Finding the Right Productivity Apps: A Practical Guide
Written on
Chapter 1: The Overwhelming App Market
The web is flooded with articles boasting titles like “Top Productivity Tools of the Year” and “Apps to Simplify Your Life.” Numerous applications claim to enhance focus, time management, and the development of healthy habits. The market for productivity apps is projected to grow at a staggering compound annual growth rate of 13.8% from 2022 to 2030.
However, if you're not cautious, the quest for productivity tools can turn into a distraction itself. It's easy to fall into the trap of jumping from one app to another, mistakenly believing that finding the perfect tool will resolve your productivity challenges.
Trust me, that's not how it works. If you frequently switch tools without sticking with any, you're unlikely to solve your issues. Moreover, research indicates that using an excessive number of apps can actually hinder productivity.
To effectively find the right productivity applications, it's crucial to identify the specific problems you're aiming to address. This is where my Indistractable Model, outlined in my book Indistractable, becomes valuable. It serves as a diagnostic tool to help determine the problems at hand before searching for solutions.
The first video presents a fail-safe trick to guide your search for the most suitable productivity apps.
Section 1.1: Identifying Internal Triggers
Internal triggers are the negative thoughts and feelings that arise when we attempt to concentrate on a task. Since all human actions are motivated by a desire to avoid discomfort, these internal triggers often lead us to seek distraction as a form of relief unless we address them appropriately.
If you notice your mind wandering due to feelings of boredom, loneliness, stress, or anxiety, you're dealing with an internal trigger issue.
The Solution:
Understanding the discomfort that drives us toward distraction is essential for finding effective ways to manage negative urges. Look for tools that allow you to explore your internal triggers and uncover their origins.
I recommend:
- Surfing the Urge: An audio-based exercise from the University of Washington designed to help individuals manage cravings or urges to engage in certain behaviors.
Section 1.2: Managing Time Effectively
Traction is the opposite of distraction; it's any action that propels us toward our goals. If you struggle to stick to what you say you will do, it indicates a need for better time management.
The Solution:
Utilize tools that assist in creating a timeboxed calendar. Timeboxing is an exceptional productivity technique: when you allocate specific times for each task on your calendar, it's easier to identify distractions.
I suggest:
- My Free Schedule Maker Template: Available in Google Sheets.
- Clockwise: A calendar optimization tool for teams.
- Sunsama: An excellent timeboxing application for busy professionals.
- SavvyCal: A meeting scheduling tool that simplifies calendar sharing.
Chapter 2: Navigating External Triggers
The second video discusses 21 apps that can help you become more productive by managing distractions.
External triggers include interruptions from those around us and notifications from our devices. Today's distractions often stem from these external factors. When your day is filled with interruptions, focusing becomes increasingly difficult.
The Solution:
Seek tools that help you manage and minimize external triggers.
I suggest:
- SaneBox: An email management software that analyzes your email habits to prioritize important messages while filtering out the rest.
- Pocket: An app that lets you save articles and videos for later viewing, whether at your desk or on the go.
Section 2.1: Staying Focused on Tasks
Sometimes, a motivational boost is essential to achieve what we intend. It’s crucial to master internal triggers, allocate time for traction, and manage external distractions. Yet, even after these efforts, maintaining focus can remain a challenge.
The Solution:
Consider utilizing tools that establish precommitment pacts, which are highly effective in keeping us accountable. While minimizing external triggers helps eliminate distractions, these pacts serve as a proven method to ensure we follow through on our commitments.
I recommend:
- stickK: A community for accountability and goal setting that allows you to create a goal, invest money in it, and define consequences for not achieving it.
- Time Guard: An iOS app that enables you to block specific apps for designated periods to help maintain focus.
- Forest: A simple app that encourages you to stay off your phone for a set amount of time.
For additional tools and strategies, check out my recommendations for more Indistractable resources.
Remember, your pursuit of productivity apps isn't about discovering the ultimate tool but rather selecting the most suitable one for your needs.
Nir Eyal, a former lecturer at Stanford, is the bestselling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Indistractable has received several accolades and was recognized as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Year.
BONUS: You can find a complimentary Indistractable workbook on my blog, NirAndFar.com.
