You are here: Home / Archives for wunderlist

Productivity tools: My top 10 I use daily

October 19, 2011 by · 5 Comments
Tools of the trade

Tools of the trade

I often get asked what are the top productivity tools I use. It got me thinking about all the time management and productivity apps and services I use on a daily basis and as I started writing about them, a new post was formed.

Some of these time management tools I have used for years, others for as little as a month. But rarely does a day go by when I don’t use each and every one of these productivity tools.

10) Audible – Audible is a service that allows you to download audio books on your phone, computer or iPad. I often listen to books on my phone or iPad as I drive. You may not think of an audio book app as something that would show up with time management tools, but it allows me to get through books I would not otherwise have the time to read.

9) Hootsuite – This is one of the time productivity tools I have been using for a couple of years now. When I first started out on Twitter I was using Tweet Deck. But one issue I had was if that each computer I owned had a different set up for Tweet Deck and Hootsuite was a web based product that allowed me to have the same setup no matter what computer I was on. Since then I have been an exclusive Hootsuite user. Hootsuite allows you to set up different profiles and streams on one window to make it easy to quickly see the things that are important to you.

8) Evernote – Many people have used Evernote for years. While I have had my account for years, it was not until four or five months ago that I started using it on a regular basis and since then has become one of my daily time management tools. If you have never used Evernote you can easily Google Evernote tips and get dozens of them. One of my favorite uses is when I see an article on the web I want to remember or find later I will clip it to my Evernote for easy access down the road. This is really a help when I see Paleo recipes I want to try later. There are so many great things you can do with time management and Evernote. I think I will need to start working on a post for that.

7) Text Expander – This is the newest weapon in my productivity arsenal and is quickly becoming a favorite. Text Expander is a tool that allows you to set up a code snippet as they call it. You can associate whatever you want with that snippet so every time you type that snippet in any window, email, document or whatever it will automatically replace the snippet with the predetermined text you assigned to it. I know there are a dozen or so emails that I type on a regular basis to different people. The emails are typically the same and are sent when a certain time arises in a transaction or exchange. Now instead of typing the same email over and over I can type it once, get it perfect and save it to snippet. Now when I type that short snippet, the email is written for me.

6) iPad – Do you have an iPad yet? I guess this depends on the industry you are in, but an iPad has been an amazing tool for me. I can honestly do just about everything I need to on an iPad. I have written blog posts on there, but that is typically the one thing I do not do on a regular basis because it is just so much quicker to do on my MacBook Pro keyboard.

5) Linkdip – This is a new kid on the block, and unless you are a blogger you can just keep moving. Linkdip is a social service that allows you to receive points for Liking, +1′ing, retweeting and linking to other people’s posts. As long as you have points you can then ask others to +1, Like or link to your content if they like it. Does it work? Trust me, it does.

4) Google Reader – With tools like Twitter ( follow me ) and Google Plus ( circle me up ) some people say they no longer need Google Reader to track all their RSS feeds. They say they find everything they need in their streams from their friends. Well for me Reader is still one of the time management tools I need.

3) Dropbox – Dropbox is a must for me. I store all the files I need for work on my Dropbox account. That way I never need to worry about my computer or iPad crashing. All my files are automatically backed up. The other great thing about Dropbox is you can share files or folders with other people which can greatly help with your time management activities. Dropbox does need to watch out for Box.net though. Right now if you download Box.net from an iOS device (iPhone, iPad etc) you get 50GB free for life. I am considering switching to Box.net for this reason. Right now you get 2GB free on Dropbox, but you can also get free space by inviting others. And yes, if you click on this Dropbox link and signup, I get an extra 250MB!

2) Gmail – What is there to say about Gmail that has not already been said? I love my Gmail. Although I have had to learn tricks to make Gmail work better with my time management, it is a tool that does save me lots of time with quick organization. The key to Gmail is learning to use labels and auto filters. Once you master them, there is no better tool I have seen to manage you email. Also Gmail is the best spam filter in the universe!

1) Wunderlist – Wunderlist is by far the MVP of my time management systems. I have written about Wunderlist dozens of times. I simply could not get through the day without it. It is always open when I am at my computer working. If you like a simple, yet very powerful to-do list, your search stops here.

There you have it, ten time management tools I use every day. Now let me know, what are the ones I missed that would be on your list?

