easier to use up front than Acquity. I could just set it up and go. But I know other people who love the customization of Acuity. So see what works for you! They both have free trials.
Google Keep
Google Keep is a way to keep lists or just little notes to yourself! I used to use the notes app on my phone, but Google Keep is a lot more versatile! You can create checkboxes and you can even slide them around or create a heierarchy of checklists. You can label them just like you do in gmail so you can easily find things. And you can color code them, which makes my heart happy! I use it to jot down little notes to myself, but I also use it to create my weekly to do lists. I even keep my project plans in Google Keep. Check out my whole system by reading this blog post: https://christijohnsoncreative.com/list-system/
Trello
Trello is another way to manage tasks. I use a Trello board to plan out my content calendar for my blog, podcast, and social media feeds. I also have Trello boards for each of my editing clients as a way to keep track of our sessions. And I use it to communicate with members of my team what things need to be done and when, and I can see their progress and keep track of everything. Another option is Asana! I have never used it, but a lot of people I know swear by it! My philosophy is that the best productivity tool is one that you will use. So try them both out and see what you like!
Later
I use Later to schedule all of my social media posts. It’s a content scheduling app, but I consider it a productivity program because it really does help me be more productive. You can schedule 30 instagram posts to be auto published a month. I usually plan content 1 or two weeks at a time. This is great because I get MORE done when I do things in a batch. But I also spend a lot less time on it. When I get into Instagram to post something, I spend SO much time carefully crafting my caption, getting stuck in the details, and then waiting to see how many people like it in the first few minutes. With Later I can schedule it and forget it and it helps me get WAY more done!!!
Freedom
Freedom is probably my favorite app. I use it to create schedules on my devices for when I can be on certain websites. For example, I have it set to block social media websites and other sites I tend to get more distracted on from 7PM to 9AM. This way I can be fully present with my husband in the evenings AND not waste time scrolling in the mornings. For me, my gmail app is super distracting! I will refresh and refresh because I like to feel on top of things and cross things off my list. But Freedom allows me to set a schedule for it so that I don’t have to think about it not get distracted by it. As someone who really struggles with procrastination, wasting time, and staying motivated it has been a game changer for me!!!
Well there you have it!! My favorite productivity programs for staying on top of things and getting stuff done. Do you have any favorites that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear about them!
