The Best Productivity Tools...
… are offline tools.
I bet you were expecting a list of applications or websites to keep you productive.
Well, after more than 10 years refining my workflow, I can tell you that the best productivity tools are offline tools: An old fashioned notepad and a stack of post-its.
I have tried so many digital tools. Some of them:
The problem with all these tools is ⌘ + TAB! You can easily hide any of these tools by switching between applications.
The next distraction is just one context switch away. If you are using it in your iPhone, the next distraction is one notification away.
The great thing about post-its is that you can’t avoid looking at them. Stick it right next to your keyboard, or right below your screen. You can’t miss it. Sure, someone can interrupt you, but if you look ahead you will still see it right there.
At Ombu Labs we even use post-its to keep track of our backlog and our current (2 weeks) sprint. We recently re-organized our board to have three swim lanes by priority:
- Critical
- Important
- Low
A notepad is a great complement for the post-its. I don’t use it as much, but I prefer it for writing doing TODO lists. When you use your pen to check an item off your list, there is a special feeling of satisfaction.
A digital TODO list will never be able to reproduce that experience.