Resources to Help You Focus, Manage Your Work Effectively, and Save Time
You have less time than you think to get the important work in your life done, so you need to get focused, manage your projects and tasks effectively, and find ways to save time wherever you can. I’ve written about the scarcity of time, and I’ve suggested that a first step to getting a handle on the situation is to conduct a personal time audit.
After conducting an audit of how you spend your time, you'll likely find you have just a few hours a day to devote to the important work that moves your career and life forward. Coming to terms with this limitation can be demotivating. This is especially the case for the many MBAs I work with who are driven and aspire to accomplish big things quickly in all areas of their life: career, home, and community. Their goals are many, and their time is limited.
So how do you or I make the most of the time we have available? Getting focused, organized, and then staying on track can be a day-to-day and hour-to-hour struggle. Fortunately, there’s an entire productivity industry devoted to helping you and me.
Here are some of the resources in a sea of possibilities that I’ve personally found helpful in managing my focus and time. I'm not receiving any compensation as a result of making these recommendations, and I've generally used and paid for these resources and services.
I’ll regularly update and add to this post to make it more complete and reflect my current go-to resources.
Get focused on what’s important
If you couldn't already tell, I'm very into productivity and time management. But completing even 100 tasks in my app of choice doesn’t count for much if the work being done isn’t in support of goals and priorities that are truly important to me.
So how do I, or you, determine what’s important? Well — you could work with a coach like me. But if you’re looking for something more DIY, then here are a few places to start.
The Four Elements by Timothy Butler
My approach to coaching is deeply influenced by Tim Butler’s expansive, deep and unhurried approach to understanding what is truly meaningful to people and how they go about making the most important decisions in their lives. Tim directs the coaching program for students and alumni at Harvard Business School that I’ve been a part of for over 10 years, and he regularly educates and trains my colleagues and me, making us all better at what we do. In his latest book, The Four Elements, Tim presents a framework for getting to the heart of how you want to be spending your time, understanding who you want to be spending it with, recognizing the needs and obligations that influence your decision making, and understanding what it means to live life to its fullest.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
I return to the concepts in Greg McKeown's Essentialism repeatedly. As I mentioned above, I’m drawn to systems and tech. They’re helpful, but they create their own problems. Using the latest technology, it’s far too easy to capture things that ‘need to be done.’ My lists grow longer and my projects more complex. Simply maintaining the lists could be a job in and of itself, and there would never be enough time to get those projects and tasks I’m dutifully collecting and organizing done. So what then is the point in collecting all those projects and tasks in the first place? Doing less and doing it better is the central focus of Essentialism. When my projects and lists require endless scrolling and reviews just to maintain them, and I’m feeling burnt out, a dose of Essentialism is what’s called for.
Goal-setting wisdom from Carl Pullein
Carl Pullein is a fixture in the productivity world. I stumbled across him on YouTube years ago when I was first learning how to use Todoist, a task manager that I’ve often recommended to the people I coach (see recommendation below). As I got to know Carl and his love of all things James Bond (don’t say I didn’t warn you), I began to realize that he had much more to offer than just advice on how to use Todoist. Carl is incredibly prolific, and while his YouTube videos and podcasts aren’t always perfectly produced, he never fails to deliver sound guidance when it comes to prioritizing important goals and then achieving them by staying focused and minimizing distractions. Consider starting here.
Manage your time and work effectively
If you’ve done your homework and understand what’s important and meaningful to you, then it’s time to get organized. As I’ve mentioned already, I love systems and all things tech and am always ready to try a new approach or device. Queue my current experiment (distraction?) with reMarkable 2. Perhaps I’ll add it to this list at some point. In the meantime, consider the following:
Getting Things Done by David Allen
If you’ve ever taken even the shallowest dive into the world of productivity, you’ve likely heard about David Allen's Getting Things Done or GTD. It’s been a long time since I’ve immersed myself in this book, but many of the concepts have stuck. Through GTD, David Allen taught me the importance of getting thoughts and ideas out of my head and into a trusted system, identifying the next action or actions that will move important projects forward, and conducting regular reviews of my projects and tasks. At this point, the approaches recommended in Getting Things Done can seem a little dated and at times even onerous, but the concepts are still valid. And who doesn’t want to have the peace and serenity of “a mind like water” that is the inevitable result of following David Allen’s approach?
