Today is as good a time as any to finally start organizing your plans and daily tasks to make sure that no matter what 2021 throws at you, you’re always on top.
Some of the tools to help you stay focused and organize include online planners, calendars and task managers. But there’s more to productivity then just getting a new app — there’s a theory and number of methods to help you stay focused.
This article aims to help you understand what it really means to stay productive, as well review the tools that you will need. It also includes a comprehensive list of personal planners, calendars, checklists and task managers, with a detailed review of the most important features to help you quickly and easily choose what you really need.
What is Productivity?
To be productive means to be able to successfully complete as many important tasks as possible while meeting the set deadlines. The only way to achieve it is by using a systemic approach. Tasks need to be organized into lists, and prioritized along the way. A well-made todo list will make up the structural frame of your workload for the day, week, or month helping you stay focused and preventing procrastination.
There are several tools and methods to help you organize and prioritize your tasks.
What are the main tools and methods to help improve productivity?
There are several popular methods of planning and organizing your tasks. Most developers of productivity apps build their products around these methods.
GTD — Getting Things Done
This method of self-organization was introduced by David Allen and is based on his book of the same name. Its main principles are:
- Record every task, without exception, to help free your brain’s operative memory. Our brain functions a lot like a computer, and it can slow down — or even overload and freeze — when several tabs are open at once.
- Prioritize your tasks. Anything that can be done within a couple of minutes should be done straight away, anything that can be delegated should be delegated.
- The rest of the tasks that require more time and effort should be broken up into simple steps and further prioritized.
- Start doing right now. A well-prioritized set of tasks acts as a detailed action plan and allows you to meet goals without unnecessary stress.
This method allows you to focus on what’s important, sort out your priorities and finish up your projects on time.
Kanban boards
The Kanban method originated at the Toyota factories in Japan, and can be roughly translated as ‘signal cards’. The Kanban method aims at visualizing the tasks at hand and managing task flow. It works great for projects that have multiple stages.
The main rules are simple:
All you need for your own personal Kanban is a board (real or virtual) with three columns: ‘To do’, for the tasks waiting to be tackled; ‘In progress’, for those you’re already working on; and ‘Done’, for those that have been finished. You can have as many columns as you like — depending on your project’s needs. Task cards are then moved from one column to the next, reflecting your progress until finally everything is completed.
Much like the GTD method, Kanban requires you to limit the number of tasks in the ‘In progress’ column. Ideally, it’s just the one task, and you can only start on the next one once the current one has been moved to the ‘Done’ column.
This system is a great way to visualize and evaluate your workload. It provides an at a glance view of your current situation and allows you to monitor your progress on the way to achieving the goals.
Pomodoro
This technique for boosting productivity was introduced back in the 1980’s by college student Francesco Cirillo. It is based around the practice of breaking down your work time into intervals, separated by short breaks. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer used by Francesco himself to help him manage time.
The method follows four simple steps:
- Define your tasks for the day
- Set your timer to 25 minutes
- Focus on a single task from your list
- After the task is finished, take a five-minute break, then move to the next task
A longer 15–30 minute break is in order after the cycle has been completed four times.
This technique will help those who wish to learn to concentrate on a task and avoid procrastination.
Paper-like
Paper-like is not a technique or a tool per se; rather, it is a feature of some productivity apps. Pen and paper are still the most readily available organization tool for a lot of people, and for some also the most familiar. Despite the seeming ubiquity of gadgets, many of us still believe this trusted method to be both convenient and effective. This is why many developers make their product look like paper planners, using features such as visual resemblance or scribbling sounds while typing.
Paper-like works for those who want to boost productivity and plan their tasks in a familiar, visually compelling setting.
Habit trackers
A habit tracker is another useful tool aimed at boosting productivity. It helps develop useful habits or get rid of the bad ones. All you need to do is select a desired behavior or act and add it to your daily schedule. Then you can tick it off every time you complete it and watch your progress towards the set goal.
Habit trackers are great if you look for self-improvement and want to make useful practices second nature.
Which apps can help me stay focused and improve productivity?