***Late edit. I do not know how this slipped though, but Google Voice should be on this list. The ability to get your voicemails transcribed into text messages, free text messaging and saving all those voice mails I may need for later is priceless. This should have been on the list.

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Productivity · Tagged: , , , ,

Real Productive: My best experiment yet?

September 28, 2011 by · 1 Comment

I have tried many different productivity tips over the years, some last and some don’t. My latest experiment may be one of my biggest game changers yet. This experiment revolves around one my my favorite topics- email.

I need to preface this with a little about me. I have been an inbox zero guy for close to a year now. Even though I am an inbox zero guy, I still spend a lot of time in my Gmail Apps account, but I never knew how much until recently. As a full time real estate agent I do a lot of my work, I would say the majority of it, through email. I communicate with the banks on my short sales, my business partner, other agents and my clients through email. On a typical day I receive roughly 130 emails (not including what my spam filter catches) and I send about 60-70.

Why do I tell you this? Because I know your response to this post is going to be, “But I could never do that.” When I first heard of other people talking about this concept, that was my first reaction. But my vacation this summer to California taught me that if I did not check my email every 5 minutes both myself and the world would somehow manage to keep going. I know…. shocker.

So I decided a little over two weeks ago I wanted to try and spend less time in email. I am one of those guys who checks his phone every 5 minutes or whenever it buzzes, whichever came first. When I was at my computer, my Gmail was always open in one of my Chrome browser tabs. It would be nothing for me to go there every few minutes to look at my emails.

What I decided was I was going to check my email twice a day at 10am and at 5pm. I would touch each email only once. Each email would be answered immediately then filed into the proper label or deleted. Each email that needed action that would take more than a couple of minutes would go directly into my Wunderlist (my system I use for my to-dos) and then be filed or deleted.

What I found was that when I went in with the intention of getting my email cleared as quickly as possible, I was amazed at how quickly I could process all the emails and get on with my day. Typically there would be somewhere between 50-60 emails when I checked at 10am and 60-75 emails at 5pm. When I log in to my email that is all I am focusing on. On average I can process all those emails in 10-20 minutes. On an average day I now spend roughly 30 minutes total in email.

Another benefit of this new email checking system is I don’t jump every time my phone buzzes. It is amazing how the world does not come to a halt because I let my email pile up for half a day. I am not sure how much time I used to spend in my Gmail, but I am guessing it was probably in excess of two hours a day.

I do make some exceptions. If I need to email someone about a business matter in between those times I will open my email, send what I need to be sent, then close it back down. But I will not check email while I am in there. And if I need a file or information quickly and know it will be coming via email I will check my phone when it buzzes. I won’t open anything except the urgent email I am waiting for, but I will open that when it arrives. This only happens maybe 2-3 times a week. For the most part I stick to my system.

Will this system work for you? I don’t know. The only thing certain about productivity systems is no system will work for everyone. But I encourage you to give this one a shot. No matter how important you think your emails are, no matter how much email is a part of your business and life, I know you can pull this off if you give it an honest try.

Let me know, have you ever tried anything like this? How do you process your email? And let me know if you have any email challenges you think you may need help with.

 

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Productivity · Tagged: , , , ,

Wunderlist to-do productivity tool gets even easier to use

September 12, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

If you have been around here a while you know I love my Wunderlist to-do app. Wunderlist is simple, powerful, and will work from my computer, iPad, Android phone or just about any other device you can think of. I use Wunderlist pretty much all day, every day.

One of my favorite things about Wunderlist is they are always improving their product. There are many programs and apps that constantly add updates, but when doing so often make the program or app more difficult and more cumbersome to use. Wunderlist seems to understand that by adding new features it does not mean you need to add layers to the program.

Here is a video they just released with some new updates. I love the new quick adding date feature. Great job Wunderlist, keep it up!

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Productivity · Tagged: , , , ,

Paper or electronic to-do list?

July 1, 2011 by · 1 Comment
Wunderlist is Wunderful

The easiest answer to the question of which is better a paper or electronic to-do list is – whichever you actually use. But for those who still choose paper I will tell why I made the change a few months ago, and love it. Leave a comment below on what you use and why.

I recently read this post on LifeHack about how paper can be your best productivity tool. They make the argument that paper may still be the best way to track what you need to get done. Chris does a great job explaining why for him paper is better than any electronic organizer.

