Productivity Tools and Skills

Productivity Game Changers

5/9/2019

Busyness -- in May, it’s quite a problem. Between graduations and wedding season and field trips and not to mention the general sense of burnout in the air, there is way too much going on. I can always identify an uptick in my overwhelm when I respond to the question, “How are you?” with some version of this: “I’m good! Staying busy.”

When I feel compelled to include my busyness in a description of my general wellbeing, it means it’s time to evaluate. Now, like I’ve said many times before, some overwhelm is a natural accompaniment of a hectic season. It’s when the hectic season starts to feel like a permanent state of being, that we have a problem on our hands. This particular season tends toward busyness, and that’s ok. But, we have a choice about whether we let our busyness control us or whether we take the reins through intentional and well organized productivity skill building.

Being productive boils down to having a firm grasp on our time and how to leverage it to its fullest potential. Freedom from busyness usually boils down to feeling as if you have several sections of free and restful time in your calendar every week. In a hectic season, this is achievable only if you are productive with your working hours and a fierce protector of your free hours.

Maintaining free hours has been a lifelong struggle for me, but the four tools and skills I’ll outline below have made a serious difference. Let’s jump in!

Google Calendar

1. Calendar Keeping

I have been a paper planner kind of girl for a lot of years, but finally I realized that I would be infinitely more productive if I had immediate access to my calendar at all times, and that meant it was time to go digital. After much research, I decided on Google Calendar and have never looked back. It is a beautiful visual and helps me to keep track of all the things. You can also share calendars with your family members (which is just the best) and invite others to events! If you haven’t made the switch to a digital calendar, I’m telling you, it’s time. I’m including good YouTube tutorials for all of these platforms so you can learn more about how to use the program well and decide whether it will be a good fit for you!

2. Task Managing

Whew. I’m in love with Trello. Seriously. We all wear so many hats, and juggling the different tasks associated with those roles can be more stressful that the work itself. I am a fully devoted fan of this platform. I was introduced to this program by my dear friend Aileen and we have been geeking out about it together ever since. Basically, you make a board for all the different areas of your life and create cards to track and manage tasks on those boards. There is so much that this tool is capable of that you really must explore it and watch the tutorial below to start to get the whole picture. Take my word on this, you’ll be as addicted as I am.

Trello

3. To-Do Lists

wunderlist

Now yes, there is a checklist feature in Trello -- but this is the holy grail of to-do list management. I like to have my lists as simple, clear, and accessible as possible. For example, in my Wunderlist, I currently have things like this: Movies to Watch, Taco Tuesday Dinner Party Menu, and Grocery List. Then I just pull up the list when I’m at the grocery store or whatever and when I check off each item, there is the more gorgeous and satisfying ding. I mean, the best part is the check-off right? Might as well enjoy it to its fullest. The other best part? I can add my husband to lists I want him to help me with (like Spring Cleaning and Weekend Packing List) and he can see exactly what I need done. Marriage win.

4. File Storage and Organization

Now that I’m a full blown adult, I have so many documents on my computer even I’m a little horrified. I ran out of storage pretty quickly, so I had to find a place to store them all that would remain accessible and secure. So I’m paying $10 a month for DropBox pro. It is 100 million percent worth it. I know, Dave Ramsey would be mad about the subscription thing. But it is a small price to pay for (1) the peace of mind that if my computer spontaneously combusted, all my stuff [including my photos] are safely stored away (2) I can whip up a document anywhere at any time for any reason (3) using their folder organization system, I can find any document in just seconds without having to search or scroll. I truly do not know what I would do without this. It is the most affordable and quality service out there for this job, I’m convinced. Also, it starts with a free version! So if you don’t have the ridiculous about of computer stuff that I do, you might not even need to pay for the pro version!