My Productivity Toolkit – 2024
The apps I use daily to be more productive
As a part-time content creator with a full-time 9-to-5 job, it can sometimes be difficult to organise my time, especially when I have to fit in family time, house chores as well as projects.
That’s why I find that having the correct tools to help me plan and organise my time effectively are essential. I don’t want to be spending too much time on a particular task which won’t leave enough time for other important tasks.
I need to have everything organised so that I have everything that is significant to me available whenever I need it.
By simply using the correct tools you can achieve a lot, but you have to remember that the tool needs to work for you, you must be able to enjoy the app you’re using; otherwise you’ll end up procrastinating.
My advice is to always try a handful of tools to see what works better for you, that is what I’ve done when I built this list of tools. So without any further ado, here is my productivity toolkit in 2024…
Google Docs and Google Drive
I’m a big fan of Google Docs and Google Drive. Google Drive is my default cloud storage provider and Google Docs is my default office suite. However, I do use LibreOffice from time to time.
But Google Docs is my favourite office suite and I prefer it to Microsoft Office in so many ways.
I guess the main reason for this is that it feels good to use, the interface is not complicated, and it never crashes. I don’t know what it is, but when over I use Microsoft Office products at work, I always forget where things are. But, I don’t have that issue with Google Docs, which is a win for me.
As for Google Drive, I use it because I like the apps and web interface. Moreover, it’s compatible across multiple platforms and Google Docs is linked to it.
I use Google Workspace separately for my side hustle, I pay for 2 TB of cloud storage as well as some of the premium features which have so far proven to be very useful for my requirements.
Spark
Spark is my preferred email client of choice, I’ve tried many email clients and services over the years such as Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and many others. But I find that Spark works best for me.
I like Spark to such an extent that when I moved back to the app, I ended up paying for premium, and it really is making a difference in managing my email.
The free version on its own is great, but the premium has some very useful features including the ability to respond with AI, Gatekeeper which allows you to screen emails before they enter your mailbox and more.
But the main thing that attracts me to the app is that it is focused on helping you reach Inbox Zero, which is the technique I use for managing my emails. It also allows me to focus on what’s important by filtering out all the noise.
With the help of Spark (even the free version), I am able to save a lot of time in managing my emails. In the past, it was a task I used to frequently procrastinate on, but I find that I’m not doing that when I use Spark.
Apple Reminders, Galarm and KanbanFlow
When it comes to managing my daily tasks, I’m a big fan of Apple Reminders, I think it has a great interface, it works great, and I can easily ask Siri to add tasks to it.
The app itself is not perfect, but it seems to be working well for me, and that’s what’s important. It just goes to show that sometimes the free apps work better than the premium apps.
I use Apple Reminders for primarily managing my normal daily tasks, but when it comes to the more important and critical tasks, I use an app called Galarm.
Galarm is a great app for managing time and remembering to do things, as an example I like to use Galarm to set reminders of when live sports events start or at work when I have to be reminded to attend an important meeting when I’m away from my desk. I even use it as a reminder to what time I have to be back at my desk when on break.
The key difference in my usage of Apple Reminders and Galarm is that I use Galarm for important tasks I have to do at a certain time to ensure that I do them, whereas Reminders is more of a general To-Do list app.
Lastly, I use an app called KanbanFlow for planning my week, especially when I have numerous tasks to do, and I have to keep track of time. I like the fact that it has features built-in that allows me to track how long I’m spending on a particular task, as well as a Pomodoro timer.
Notion
Notion is a funny tool that I find useful, but I’m not a fan of how daunting the interface looks. In the past, I was a big fan of it and I used it for everything. I then ended up ditching it and after finding a template that works for me, I went back.
Today, I primarily use Notion with the Creators Companion template by Thomas Frank, as I genuinely find it helpful.
I also use it for storing documentation and guides for projects I’m working on. For example as an IT professional, I write and store all the documentation and guides for my home lab in it.
I think Notion is a great tool, but it can seem daunting for many, especially for those who are just after a basic tool for taking notes or managing projects. It’s also a great tool to use as your second brain.
Bublup
Bublup is a great tool which you can use in many ways. I primarily use the app for saving and organising links to blog posts, and YouTube videos, as well as guides and recipes that I like and may want to go back to in the future.
I also use it to share things. As an example, I share all the tech items and apps I recommend on a web page called Things I Recommend. I created this web page with the help of a feature called Rolls, which allows you to turn a folder or a set of folders into a web page within a few minutes.
Bublup has many other useful features, as an example you can use it as a lead magnet for your newsletter.
Bublup allows you to create folders to which you can add links, you can also add a task list, making it great for projects, you can add notes as well as photos, files, and Google Documents.
When it comes to home improvement projects or any small projects, I like to use Bublup for inspiration and ideas. To make things easier, I like to keep everything in one place which is another reason why having the ability to add notes and tasks is very useful.
As a paying customer, I’m a big fan of Bublup, I find it extremely useful in my everyday life, and it’s genuinely providing me with value. That is why I decided to share my affiliate link.
Apple Notes
I think that Apple Notes is a very underrated app, which many seem to forget about, which I find strange as it’s an excellent tool.
I’ve used countless notebook apps over the years, but for some reason I find Apple Notes to be best, especially when it comes to simplicity and the ability to organise notes into folders.
I use Apple Notes for many things, including noting down ideas, taking notes with my Apple Pencil, projects as well as studying and planning things. Its uses are endless!
Ulysses
Ulysses is my go-to tool for writing blog posts, and I doubt that there is a better tool out there for writing blog posts!
Using Ulysses I can write my entire blog post using markup, I can check it using the built-in proofreader and I can publish it directly from the app to platforms such as WordPress, Medium and Ghost.
I find that the simple interface as well as the features this app offers makes writing more enjoyable, especially as I don’t have to rely on traditional word processors which can be slow at times.
I pay for Ulysses using my Setapp subscription. For those of you who haven’t heard of Setapp, it’s basically the Netflix of app stores. You pay a set monthly fee, and you gain access to over 200 apps, including Ulysses, Spark, Craft and more.
I pay $12.49 per month which provides me with access to Setapp on one Mac and 4 iOS devices, but subscriptions start from as little as $9.99, and you get to try it free for 7 days! As a paying customer, I seriously recommend this app as not only is it helping me save money, but it makes getting new apps more affordable. That is why I am leaving my affiliate link.
1Password
The last app on my list is 1Password, which is currently my default password manager.
I’ve used many password managers over the years, but for some reason I keep returning to 1Password.
1Password has some incredibly useful features such as Watchtower which gives you an overall idea of how safe your data is. It also alerts you to any security issues that may affect you.
It also supports passkeys which are a more secure alternative to passwords, to find out why and how they work, I am leaving a link to an article that explains it far better than I can.
But as a whole, I mainly choose 1Password because I like the features that are available and the fact that it just works.
Final Thoughts
I try and test new apps all the time, but these are the apps I tend to default to as they provide me with the most value, and that’s important.
I see so many people decide to use an app because others are using it, only to end up procrastinating or forgetting that they even have the app installed simply because they don’t find value in the app.
The app needs to work for you, and you need to enjoy using the app and find it useful for your needs.
What’s your favourite app in your productivity toolkit? Let us know in the comments!
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links which help me earn from linking products. You can read more about the affiliate links I use here.