Beginner Productivity System
What are the three basic things that you need to get started?
A notes app - something where you can create a folder structure and create notes for different projects or areas of your life.
A calendar app - calendars let you schedule meetings, track appointments and even block out time for specific tasks if you so choose
Lastly a task manager - task managers will hold everything that you need to do, its ideal if it has the ability to rank tasks in terms of priority such that you are working on the most important and urgent tasks first, while the less important and less urgent tasks can fall to the bottom of the list as “nice to dos”
These three things create the foundation for your productivity system.
I am going to make this as platform agnostic as I can. I am mostly Mac and iOS based but these principles will work no matter what system you choose.
Notably, I’ve left e-mail off of the top 3 because…I dislike it. Everyone has an email address, so you will also need some application to manage your mail accounts, Gmail is my go to here and I’ve managed it in Outlook, apple mail and the default gmail app/client over the years, as well as a few other places. E-mail can spawn new tasks, new ideas, new projects and is a good communication tool if you would like a record of the conversation.
Notes
Any time you think of something worth keeping, it goes into your notes app. If you are working on a project or taking a class, it goes into the notes app. Have a favorite recipe? Notes app. Found a good book and want to take down your thoughts while reading? Notes app. This is the primary hub of your productivity system which is why it is first.
There are many ways to organize your notes app and there isn’t one right solution for everyone. I use a system called PARA, created by Tiago Forte. PARA stands for Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives. Each one of these is effectively a folder in your notes app.
If you are just starting out, give yourself an “inbox” and think of this as a brain dumping ground. If you use a voice assistant like Siri or google, set this as the place where new notes go.
We will setup a process later on that helps to manage the chaos, but for now, let chaos reign. You will have to try things and figure out what works and does not work for you. The frameworks that are out there are all just suggestions and you don’t have to follow any one system to a T. Over time you will modify, add and remove certain aspects of these systems and refine your own to help you become the main character in your own story.
Here’s just a few examples, I keep a personal journal in my notes app as a folder. For a while I used a folder to track health issues, like notes from doctors appointments and different workout routines that I like to do.
I keep a finance folder to manage things like, “what is my plan for saving for the future?”, thinking about different investment options, what I have done in the past that has and has not worked, etc.
By now you probably see the importance of a notes app and why this one app is considered the center of the system.
Calendar
I put this second because on a personal level my life is not necessarily run out of the calendar. My work is in my notes app and to-do’s associated with those projects are in the todo app. I use the calendar to block time and look at a high level, do I have any appointments and where can I fit these tasks in this week? Calendar is one of the more straightforward items here. Any calendar works the same, plop appointments in, have different colors for different activities, and boom. Done. The one caveat here is that I have found that I love having my calendar and to-dos show up in the same app. Having to look at a calendar, then look at a todo app to see the big picture of my schedule was difficult for me, especially if I had a lot going on.
Here’s one solution, Todoist and Google Calendar have this interconnected functionality and work on any platform. My personal solution is actually Todoist with an Apple only app called Fantastical. It is a paid application, that definitely isn’t cheap, but it is so beneficial to me to see all these things in the same place that it is worth it. Sure you could split screen calendar and to-do, which I did for many years, but the project engineer in me wants to see one dashboard to rule them all.
To-Do List
The to-do app is last on the list because like the notes app at times you can use it as a dumping ground. As you think of items that arise, think to yourself, where does this go? If it is an appointment or event it goes in the calendar. If it is a thought or idea of something you want to learn more about or journal/meditate on, it goes in the notes app. If it is something that you need to do, it goes in the to do app.
To do apps typically have an inbox, you can setup projects and folders that match your setup in the notes app to make things easy to find. You can schedule days or times to do things as well as set priorities(usually).
Weekly Review
So let’s tie this all together with a widely known process called, the weekly review. I do this process typically on Sunday, again do what works for you and whenever your week starts/ends.
The order I do things in is this:
Clear desktop and downloads
Clear email inbox
Clear Readwise inbox
Review Notes
Review calendar
Organize Tasks
I use this order because getting rid of things I’ve downloaded and whatever I’ve saved to my desktop throughout the week is an easy first step. It sets up my mind into organizational mode and gets me primed for the rest of the weekly review.
Using Gmail and keyboard shortcuts I spend maybe 10 minutes on email cleanup. I label and archive and do this only on a desktop/laptop, it is too painful and slow for me on a phone or tablet.
I use a service called Readwise to help me remember things I’ve read alongside their read it later app, I check to see what I’ve dumped in there and throw things into the later category for when I have time to read.
Same process with notes. Anything that I’ve taken down during the week gets categorized an expanded upon if needed. I try to add enough context into the note when I create it to make sure that a week or two from creating it, I still have some idea of what I was trying to do with it. The task isn’t all about getting to inbox zero though, there are some notes that will stay in my inbox for an extended period as I want to make sure they don’t get lost before I have a chance to add the right value to them to be categorized away and searchable later.
Next is the calendar, I tend to look back quickly at the last week and review any meetings that I had or appointments and I will look ahead at least two weeks as well to keep track of my schedule and overlay it with my wife’s schedule to help avoid conflicts.
Lastly is tasks, generally I have a lot of recurring tasks and it is fairly easy to keep them managed throughout the week. If I’ve added something to the inbox it is likely low priority and low urgency. I keep templates in place for when I start projects and have things on autopilot. This has been years in the making after trying many many different applications.
This high level process may take 20–30 minutes and gives such a sense of clarity to start my week. With the heavy weight lifted off my brain, knowing that if I need information or reference it is just a few clicks or taps away, I am able to focus on what will have the highest impact during my week for whatever goals or projects I am working on.
By now you have the tools you need to get going on your own process. Feel free to steal shamelessly and adapt these tactics to your life and your situation and stay curious. Ask questions if you don’t know as I’m still learning new things every day by doing the same.
If you’d like to try out Todoist, you can here: https://get.todoist.io/ucypxtigr1jy
If you’ve made it this far and would like to check out the video version of this article it is linked below.
Thanks!