I was like Chris for a long time. I am very much a geek and like to do everything I can electronically. Every time I tried to use a simple electronic to-do list though, I failed.

The biggest key I found to any to-do productivity system? The one that you will use. And while I was always on my computer I found most of them were never used more than a day or two.

Remember the Milk, Google Tasks, TaDa List, you name it and I have probably tried it and failed. Every time I would always land back on a yellow legal pad which I had used since the mid-90’s.

I needed a solution that would:

  • Be available on Android, iPad and desktop
  • Automatically sync between them
  • Simple, plain user interface
  • Quick and easy task adding
  • Have option of due dates
  • Have one click ability to move around
  • Capability of categories
  • Ability to use offline
  • And finally to repeat, simple and easy to use

About six months ago I heard two friends Chuck Reynolds and Chris Conrey talking online about a new electronic list they were using called Wunderlist. So I decided to give it a try very much expecting the same results as before which would be, use it for 3-4 days then back to paper.

I don’t remember the exact date, but it was at least six months ago and here I am today still using it every day.

Wunderlist is Wunderful

What makes Wunderlist different

1) Wunderlist works everywhere I am. On my Android phone, on my iPad, my MacBook Pro, or on the web it just works and is always with me. And no matter which way I use Wunderlist it will automatically sync with all of my platforms.

2) While it has many features, it is a simple as you want it. One of my complaints about electronic productivity tools has always been it takes too long to use them and in the end does not make you more productive. When I started using Wunderlist I loved the fact that I could just type in “Call Scott” then hit enter and I was done. After the call I would just check it off.

3) You can add more details. Sometimes after you write down “Call Scott” on your notepad you may want to add a note to the side to remind you to ask him about something specific. Wunderlist has a great note section where I can add those notes too if I choose.

You can also add things such as priorities, due dates or category. But none of this is needed so you can still keep it simple.

4) Sharing lists is awesome. I have lists such as my inbox which I use as a catch all everything I can think of ends up there, a business list, a Productive Dad list where my ideas go into and a groceries list.

My business list is shared with my business partner and our assistant. This list is great because I write my action items for the day there so she can see them and I can also add in an action item for her. One list and we both know what we need to get done today.

If I get a craving for chili dogs while I am out, I can log into the grocery list and put in chili dogs. Then when my wife gets to the grocery store to shop she can pull up my list on her Android phone and see what I have added.

5) Simple: one click, easy to view. So at times I may want to look at my Productive Dad list for ideas, or I may want to look at the business category to see what we have going on, but most of the time I just click on the Today button to see what is due today. The great thing is with one click I can jump back and forth between a few different options. Unlike some lists there is almost never multiple clicks to get anywhere.

Nothing is perfect

So obviously I am a fan, but nothing is perfect right? If I had to pick a fault with this app I would say it is the inability to have repeating tasks. I have easily found a work around, after I pick a date and it is complete, I just change the due date. It only takes three second to do, but it would be so much nicer if it would allow for repeating tasks. (I hear that it is coming soon.)

Conclusion

Wunderlist is the first to-do system I have found for me that can actually replace paper. For me it started out as the tool of choice because it was so simple to just enter an item and then check it off when I was done. Simple, just what I was looking for.

But like any good tool once I got the basics down I started exploring and finding out some of the powerful benefits it provided. Wunderlist is finally an electronic tool that has replaced my paper notepad.

So leave a comment and let me know what you use and why.

Until next time, stay productive

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Productivity · Tagged: , ,

How I moved from 14 to 9 hours a day and accomplished done

January 10, 2011 by · 3 Comments
My Wunderlist

As I was saying in my last post, ADHD made it hard for me to concentrate for a long period of time, even for an hour. I needed to find a way to either control my mind-wandering, or find a system that worked for me.

I decided to do something drastic with my time management and I broke all my daily to-do’s up into 15 minute segments. The way I managed this was by starting to use a program called Wunderlist. Wunderlist is a very easy to use to-do list that synced on my laptop and soon my cell phone too.

I planned on trying to manage my RSS reader into one hour a day, so I broke it down into four entries on Wunderlist that read “15 RSS Reader.” After I completed one it got checked off. My two hours a day for short sale negotiations was broken down into eight 15 minute short sale sections. And on, and on. At the end of the day I would check everything I had completed that day and would be ready to go for the following day.

