You're struggling to keep up with your work. What tools can help you manage your time more effectively?

Productivity tools can significantly improve time management and efficiency. Task management apps like Todoist, Microsoft To Do, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook Calendar can help create and organize tasks. Time tracking apps like Toggl and Clockify can monitor time usage. Note-taking apps like Evernote and OneNote can help capture ideas and organize information. Project management tools like Asana and Trello help teams track work. Communication platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams facilitate real-time messaging and collaboration. Focus and productivity apps like Forest and Focus@Will can enhance focus. Automation tools like Zapier and IFTTT can automate workflows.

Think of time management tools as your personal assistants. Your calendar app is like a friendly secretary, helping you schedule your day. To-do lists are your reliable sticky notes, reminding you of what needs to be done. And time-tracking software is your loyal stopwatch, keeping you accountable for how you spend your time. Together, they form your superhero squad, ensuring you stay on top of your tasks and conquer your day!

Task management software is incredibly helpful to help you manage your time. Creating simple to do lists just don't work because you write things down and then forget it. By using task management software, you can organize your to do lists according to priority, track your time spent on each one, break things down into smaller chunks that you can later schedule out, assign specific tasks to certain people on your team and monitor how things are going. I like using Trello because of all of its features especially their powerups. It allows you to be creative in how you design it, is very simple to use and learn, and is a great visual tool to track your time.

Most people don't know that Trello has a specific power up called Planyway that allows you to track your time. It breaks it down according to tasks within projects and then sums up how much time you spent on the overall project itself. You can see whether you are going past your projected time or flying through tasks faster than you had intended. It gives you a great snapshot on where the bulk of your time is spent and where you need to devote more of yourself to. Tracking your time helps you see where you waste it, allowing you to adjust and get back on track so that you can crush the goals you have set.

Using habit trackers can be fun especially when they are more creative in nature. I have seen habit trackers for all kinds of things like losing weight, saving money, sleeping habits, drinking water and more. You can create these to track daily, weekly or monthly habits. You can print samples off or draw them yourself depending on how creative you are. As you begin using your trackers with fidelity celebrate your progress because that is very important. It keeps you motivated and moving forward in the right direction. I have even seen people use habit trackers to monitor negative habits like eating out, smoking, thinking negative hurtful thoughts etc. You can use these for personal or professional goals and achieve great results.

Don't mistake your busyness for productivity. Hours spent are not a good measure of your effectiveness. A better approach is to get razor-sharp from the outset about your intention for how you are using your time. When your intention for a task or project isn't clear: 1. You don't know how long you need, 2. You don't know when you're finished, 3. You're easily distracted, 4. You're tempted to multi-task, 5. You don't produce what's required; you over or under-deliver. 5. You're misaligned with your colleagues. Are you on the hook for the first draft or the end product? This process of getting clear about your intention is called TimeFraming?. When it comes to productivity, getting clear about your intention is a superpower.

Help yourself find the right tool for your needs. Ask yourself what is not working for you in your schedule. Once you've identified these challenges, you can identify practical tools and solutions to help you with your goals.