Who wouldn't want to get more use out of their time? With everything that we have going on like our million work projects, our innate need to work on our side hustle, to get started on a new hobby, and find time to relax... oh of course, how could I forget - to do all this whilst having a social life.
Whether it's organising your time on a digital calendar or simply writing a to-do list, there are so many ways in which our lives are made so much easier with these glitzy screens.
It took a bit of time to appreciate the value of digital organising and build my own productivity system. I have always been a lover of the good old pen and paper. I remember when I was younger, that buying stationary was one of the highlights of the new school year.
For the sake of ease (and many other benefits that I get into later), I decided to switch to a digital organisation system. When I first started, I had this mindset that I'll find one app that does it all.
The reality is quite different. If you are looking for a truly useful productivity system, then you may need more than one application to meet all your organisation needs. Here are some that may help*
*When it comes to note-taking, I appreciate flexibility. App numbers 3, 4, and 5 are a combination of note-taking apps that I use, and I explain exactly how I use each for different purposes.
A little note: I use Apple devices. If you are a Windows/Android user I will let you know if the following apps are compatible or not.
1. iCalendar 🗓
💰: Free
It’s as easy as it sounds. I tried to use a paper planner (I wanted to channel my inner 90s and have a Filofax) - it did not work.
There are two main reasons why I find it difficult to use a paper planner to manage my calendar:
I forget to update them - I won’t always have my planner on me. I may be out for a meal with a friend and they are asking me when I am next free. Unfortunately, I will not always be lugging my super expensive, leather-bound Filofax to give them the appropriate answer. However, I will always have my phone.
I can’t sync it. I can’t sync it to my work calendar or even friends’ calendars. Having to manually write down everything that is on my Outlook, Teams, social plans, appointments, holidays… it’s just too much manual labour and hence a waste of time.
I am sure there are some amazing calendar apps out there but for me free and simple does it best. I use my iCalendar to do the following:
Sync all work calendars (from Teams, Outlook, Salesforce, etc)
Assign time for important reminders (e.g. put away laundry, call grandparents - things that I will forget to do if it’s not on my calendar)
Add a social calendar. By using the colour coding feature I can see what portion of my time is to do with work vs life. We all know how important work-life balance is for us.
Send my friends invites. Skip the texting and endless back and forth. Send them a calendar invite so they can see how easily you can fit into their schedules (adult friendships are a very serious thing)
Birthdays - obviously
‘Sister time’ - I have added this to my calendar because my sister and I found that once we move out we find it very easy to forget about each other. This was a necessity to enrich our bond.
Fitness - I need a lot of hand-holding when it comes to fitness motivation
‘Me time’ - my self-obsession complex kicking in but some time to do things for myself, by myself.
Plan holidays and especially ahead of time, so I can block out specific times of the year to book a ticket and leave my problems behind
Android/Windows users: Google Calendar is an alternative
2. Reminders 💡
💰: Free
I will most likely always have my phone with me, so random things I need to remember I just jot down on the reminders app and add them onto my home screen so I see them every time I open my phone.
I will say that I, unfortunately, suffer from this condition called ‘selective seeing’. Where, even though this list is glaring right at me, I just don’t read it. So, for important reminders I do the following:
Add it to my calendar to a specific time with 2 alerts so it forces me to do it at the allocated time (this often includes things like folding my laundry WHICH I HATE DOING)
Write it down on a post-it and stick it somewhere I will see e.g. mirrors, desk, wardrobe, my face.
Android/Windows users: I am sure you have an equivalent app on your phones. If not, I highly recommend getting one. Some alternatives: Todoist, Google Keep, Outlook reminders
3. Notes app on Apple 📝
💰: Free
This is your standard note app for quick ideas. I treat this the way I would do with post-it notes. Quick ideas that may or may not have a place, I will jot down in the notes app. Example of how I have used my Notes app on my iPhone (that is synced with other devices via iCloud):
Random thoughts/ journaling (when I don’t have a paper copy)
Notes from books that I want to remember for later or may organise in the future
Places I want to visit/ recommendations I may receive from other people
TV shows/ movies I want to watch
Random bits of important info that I may need e.g. national insurance number, scanned docs, random addresses, other admin bits
Social media captions for Ensemble - that I first plan on Notes.