Todoist and tips from Carl Pullein
If you’re at all serious about getting your projects and tasks captured and under control, it’s hard to find a better personal productivity tool than Todoist. I don’t currently use Todoist (I use Asana — see recommendation below), but I did use it and loved it for years. And I still recommend it to clients. I think it’s the best option for someone who wants an intuitive tool that makes turning ideas and information into actionable tasks as easy as possible. It’s affordable, capable, quick to learn, and there are some great resources out there to help you get started. I personally learned a lot of what I know about using Todoist from Carl Pullein on his YouTube channel. In addition to teaching you the basics, Carl also shows how he adapts Todoist to his own productivity system. But even if you don’t adopt Carl’s system, seeing his approach will likely prompt you to create your own. Todoist works across platforms, so it’s an easy choice and an easy recommendation.
Asana and tips from Paul Minors
I use Asana to plan and manage everything, including my business and personal life. It’s a powerful tool and is especially useful if you want to collaborate with a team or clients on complex projects. There are competitors like BaseCamp and ClickUp, but they’re often either too simple or too busy. Asana strikes a nice balance between complexity and calm. It’s more capable than BaseCamp based on some of my earlier research, and it’s not as overwhelming as ClickUp, which I did use for a couple of years and found to be far too customizable and ever-changing. Updates for Asana roll out at a measured pace, and the interface remains relatively serene. There is, however, a steeper learning curve than is required for Todoist, my previous recommendation. But never fear, as an Asana Certified Pro, Paul Minors can help you figure things out. Check out his YouTube channel. I found it to be invaluable. He can also help you learn Pipedrive if you need a simple and approachable CRM. I’ve also recommended (and have completed) his Personal Productivity Toolkit.
Evernote and tips from (who else?) Carl Pullein
No personal productivity system is complete without a notes app. There are many to choose from, including Apple Notes, Bear, Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, and Roam Research. Evernote has been around so long that it’s easy to assume its time has passed. I’ve used it for — I don’t know — 10 years? I’ve had my moments with Evernote and have put a good deal of time and effort into researching and trying alternatives. And I always seem to come back to Evernote. Its web clipper and integration with Gmail make capturing information into notes simple and quick. Its ability to search documents, images, and even my sometimes questionable handwriting is just short of miraculous. While the company seemed to lose sight of its core customers for a period of time, new management has gotten the company focused on the basics and layering on relevant features that point to a brighter future for the app. Evernote isn’t too hard to learn, but if you want some pointers, I once again direct you to the ever-productive and helpful Carl Pullein and his YouTube channel. Carl is the king of the demo, and he’s a go-to resource for using Evernote.
Deep Work by Cal Newport and time blocking
Quite a while ago, a client suggested that I read Deep Work by Cal Newport. I’ve been referring to it ever since. If you find that your important work just isn’t getting done, it’s time for you to spend a few quality hours with Deep Work. Cal Newport helps you understand how being intentional about setting aside time to focus on the important work and projects in your life is critical to making progress and achieving longer-term goals. Deep Work also introduces you to the idea of time blocking. I’m an evangelist. And if you want a guide — our friends at Todoist have written a good one, although there are many to be found online. Just do a Google search. Or even better, check out Paul Minors' helpful blog and YouTube video.
Your calendar
I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend a calendar app or two. Cal Newport, Paul Minors, Carl Pullein, and just about anyone else you might come across in the world of personal productivity will tell you — no, they just about insist — that you use your calendar as the primary tool to manage your time. It's an obvious choice, but most people I’ve encountered don’t necessarily think of their calendar as 'a productivity tool.' It makes sense, though. There’s no more time to get things done in a day or week than is represented by your calendar. So if a project or task can’t fit into your calendar, then it’s not going to get done. It’s that simple. The calendar you use doesn’t really matter. It could be digital or analog. Both will work fine. If you’re looking for a digital solution, then Apple Calendar, Outlook, and Google Calendar are more than capable. If you want a few more bells and whistles and you use a Mac, I like BusyCal and have used it for years. You can easily filter your views, which can be very helpful for what else? — time blocking (see the previous entry about Deep Work by Cal Newport).
