Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to do everything you need to do, and your to-do list gets longer rather than shorter? You’re not alone!
Today, I’m going to share with you my five favorite tools that I use to be more productive and helped me juggle working full time, going to school full time, running my business, and being an only parent to busy teenagers.
Balance is a myth, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend more time than necessary on any tasks. So why not figure out how to spend as little time as possible on keeping up with the things you need to do so you have more time for the things you want to do?
The answer is to systemize as many tasks as possible so you have time for the really important things! For me, that means spending time building relationships with my kids.
But the more time I spend on completing tasks, the less time I have for them.
That’s why I have invested so much energy in figuring out the most efficient ways to complete my to-do list…so I can get back to living my life!
If that sounds like something you need in your own life, this is the list of tools for you!
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are an incredible way to accomplish tasks faster because they allow you to keep your hands on the keyboard while you do things like; hit ‘send’ on an email, switch between tabs and applications, and perform tasks within software applications.
If you have a mac, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts as well. If you have an email address, website, or business name that you type frequently, you can create a keyboard shortcut that will automatically populate the text you want to type.
For instance, to type ‘A Highly Unlikely Life’, I type ‘ah’ and the whole name pops up on the screen. I hit the space bar, and the whole name is typed for me…like magic.
This seems like a small way to save time, but if you add up all the tasks over the couple of hours you spend on the computer, the cumulative effect can add up to hours over the course of a year.
Take some time to learn a few new keyboard shortcuts each week and practice them to get started saving those seconds, and see how much more quickly you can get your computer work done each day!
Google Workspace
Google is more than a search engine, email, and calendar.
Google Drive, Maps, Meet, Chat, and Contacts are just a few of the others you need to start using. Everything within Google runs seamlessly across your devices and makes working with a team and on the go simple and easy.
You can even automatically back up your desktop or laptop files to Google Drive so you have access to them from your phone or tablet when you’re on the go.
Google Drive is perfect for sharing and collaborating. I used it in school more times than I can remember for group projects, but I also use it in my personal life. This past year I planned a 50th Wedding Anniversary event with my siblings who all live in different states. Using Google Drive we were able to brainstorm, plan, and track the entire event as if we were all getting together in person. It was a lifesaver!
With Google Calendar, you can schedule meetings and when you share a calendar invite, it automatically sends a link for Google Meet. Google Meet is convenient and offers many features similar to zoom, but without the hassle of generating an external link.
If you work collaboratively, meet with clients, or work from different locations, I highly recommend learning more about the capabilities of the Google Workspace!
Text Sniper
This is an incredible application for Mac!
It allows you to quickly copy and paste any text from any screen, website, or document.
So next time you are sitting in a meeting or in a class watching a PowerPoint presentation, you can grab text off the screen and paste it into your notes…very cool!
Rather than trying to type or write the important information, and then missing the next slide or other important information, you just hit command, shift, 2…drag over the text you want to capture. The text is automatically copied, and you hit ‘Command+V’ to paste it wherever you are capturing notes.
This is also helpful when you are trying to grab a quote or trying to quickly transfer information to a document.
I don’t know how I ever lived without this app! I used it multiple times a week for work and at home.
There are alternatives for PC users that include Capture2Text and Textify.
Alfred
This is another great application for Mac!
Alfred allows you to bring up a search bar from anywhere by pressing ‘Command+Shift’.
Then you can type in what you are searching for, which can be a software application you want to open, a file you are looking for, or something you are looking for on the web…really, ANYTHING. No more opening a browser or searching through files, Alfred has it all covered.
Alfred pulls up a list from your search term and you just click on what you want, which is so convenient, and saves so much time!
PC alternatives to Alfred are Cerebroapp and Listary.
Notion
Notion is the answer to organization and ease of use…seriously it is incredible!
There are entire Youtube channels and websites dedicated to Notion use. I encourage you to go do some research and get started with Notion!
Here is a quick breakdown of some of the capabilities of Notion:
- Pages within pages
- Databases
- Tables
- Databases and tables within a page
- Calendars that are attached to databases and tables
- Interconnected pages and other elements that automatically update
- Workflow Creation
- Templates
- Drag and drop to easily move and reorganize data
- And much, much more
Notion is the one-stop-shop for organization that the world has been waiting for!
I have created templates within Notion that I use for all of my creative content. I put the templates into a workflow that feeds a calendar, and it’s all on a one-page dashboard so I don’t have to switch pages or applications. All of my content is created in Notion from idea generation to publication…all in one place!
I also have a dashboard for my life. It is a one-screen page where I have my routines, my goals, projects I am working on, and a master to-do list that is categorized to help with focus.
Before I found Notion, I was exclusively using Microsoft and Google…and I am not exaggerating when I tell you I have taken hours off my production time by switching to Notion.
Once I have published an article, video or podcast, I store the URL in the page for that episode or article…so I never have to go find anything. It’s all within Notion…and it’s SO easy.
If you take one thing away from this article, let it be Notion.
Go watch some videos on how people set up their notion, don’t get overwhelmed because there are AMAZING people using Notion in very creative ways.
You don’t need anything advanced to get started, you just need the basics! You don’t worry about messing it, or getting it perfectly organized from the start.
Just start simple, learn it as you go, and let your Notion grow with you.
It will change your life!
Plus, it’s available for PC and Mac!
So there you have it! My top five favorite tools I used to increase my own productivity and decrease the amount of time I spend on tasks during the day.
Let me know which one you found most helpful!