Some apps in the following list are packed with useful features and detailed functions — they will suit those whose daily workload consists of multiple complex tasks, as well as people who love structure, organization, and write everything down meticulously. Other, more simple products will be better for those who like the benefits of visualization and organization, but aren’t prepared to invest too much time and effort into managing their tasks.
The criteria used to select the products for this list have been essentially the same: we were looking first and foremost at useful features, while also selecting the apps that balanced well between visual compellence and ease of use. Apps are ranked from the most simple to the relatively complex.
Tweek
Tweek weekly to-do planner app
#method: GTD, paper-like weekly calendar
#type: simplicity
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: Web, iPhone, Android
Description
The latest addition to the family of task planner apps. Its key feature is the weekly view — which, according to developers, is the best approach to visualizing tasks. The weekly view is indeed convenient, especially in the web app, and very easy to use. There’s no need to go through different menus to learn how things work, just make up a task list and get to work.
A very useful feature automatically moves your unfinished tasks from today to the next day. This way there’s no danger of missing an unfinished task.
A simplistic design, cute bird mascot, and a name that sounds a bit like Twitter, but perhaps this is a good thing for brand recognition.
Tasks without set deadlines and other miscellaneous lists can be stored in the lower part of the desktop. The only thing missing is arguably headlines — they could help further structure your lists — but this can be mitigated by simply using color to select the first item in each list.
Tweek allows you to run several calendars simultaneously (e.g., personal and work). You can share them with other users, such as team members, family members, etc. Calendars are also accessible via url link.
Features
Subtasks and color labels:
You can mark an important task or event using colored labels, much like we used to in the pre-digital era with text markers. Here you can also add notes, subtasks and chek-lists for each entry.
Reminders:
You can have the app send you the reminders via email, which is great for anyone who starts their day by checking their inbox.
A useful print version:
If you absolutely can’t do without pen and paper, you can print out a hard copy of your weekly template and fill it out offline. It will look the same on paper as it does on your screen.
Dark mode:
Cost
Basic — free
Premium — $4 per month, $34 per year
Teuxdeux
#method: GTD, paper-like weekly calendar
#type: simplicity
#use: personal usePlatforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Description
This is Teuxdeux:
This easy to use weekly planner with minimalistic design and features has been around for more than 10 years and has attracted a loyal following.
The screen is made up of two main sections: week overview at the top of the screen followed by todo lists below. One of the design drawbacks is the fact that the week view only has 5 days instead of 7.
You can use the lower part of the screen to create separate lists — tasks for smaller projects, shopping, books, etc. You can create any number of these, name and rearrange them as needed.
Features
Teuxdeux doesn’t allow color highlights; in order to make a single task stand out, you can use *italic* or **bold**, using a single or double asterisk, respectively.
You can however customize color themes:
You can select themes and change the color of active text. Dark mode is also available.
Another useful feature is called ‘recurring todos’:
You can make a task recurring simply by adding the phrase ‘every day’, ‘every month’ or ‘every year’ at the end — it will start reappearing at the set interval.
Flying Cat:
You can activate this feature in the settings menu. The Flying Cat will appear every time you cross out a completed task. This is really all it does, and a lot of users swear by it.
Reminders will be sent email as a daily todo list at a specified time.
Cost
Trial — 1 month
Premium — $3 per month, $24 per year
Timepage by Moleskine Studio
#method: paper-like calendar
#type: simplicity
#use: personal usePlatforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Description
The app’s home screen aims to mimic the pages of the world-famous Moleskine planners — with the exception that you can set the number of days shown per page to anywhere between 3 and 10. Also available is the monthly view with a helpful color code system to indicate the number of tasks per day. (Busier days will be displayed lighter.)
The one drawback is that the app serves as a calendar planner only and does not support todo lists.
Features
Timepage boasts a simple and elegant design:
Moleskine planners are known for being great with color coding; the digital version carries on the tradition. You can even change the app icon color to go with your selected theme.
The input method is a little unusual:
A new entry can be added by dragging the floating button to the needed day. It’s even easier to set date and time: simply tag left and right.
Meeting ETA:
If you add a time and location to an entry, the calendar can estimate the time it would take to get to the meeting, and will notify when it’s time to go. You can choose different transportation modes; integration with Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps is available.