Particular features of this app (info only for Apple users) that I use are:
The folder feature separates all notes, Ensemble work, and professional work
Tagging feature to find notes relevant to certain categories e.g. ‘ideas’, ‘productivity’, ‘travel’, ‘restaurants’ etc.
Sync notes across devices for easy access
For Android/ Windows users: this is your standard notes app that comes pre-installed on your devices.
4. Notion 👩🏽💻
💰: Free (I use the free subscription and it is sufficient for my usage)
I use this for creative work. This means brainstorming ideas.
I have a dashboard of all the ideas I have for Ensemble Magazine that are organised by status e.g ideas💡, in progress✍️, completed✅, published👩🏻💻
I draft out all my ideas and structure of everything that you see for Ensemble from social media and blogs to magazines.
When I first got Notion, I tried to do all with it. From personal management to my work notes, and it didn’t work for me. Notion has some incredible templates, and to be honest it probably could do it all. But I don’t like working from only one app, I get bored of it.
I started from scratch. I feel that Notion is incredible for organisation. Leveraging this benefit, I have dedicated this space to exploring my ideas, writing out content, and managing my projects.
You probably could use it for to-do lists. But, I like keeping Notion concise and neat. When I open this app, I like that everything has a place. I like that I don’t have to go on it every day, only when I am working on Ensemble. As a result, I have ended up using this app more productively and engaging positively.
Also available for Windows and Android users
5. GoodNotes ✍️
💰: £6.99 one-time payment (similar, if not cheaper than a paper notebook)
This is for all my handwritten needs (on my iPad with the Apple pencil). This has meant primarily I use it for two big parts of my life: work and personal (what other parts are there?🤷🏾♀️)
💼 GoodNotes for Work:
I like handwriting notes for work because it allows me to focus more on the conversations, rather than organising my notes.
I type a lot at work so taking handwritten notes during meetings or for other planning purposes helps to break the workflow a little bit. Here is how I use it:
Yearly planning and timelines of current and upcoming projects
Meetings planner (alongside the calendar app)
General note-taking in meetings
Brainstorming and drawing flowcharts
Supporting notes when presenting
💁🏽♀️ GoodNotes for Personal:
I use it for two main purposes personally:
Learning e.g. french learning which entails writing out vocabulary (helps with recall) and annotating scripts
Practicing spirituality - I have started to do a lot of work on focus writing, particularly mantras, journalling, and taking notes on spiritual reading that I have done.
GoodNotes is not essential and you can very easily just use good ol' pen and paper. I personally like that it’s on my iPad, and when I am on the go or away on holiday, I don’t need to carry multiple notebooks.
6. Matter 📚
💰: Free
I love this app so much! It is definitely my favourite one on this list! This app is a very recent find. It elevates how you browse the internet, read deeply & widely, and boosts your productivity.
Let me set the scene. You are on Twitter. You’ve come across some article called ‘3 magical rules of motivation’ and you think to yourself - I need some of this magic. But, you don’t have time to sit and read, you’ve got things to do.
You’ll read it later.
Later comes, and now you’ve forgotten where the article has gone. You are manically searching through your Twitter likes trying to find that magical, life-changing article.
Fear no more, Matter is here.
(How good was that? Matter marketing team, I am open to business)
Next time you come across an interesting article, pdf, or even a tweet. You can save it on Matter with a click of a button. For those, who don’t read many articles, blogs, or tweets - well you should. This app will make that much easier.
