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We want to be productive. That’s a fact, or you wouldn’t be watching this episode!
With all of the tools out there, how do you know which one is right for you?
On my journey to productivity, I’ve done quite of bit of experimentation. Here are
a few books and tools that work for me and just might work for you.
My favorite productivity books:
1. Getting Things Done - My absolute favorite of them all. I use the Getting Things Done
(GTD) method as my baseline for productivity system, but I tailored it to be more aligned
with my working style. Would recommend this book to anyone serious about creating a productivity
system. If you’re not into creating systems for yourself, though, steer clear of this
book. It could make you feel a bit overwhelmed by its complexity to implement.
2. Eat That Frog - One of the first books I read. The premise is to “eat that frog,”
first thing every day. Whatever is the most important task that day is “the frog.”
I like it because it’s an easy system to implement-much more so than GTD. It’s a
great book for beginners who are just learning about the productivity thing.
3. The 4-Hour Work Week - I had to put this on the list, because Tim Ferriss is a mastermind
when it comes to productivity. It’s not a “productivity book” per se, but it does
give you a glimpse into how you can get more out of your life, which is essential to determining
WHAT you should be productive doing. Make sense? One caveat is that his book is a bit
more “pie in the sky.” I’ve not met many people who have achieved his level of
success through implementing his suggestions in the book.
My favorite productivity apps:
1. Evernote -
I use The Secret Weapon (free) to set up my Evernote with a GTD foundation. I’ve tried
using other applications, but Evernote wins out every time.
2. Asana - This is the new tool that I’ve been using to manage my team. It’s also
free! I liked Basecamp for project management, but it’s not free and has limited capabilities.
3. Outlook - I know. I’m still a bit old school when it comes to my email management
system. I still enjoy using Outlook for emails, as I have it set up with a GTD framework.
The nice thing is that I can also use the same system in Gmail when I’m away from
my computer, since I have the two accounts seamlessly connected.
In a future episode, I will get into more details of how it looks for me to use these
systems “in real life.”
If you’re into productivity, what’s your favorite tool? Do you have any productivity
books you’d recommend?