Stretch your mind a little:
By selecting a day with no tasks, you can read a random bit of trivia for that day in history. A weather forecast is also a nice touch.
Cost
Trial — 1 week
Premium — $1.99 per month, $11.99 per year
Do! — Simple To Do List
#method: paper-like to-do list
#type: simplicity
#use: personal usePlatforms: iPhone, iPad и Apple Watch
Description
A very simple but popular product. As the developers put it, you won’t need to learn this app, just follow your instinct. Ant that’s true.
Do! looks like an ordinary sheet of ruled paper to which you can add all your tasks for the near and possibly distant future. You can then use the app to turn it into a powerful planner.
Features
Here’s what Do! looks like
All tasks are grouped into one list. You can organize them manually or automatically by date, color, alphabetically or any other way. When organizing by date, tasks without set deadlines will be moved to the end of the list.
Grouping:
Among Do!’s organization tools is the grouping of tasks by color. (Each group acts as a separate todo list or checklist.)
Main interface:
You can change the app’s outlook, and set a font that resembles handwriting. The sounds of scribbling when typing and crumpling paper when striking/deleting add to the app’s ‘realism’.
Cost
Free with ads. A one-time payment of $5.99 will turn the ads off.
Google Tasks
#method: GTD, Kanban
#type: simplicity
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, macOS, Windows
Description
Google Tasks is a comprehensive task manager based around the Kanban method. It has a simple and intuitive interface.
Features
Editing:
Google Task offers limited editing capabilities — for each entry you can set a date, add notes and subtasks. You can organize entries by deadline date or manually. Premium version adds the ability to share content with other users, set up multiple boards, introduces tags for tasks and neat color labels to highlight lists.
Integration with Google Calendar and Gmail:
Using Google Tasks will be beneficial for existing users of Google Calendar. All entries from Google Tasks will appear on the calendar. It’s also easy to import new tasks from emails using the Gmail sidebar.
Cost
Standard version — free
Premium — $5.99 per month, $39.99 per year
Enterprise — $99.99 per year
Microsoft To-Do
#method: GTD
#type: functionality
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: iPhone, Android, macOS, Windows, Web
Description
Formerly known as Wunderlist, Microsoft To-Do is an accessible and intuitive — and free! — task manager. Packed with all the features of a good personal planner, but not much extra, it allows the user to set up tasks and subtasks that can be organized, grouped, and prioritized.
Features:
Workspace:
It cannot be simpler: all tasks are displayed under the ‘Tasks’ tab; priority and starred items are also displayed under the ‘Important’ tab. In addition, all kinds of lists can be created and grouped separately. The ‘Planned’ tab organizes the tasks by date.
‘My Day’ view:
Here’s where all the tasks for today are displayed. New items, even tasks with a different date or an entry from a list, can be added in one click.
My Day also offers recommendations on which tasks to add based on recent entries and completed tasks, allowing the user to stay proactive and get an early start on tomorrow’s business.
Integration with Outlook:
With this feature, flagged emails in Outlook will be automatically imported into the task list and become accessible from the app. You can import a maximum of 10 tasks from emails no older than 2 weeks.
Sharing:
Microsoft To-Do won’t allow you to share your tasks with others, but you can grant access to your lists. An invitation can be sent via AirDrop. All lists shared with you are grouped under the tab ‘Assigned to you’.
Cost
Free
TickTick
#method: GTD, Kanban, Pomodoro, habit tracker
#type: functionality
#use: personal use, teams, projectsPlatforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, macOS, Windows
Description
TickTick is a cross-platform task managing app with powerful organization features.
The app has a clean look, tasks are grouped into a list for the day or week; there’s also a calendar view. Individual tasks that consist of multiple steps can be displayed as lists or Kanban boards. The design is down-to-Earth, but the Premium version adds bright wallpapers.
Features
Organization:
Tasks can be organized into lists, sorted by project and by folder, tagged using color-coded labels and marked for priority. If that’s not enough, you can then add subtasks, attachments, and comments. You can also invite other users and watch their progress.
Pomodoro timer:
A built-in Pomodoro timer (usually for 25 minutes) can be set for each task to help fend off procrastination. It keeps track of your time usage stats, and you can change periods set for work and for breaks between tasks.