There are a few reasons this was very productive for me. If I was starting a 15 minute session I could close my email and other distractions, put on my headphones with Pandora playing in the background and plug away for 15 minutes. Even I could stay focused that long. If I was really in the groove and feeling a segment maybe I would continue on for two segments in a row and pump out 30 minutes.

The schedule gave me flexibility. Flexibility was key for me. I could not say I was going to do this activity between this time and this time every day because things happen. But I could say I need to get this done every day and just work it in each day as time fit.

What I really found to be a key to the success was playing a game with myself. I had 15 minutes to work, how much work could I get done in those 15 minutes. You have to be completely into whatever you are doing with no distractions for that short period of time. And if I can do it, I am convinced anyone can.

My Wunderlist, click to enlarge

I broke my Wunderlist into three sections: Daily Real Estate, Daily Other projects and General To Do Inbox. My daily real estate section contained the majority of my day. This included the things I needed to do every day to earn a living and every morning I tried to get this section done before before I moved on to something else.

My daily other projects consisted of writing and researching for this blog, web sites I was building on the side for other people, my RSS reader and video projects I did for others.

The third section was my to-do list. If I needed to go to the store for something or go to the post office that went in this section, and I always tried to keep this one to the bare minimum.

Just about every electronic to-do list I have ever used has failed. Wunderlist has been different so far. The ability to create categories and separate my daily activities from other to-do items may be one of the big reasons this works for me. Also the simplicity of the program is probably a key factor. Whatever it is, it works for me -your mileage may vary.

When it came to a 15 minute work session email was closed, the RSS reader was closed, Facebook and Twitter were nowhere to be found. The only things open on my monitors were my browser with the websites I was working in and iTunes or Pandora music running on my headset.

There was nothing standing in front of me and the completion of the task at hand for the next 15 minutes. The only possible distraction would be the cell phone. I had my cell phone where I could see it if I got a call. If it was a friend the call would wait until I was done. If it was a number I did not know, or a client, it was answered. I need to answer the phone when I get a call because if a bank is calling me about a short sale file on a house I cannot let it go to voicemail or I may not be able to get a hold of the negotiator for another couple of days.

So what happens if I get to the end of my 15 minutes and I need to keep going on a subject? Well, that depends. If I was in the middle of something like my RSS time or even one of my four 15 minute “Misc” times, chances are I would leave that screen in the background and get back to it. If it was my short sale time or business development time and I was really in a groove, I would often go for one more 15 minute segment and then check off two completed tasks.

What if I got an early start on my day and my to-do list was done by 3PM? I try to call it a day and go home and spend time with the kids. My goal is to create more time, not create more work time. This was my reward for staying on task and getting things done.

There are times you cannot control the day obviously. Maybe I have a short sale file that is taking a lot longer in a day than I want. If I have set aside two hours for my file work and it requires an extra half hour after I am done my two hours, I ask myself “Does this really need to be done today, or can it wait for tomorrow?” If the answer was it really should be done, I would continue working. I would then look at my day and see if I could cut out 30 minutes from my other daily activities such as reading or writing.

Again my goal was to get done everything I needed to get done on a daily basis, not create more time for me to get more work done. If that is your goal this will also work for you. Don’t get me wrong- I have nothing against hard and long work. Those who have known me and worked with me for a long time know that. But by increasing my productivity during those work hours I now realized I could get a lot more done in a shorter period of time.

One of my keys to the productivity is headphones. I work out of a shared workspace and there are potentially a lot of distractions there. And when I am working from my house with the kids around there are even more distractions. Everyone knows that when I have my headphones on I am in one of my work zones and do not want to be disturbed.

If I am working on one of my “Misc” segments or RSS reader then I probably do it without headphones because if I get distracted then it is not a big deal. When the 15 mins for those sessions are up, it is up whether I had actually accomplished a full 15 mins or only 10 mins of productivity and 5 minutes of a side discussion. But during the main work sessions such as my real estate time or witting time the headphones are on and music is playing in the background and I am getting in a full 15 minutes of work.

That is what works for me, it may or may not work for you. If you have trouble staying focused I recommend you try it. I have tried dozens of “systems” over the last 20 years. This is the one of the few I could maintain more than a day or two.

If you have a system that works for you we would love to hear about it, leave a comment below.

Until next time, be productive.

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Productivity · Tagged: , ,