Hey there,
I have a bit of a thing for productivity.
Seriously, if productivity was a person, I’d marry it.
Over the past decade, I’ve invested a lot of time reading self-development books and interviewing other productivity experts to learn how to make the most out of my day.
But beyond all the tips and tricks, I’ve learned that the key to being productive comes down to having a solid system in place to keep everything organized.
Creating a productivity system has helped me hit all my deadlines, show up to meetings on time, and never ever miss a bicep workout.
So if you feel like you’re constantly disorganized and scrambling to get things done, here are 4 tools you can use to set up your own productivity system.
A Digital Notebook
There are 1000s of note-taking apps floating around the internet like Evernote and Notion. It really doesn’t matter what app you use so long as it meets your needs and you’re not wasting time fiddling with functions you’ll never use.
I personally use Apple Notes to write all my business ideas, YouTube videos, course content, newsletters and social media captions. Then, I keep my notebook organized using folders like: Videos, Newsletters, Slow Growth, Social.
Having all my content ideas and scribbles in one place means I don’t have to sort through 10 different documents before I start writing a script or filming a video.
When you’re setting up your own note-taking system, be sure to set up a folder structure that works for you, and keep it “clean” by archiving notes you no longer need.
A Calendar
I use Google Calendar to schedule meetings, keep track of project deadlines, plan out my content, and make sure I don’t double-book any events.
To keep track of all these different areas, Google allows you to create multiple color-coordinated calendars so you can understand what’s happening at a glance.
For example, I have calendars for content Birthdays, Newsletters, and deadlines for Slow Growth. This has helped me block out time to work on feature films, my course platform, and my YouTube videos.
A To-Do List
This one is fairly self-explanatory. You can use a diary, trusty pen and paper, or an app like TeuxDeux to jot down the tasks you need to get done. I personally use TeuxDeux because it gives me a bird’s eye view of my week and my tasks for the day.
I try to break down large projects into manageable action steps so I feel less overwhelmed. So, instead of writing “Create YouTube course,” I might write, “Write script for lesson 1.”
A pro tip I picked up from YouTuber, Thomas Frank, is to place tasks that can happen on any day onto my to-do list, and to place events & meetings that have a specific time onto my calendar.
️ File Storage
Just like you need a system for storing physical things in your house, you also need pre-determined folders for where all your digital files will live.
I use Google Drive to store all my files, and I organize them into folders like Business, Finances, and Media. Now, instead of wasting time hunting for a particular file, I can just click into the relevant folder.
Okay now, it’s your turn.
How can you create a system that helps you stay organized, track tasks, catch & write ideas, schedule and plan your days, and organize your digital files?
You can use some of the tools I mentioned above or something completely different. What’s important is that you create a system that works for *you*.