Habit tracker:
A habit tracker is also built-in. It allows you to monitor daily progress in developing new habits and skills. Select a desired habit from the included list and it will appear in your task list automatically.
Cost
Standard version — free
Premium — $2.79 per month, $27.99 per year
Todoist
#method: GTD, Kanban
#type: functionality
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Wear OS, macOS, Windows, Linux
Description
One of the most popular time and task managing apps. Packed with features to the brim, but not over the top. The inbox interface covers all the basic functions such as adding tasks, editing, and organizing. Subtasks can be added for smaller tasks from the main list, and larger ones can be turned into stand-alone projects.
Other users can work on your projects with you, and the app lets you monitor the team’s progress.
Features
Boards:
Users can toggle between Kanban board view and list view. (Lists work better with the mobile app.) Activity Log lets you monitor the workflow.
Project templates:
Todoist lets you select templates for different projects with ready-made organization built in. All you need to do is tweak them to suit your personal needs, add a few steps and you’re ready to plan. You can also create user templates.
Todoist karma:
Karma is a tool used to visualize progress. It is viewable as a daily or monthly graph. Points and badges can be earned in the process!
Cost
Standard — free
Premium — $4 per month, $36 per year
Team — $6 per month, $60 per year
Any.do
#method: GTD, Pomodoro
#type: functionality
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Wear OS, macOS, Windows, Huawei
Description
If you don’t keep your house in order, you will always keep postponing your tasks. At least according to the developers behind Any.do. This comprehensive but user-friendly app allows you to finally get everything in order and start working on the tasks at hand.
The main screen is very usual for this type of app:
Any.do lets you organize tasks by time and date and displays them as a structured list. You can add subtasks, reminders, notes, attachments, and tags as needed. Collaboration with others is easy. Shake your phone to remove the completed tasks from the list.
Features
Adding tasks from WhatsApp:
While many competitors allow users to import tasks from email, Any.do is so far the only one with a neat feature of adding new tasks straight from WhatsApp. However this is only available for Premium users.
‘Smart’ shopping list
Automatically sorts added items into categories which saves time and helps a great deal while getting groceries. Intuitive text input lets you quickly select the needed product from recommendations.
Focus:
A kind of Pomodoro timer, the ‘Focus’ feature helps concentrate on the task at hand, with growing trees replacing the tomato. You can also add white noise sounds.
Cost
Standard — free
Premium — $5.99 per month, $26.94 per six months, $35.88 per year
Remember the Milk
#method: GTD
#type: functionality
#use: personal use, teamsPlatforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Wear OS, macOS, Windows
Description
One of the first organization apps, Remember the Milk was launched back in 2005 and it remains popular to this day. The design is a little bit dated, but that is remedied by a host of useful features. One that’s unique is the use of shortcuts. Mastering this feature will take time, but it will pay off in the long run.
Features
Adding tasks:
Adding tasks is relatively easy if you like all attributes to be displayed for each task, but this approach could scare off those who favor minimalism.
Smart sharing and delegating:
Lists and projects can be shared with other people with or without editing rights.
Remember the Milk also allows users to delegate individual tasks; this feature can also be used for instance to remind a family member to grab the aforementioned milk on the way home. All your contacts in the app have a personalized card listing all tasks delegated to that person.
Smart Lists:
Smart lists are in fact saved search queries that can aggregate tasks that meet certain criteria. You can for instance create a list that would display only the tasks with a Friday deadline; those that were added using Siri; contain a specific keyword, etc.
Cost
Standard — free
Premium — $39.99 per year
Finally, a bonus for those who have tried everything only to decide to go back to basics:
Pen and paper
Pen and paper have remained the most accessible planning tool for decades, and many people even now prefer the reliability of the material after having tried everything that virtual planners have to offer.
Writing by hand has a proven effect on the brain — unlike typing, during writing the human brain stores the information in the process. What it means is that having put something on paper, you’re also creating a backup in your brain. Who knows, maybe you won’t even need a reminder!
Bullet Journaling
Description
You could simply buy a paper planner, but you can also try the Bullet Journal method. All you need to start is a dotted notepad, writing tools and some time to get familiar with the simple rules of keeping a paper planner.
Comparison chart