A weekly review and a daily shutdown routine
Do you have a daily shutdown routine and a weekly review on your calendar? No? What are you waiting for? A weekly review and, even more so, a well-thought-through shutdown routine are the key to any productivity system that works — my personal opinion. And the shared opinion of many others. I could write at length about the benefits of a shutdown routine and a weekly review, and may at some point, but Paul Minors has already done a good job of it, so why recreate the wheel? My time would probably be better spent on the 10 to 15 minutes required for my shutdown routine, rescheduling and reprioritizing tasks, and then time blocking my next day.
Be more efficient, save time and hold yourself accountable
Developing an understanding of what’s important to you and then managing your work and other pursuits effectively is critical to achieving your goals. But with time being as scarce as it is, we all need a little help to work more efficiently. We also need a little accountability so that when we run into friction in pursuit of our goals, we don’t end up falling off the wagon.
TextExpander
Of all the productivity tools I’ve been introduced to over the years, TextExpander is the one that outlasts and outperforms them all. There's no reason why you or I should be typing the same thing over and over again. It’s just a waste of time, and as I’ve mentioned, the amount of time we have to accomplish important things is surprisingly limited. Among other things, TextExpander allows you to save snippets of text you use repeatedly and then enter them into documents and emails using short abbreviations. It’s a huge time saver, and using it verges on, well, fun. You’ll start looking forward to some of your repetitive tasks and communications. Well — maybe not look forward to, but at least not dread. Here's a Getting Started with TextExpander video from Paul Minors.
Zapier
This will be a recommendation for my more technically adventurous readers. Zapier will not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you haven’t heard of it, Zapier (pronounced like ‘happier,’ please) is the glue that connects apps and services together. Similar to TextExpander, it can save you bundles of time and drudgery. In a nutshell, Zapier makes it possible to have an action in one app or service trigger an action in another. For example, adding an appointment to your Google Calendar could trigger the creation of a task (or multiple tasks) in Asana. That’s a basic example, and Zapier is capable of automation much more complex than that. I find the interface to be approachable and relatively simple. You don’t need to be a programmer or programmer-wanna-be to figure it out. And if you need some help, Paul Minors has produced some good YouTube videos.
Grammarly
I used to be a speedy and accurate typist. I chalk it up to playing the piano since I was four years old. I’ve found, though, that while my speed is still there, my accuracy has declined. It could be that life has gotten more rushed. Or maybe I’m just getting older. No matter the reason, Grammarly is the answer to catching typos when you are your own proofreader. And if you spring for the premium (AKA paid) plan, Grammarly’s suggestions for improving your writing are surprisingly valuable. My only complaint is that Grammarly insists that I use the Oxford comma. Again and again and again. I ignored its unrelenting prompts for months, but I finally gave in. As a very determined and pushy race of cyborgs in the science-fiction canon has been known to say, “Resistance is futile.”
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits is a must-read for anyone who has longer-term goals in mind or wants to effect lasting change in their lives. James Clear makes the case that big things can be achieved through small, consistent actions. As David, the crafty android from Prometheus, said, “Big things have small beginnings.” Wait — did I just give myself away as a geek? I think the answer is a resounding yes. Now that I'm thinking about it, I probably gave myself away when I referenced The Borg in the previous recommendation. So be it.
Conclusion
It doesn’t necessarily matter which productivity guru or gurus you follow, which productivity system you decide to adopt, or the exact tools you choose to implement your system. What matters most is that you find a productivity system and set of tools that fit your work and life, that you feel comfortable using, and that you can stick with.
I’ve shared the approaches, tools, and resources that I personally rely on. I hope they’re helpful. And whatever you do, don't forget to use your calendar!
