I’m tired of overwhelming productivity apps, so I created this simple system instead – XDA Developers

Key Takeaways

You have one of the best laptops, a great mouse, and all the accessories you need to be productive. However, once you start working, you may find yourself buried deep within the menus and features of your ultimate productivity app. Ive wasted a lot of time on apps like this, and they usually have too much going on. Apps like Notion, Obsidian, and Evernote are great on paper, but they feel like theyre more for people who fuss over productivity.

On the other hand, Im just someone who wants to get things done quickly and efficiently. I dont care how an app looks or how much customization it offers. As long as its cross-platform and helps me stay on top of things, thats all I need. With those simple requirements in mind, heres how I use just a handful of apps to stay on top of my workflow.

To start things off, I want to make it clear that apps like Notion are actually awesome. For managing complex projects with a lot of moving parts, Notion is great as you get a lot of templates, and tools such as Kanban boards to design the perfect workflow.

The problem for me is that spending time on designing a system to be productive seems counterproductive. Id rather just quickly pop into an app, check in on my calendar, tasks, and notes, and get on with my life. An app thats already designed with that sort of efficiency and minimalism in mind is a good choice.

Of course, this is all subjective. Some of you might find my system to be too simple, but it works for me. Ultimately, thats all you need: a system that works for you and doesnt get in the way.

Most of my "productivity system" revolves around TickTick. As the name implies, this is a to-do list and task management app thats easy and simple to use. What I like about this app is the fact that it can be as simple or as powerful as you want. I can quickly add new tasks, setup recurring ones, and add location-specific reminders. Its cross-platform, meaning if I add a task to it from my Windows PC, it will sync it to my iPhone.

Tasks that are set up for next week stay off my mind until a notification eventually reminds me about them. It even has a built-in calendar, so I can quickly check everything I need to do for the week. I also use the subtask and tag features to organize stuff. Other than that, theres also the Kanban board, Timeline view, and the Eisenhower matrix. These advanced features are great for productivity nerds, but I dont use them much.

I find that TickTick is a great alternative to Microsoft To Do. Its more robust with its features, the quick add feature is faster, and I can even import my Google Calendar events. At the end of the day, I simply use it for adding tasks, setting them up as recurring when needed, and crossing them off when Im done. Im also a big fan of the Pomodoro timer, which allows me to track my working hours.

The first step to being more productive and taking charge of your life is setting up a calendar. Just like with tasks, keeping track of events and meetings doesnt need to be complicated. There are a lot of great Calendar apps out there, but Google Calendar works the best. I say this mainly because the app syncs seamlessly with your Gmail, which enables meeting invites to automatically pop up in your calendar.

You can also use filters to remove calendar responses from your Gmail inbox. If you work with people around the world (I do), you can use the World Clock feature to figure out appropriate times for events or meetings. In case your planned meeting is physical, you can add a location to the event so that everyone knows exactly where to go.

The basic functionality of adding events, setting reminders, and having them sync across all my devices (phone, laptop, tablet) is more than enough for me. However, Google Calendar again follows the theme of being more powerful when you need it to be. A simple Google Calendar tips and tricks search will give you dozens of techniques to be more productive. I didnt need most of them, but your mileage may vary.

I know what youre thinking about my app choices for note-taking, but hear me out. Whenever Im researching a topic, I just create a Google Doc with a content outline that covers everything that I want to talk about. I make sure that the outline is fleshed out as much as possible, and this really helps in speeding up the writing process. This is a system that Ive been using long before I ever heard of Notion and Evernote, and I stick to it because it works.

So, whats the deal with Windows Notepad? Some of you might call me archaic, but I like the fact that Notepad is simple and out of the way. I use it whenever Im in a meeting to quickly jot down ideas and discussion points. In Windows 11, the app also supports Dark Mode, which is a must-have for me. It also now auto-saves your sessions. The app is great for quickly jotting things down, and if something is really important, Ill just move it over to Google Docs.

Now, I know some people will disagree with the Notepad choice, and I fully understand that. If you need something thats just as simple but a bit more fleshed out, I recommend checking out Simplenote.

As a writer, much of my life revolves around looking for inspiration. The reading and research process is just as (if not more) important than the actual writing process. To keep things straightforward, I use Feedly, Pocket, and Google Discover. Heres how I use all three of these apps:

Heres the thing: productivity comes from personal habits and discipline, not from feature-rich apps. You should be using these apps to stay on top of things, but theres no reason to obsess and fuss over them to the point where youre sacrificing actual work. Focus on the real goals, find a simple system, stick to it, and live your life to its fullest.

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I'm tired of overwhelming productivity apps, so I created this simple system instead - XDA Developers