❤️ Features on Matter that I love dearly:
Quick save of any article
Easy highlight feature
All your highlights are saved in one note (done automatically)
When you don’t have time to read or prefer audiobooks, Matter can read your articles out to you
Sync all your saves and notes across devices
Also supported for Android and Windows users (I think - this is based on a 10-second Google search)
7. Google Drive and Google Photos 📸 📑
💰: Free for up to 15 GB/ I use the 100 GB which costs £1.79 per month
I am a lover of all things Apple. However, when it comes to data backup (both documents and photos) I have always loved the way Google drive works. I think the main reason is that whilst the Apple iCloud also has great capacity, I love all the supporting network of applications Google Drive offers such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, etc.
In comparison to other options like OneDrive/Microsoft Office 365, I just prefer the aesthetics and usability of Google Drive.
🔍 Here is how to use Google Drive:
Automatic sync and backup of all my images and videos
Automatic sync and backup of all important documents and research
Writing, creating, and organising documents
Some times use for article writing for Ensemble (although I am moving all this content to Notion)
Compatible with Windows and Android users
8. Apple/ Google Maps 🗺
💰: Free
🤔 What does a navigation application have anything to do with productivity? Hear me out:
Having a good navigation system cuts down the faff before any travel
Helps to organise trips and build itineraries
Pin your favourite places (easy to find if you want to re-visit)
Experiences are such a big part of modern-day life. Having a good navigation and mapping system in place is essential in boosting your productivity when it comes to planning your free time. I use both Apple and Google Maps. When it comes to navigation (especially in the car), I prefer to use Apple Maps, but when it comes to building itineraries I use Google Maps. Why I do this is unclear, but it’s just a system that I’ve gotten used to.
Google Maps is compatible with Windows and Android users
9. Pinterest 🎨
💰: Free
I am sure every single person knows about Pinterest. For those who have been living under a rock, this wonderful app is your virtual/digital idea finder, vision board creator, and ultimate creativity tool. As most of you probably have heard of this app, I will share with you how exactly it elevates your lifestyle, finds ideas and boost productivity.
Replace social media time with Pinterest and look for ideas instead
Create boards as part of a brainstorming process e.g. before a holiday, planning a party, baking, building something, organisation tricks, productivity ideas, etc. The ability to visualise your forthcoming plans can be an effective way to build a theme and get ideas for things you wouldn’t necessarily think of
Create a board for a hobby you want to get into. A few months back I started an artboard, and purely because of Pinterest I was inspired enough to get started
Pinterest has been a wonderful online platform where I have channelled my inner 00s who loved to make physical vision boards on corkboards. Not only my ideas, but seeing what everyone else in the respective communities are dabbling with is inspiring. It has given me ideas on how to organise my time, build my wardrobe, work on my hobbies, stay inspired and keep in touch with my creative self.
10. Nike Run Club 🏃🏽♀️
💰: Free
No productivity piece will be complete without mentioning exercise. We all know the benefits of it, and here is an amazing app that just makes your job to motivate yourself a little easier.
As you can tell from the name of the app, it is mainly for running. However, there are some plans for other HIIT-style exercises too. Here is how I use the app:
Join monthly distance challenges, from 25k to 100k. You feel part of a community and it fires up my competitive streak to reach those goals
Create a challenge, if the pre-set challenges aren’t your cup of tea, or you want some longer or shorter in terms of time frames, then you can set your own challenges and invite friends
Join local events, NIKE hosts events that vary from exercise classes, and rollerskating to marathon preps
Track your progress over time, and try to compete with yourself to do better
My favourite is the guided runs! Again, a wide variety of options, from quick 15 mins to long 10k runs. The guided runs very literally teaches you how to run. Covering topics like pace, breathing, and posture, with a sprinkle of awful, dad jokes - the guided runs have been a game changer for someone like me who is not a runner
Using the app for long walks, and keeping the streak alive isn’t just about how fast you can run but how consistent you can be. On the days I feel unmotivated, I use the app to track my walks.
Conclusion 🤟
These are some of the apps I use to build my productivity system. They are set in place to make my life easier and more organised. Not only work, but having this system in place has motivated me to get started on self-development projects, work on my hobbies and relax.
What are your recommendations? Let me know in the comments.
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