My favorite productivity app
Hey everyone,
I remember my old days. Just a year ago, I was a very chaotic person. I forgot a lot of homework, didn't know when appointments were coming up, and all the stuff I had to do took up a lot of space in my head.
It is very draining to think of ten tasks over and over. Additionally, I slowly but surely forgot at least two of them. After 9 years of school, I finally had enough. Similar to when I encounter any problem, I googled for an answer. I was already aware that some kind of organization was necessary, but I found that tools like Trello never worked for me because Trello is normally used to organize companies and not a single person.
After 6 months of testing and getting into that dilemma again and again, I found my solution. The answer was a simple calendar. So, I tried out some that were recommended to me.
After evaluating at least 5 different tools, I finally found one that was suitable. It is called TickTick. The big tech YouTuber mkbhd also uses that app, and it is outstanding. The app has a simple graphical user interface with numerous options.
I love the habit feature, which allows me to consistently track how often I meditate. As you build up a streak, it tells you how regularly you did the activity this week and all time.
The app is also synchronized cross-platform, which means that I can add tasks and look at them on my pc later. In general, adding tasks is pretty intuitive. Let's say you want to meet tomorrow 8:00-12:00. Then you would write “meet tomorrow 8:00-12:00” and the app automatically recognizes the keywords and adds the time to that task.
There are many other features and calendars I could talk about, but the free version and the €40 per year version of TickTick are the ones that have stuck with me.
But let's not waste all our time on talking about the app I use. The message of this post should actually convey the general importance of using a calendar. To be organized, in my opinion, is essential for becoming an adult. You won't survive in university or job life without at least writing your tasks down. It's hard to always know every obstacle you still have to overcome.
Writing down goals and other important things is possible with a simple calendar. You don't even need a calendar, but could also use a simple journal and do something that is called bullet journaling It's basically using a calendar, but it's on paper, and therefore you define all the rules.
I've always been afraid of calendars or any sort of organization, mainly because you have a set amount of time for each task. Even if you set specific time zones for tasks, it's still pretty laid-back. I often finish 30-Minute tasks in just 20. That means I have more time when I start the next one, and setting times only defines the order of the tasks you will do in a day.
Anyhow, you might want to start with a to-do list and gradually transition into a calendar. I assure you, it's worth it! If you're considering to spending some money I recommend fantastical, TickTick or Todoist. TickTick also has a decent free version, and Trello is also always considerable. And don't forget the option of simply writing your stuff on paper, it is underrated ^^
I appreciate you taking the time to read this far, and look forward to some interesting book reviews in the future.
