Recommended Productivity Tools

Disclaimer: This page does not contain affiliate links. I only recommend tools that I trust and have personal experience with.

Back in the good old days, when I became obsessed with productivity, I tried out every single productivity app I could get my hands on. It was Christmas morning every single day.

After trying out countless tools, however, I realized that sometimes less is more.

I’m a believer that the three musketeers (a task management tool, a note-taking app, and a mind mapping tool) will serve as a foundation for your productivity.

The rest is a bonus. That’s why you won’t find here habit tracking apps or journaling apps, among others. I use Google Sheets for tracking my habits and Evernote for journaling (more about these tools below).

Task Management Tools

  • Nozbe: My all-time favorite task manager. Ideal for personal productivity and implementing the GTD method.
  • Nozbe Teams: Nozbe Teams is a completely new product aiming to help small businesses and teams focus on performing efficiently.
  • Asana: My second favorite task manager. But Asana is much more than that: it’s a work management platform and an online collaboration tool. The free version has everything you need to stay focused and organized.
  • Todoist: A versatile task manager. I’d put Todoist somewhere between Nozbe and Asana both in terms of look and functionality.

Recommended reading:

Note-Taking Tools

  • Evernote: There’s life before and after having Evernote. It’s a cross-platform note-taking tool with a powerful web clipper. I use it every day to stay organized across all life domains.
  • Notion: Notion is much more than a simple note-taking tool. It was born with the mission to provide a solution for those who are tired of using too many tools. It provides a single workspace for your life.

Recommended reading:

Mind Mapping Tools

Mind mapping boosts creativity and problem-solving. I use mind mapping for brainstorming, project management, decision-making, blogging, creating workflow diagrams, and more.

If you’re new to mind mapping, read this guide first.

  • iThoughts: A powerful mind mapping tool for Windows, Mac, iPad, and iPhone. After trying out a dozen of mind mapping tools, I settled with iThoughts. I love the look and the smooth experience. Portable version included. Nice price combined with perfect customer service.
  • XMind: My second favorite mind mapping tool. Includes a portable version.
  • MindMeister: The most popular online mind mapping tool. No download. It’s a completely web-based app—you can access your mind maps from your web browser.

Writing

  • PhraseExpress: It’s a multiplatform text expander and autotext software. You can speed up your typing across all your apps by using predefined snippets. But PhraseExpress is much more than a simple text expander. It’s a powerful automation tool to execute applications, open webpages and folders, and create emails, all with personalized keyboard shortcuts. Portable version included. One-time purchase.
  • TextExpander: Perhaps the best-known multiplatform text expander tool. Unfortunately, it lacks a portable version. Yearly and monthly pricing plans.
  • Grammarly: A free online writing assistant to guide your writing (grammar, spelling, and style). It has a Chrome extension, a native desktop app, and an online version as well. The free version is more than enough to get started.

Recommended reading:

Miscellaneous

  • 1Password: My favorite password manager that generates, organizes, and remembers all your passwords. And most importantly, it keeps them safe and encrypts your data. You only have to remember a master password, which will unlock your individual passwords. But 1Password is much more than a simple password manager. You can use it to store sensitive information like your social security number, passport, or credit card numbers.
  • Ditto: A light-weight clipboard manager for Windows, which allows you to quickly access your clipboard history. You can set up a customized shortcut to access your previous copy entries. Portable version available.
  • RescueTime: A cross-platform time tracking tool that will show you how you spend your time. Automatically tracks your time spent on sites and in apps, and then delivers a personalized productivity report. 
  • MS OneDrive: Perfect cloud service to store your documents and photos. It’s a very good alternative to Google Drive and Apple’s iCloud. If you’re using Microsoft Office, OneDrive is the best solution in terms of pricing.
  • Google Calendar: I used to keep my professional appointments in Outlook and my personal appointments in Google Calendar. But it doesn’t make sense to maintain two systems. So, I settled with Google Calendar, which syncs well with Nozbe and many other tools.
  • Google Sheets: A powerful online tool for collaboration and personal productivity. If you trust Google’s privacy policy or don’t put sensitive content into your sheets, then Google Sheets is really hard to beat. After trying out several habit trackers, I found that Google Sheets is the best place to track my habits.
  • Canva: A web-based design tool. It’s much easier to use than a photo editor and offers countless templates for creating white papers, social media posts, posters, and much more. The free version is more than enough to get started.
  • ImageOptim: A free app for Mac to compress your images without losing quality. It can remove private EXIF meta­data from your images.
  • Workflow: Automation tool for iOS that allows you to make some really good time-saving tricks on your iPhone and iPad.