do you need apps to be productive

Do You Need Tools or Apps to Be Productive?

14 January 2021 | by Gina Lucia

Do you need tools or apps to be productive?

Can you achieve the same level of productivity without them?

Or do you actually need them because, without them, you’d completely forget how to function?

Let’s explore, shall we!

Do you need tools or apps to be productive?

Pop on the internet and every week there’s a new productivity tool claiming to be the solution to all your not-so-productive problems.

Gamify, minimise, cute-ify? Log, track and organise.

You name it, there’s an app or tool that will help you do it.

But just because these tools exist, does that mean should we be using them?

  • Do you need a tool to help you track how much reading you’re doing, or do you just go ahead and read?
  • Do you need a tool to organise your daily tasks, or do you just do them?
  • Do you need a tool to help you achieve those tasks faster, or… or do you just do them?

The answer is complicated and honestly… I’m confused.

Having the best gardening tools doesn’t make you a better gardener.

So it goes without saying that although you could use the best possible productivity apps or tools out there, it doesn’t automatically make you more productive.

What is productivity?

So let’s go on the assumption that productivity is getting the results you want with less time and effort.

So if a productivity app or tool saves you time and helps you get better results, then it’s doing its job and worth using, right?

But if you spend all your time trying to find the best productivity tool and then more time learning the skills to use it properly, then it’s not very productive. Or is it?

How about if you find the perfect productivity tool, spend time setting it up and mastering it, and although you lost a load of time setting it up, you get your time back later because now, you work faster and achieve more. Is that then productive?

You can see why I’m confused.

I do use productivity tools…

Don’t get me wrong, I do use productivity tools.

I use Todoist to schedule my tasks and Toggl to track how long I spend on certain projects, amongst other things.

But would I be more productive without them?

Or would I be more productive if I added more tools into the mix?

I’m not sure.

The tools I use suit me.

Todoist allows me to organise important tasks in the simplest way possible because I get overwhelmed by complicated systems.

Toggl helps me track how long I spend on projects so I can invoice properly.

They’re tools that perform very specific functions and they suit my natural preferences.

If I were to use tools that didn’t, I’d spend too long using the tools and not enough time actually achieving anything.

But how do I even know that without trying them?

I don’t. And that’s okay.

Understanding if tools are right for you

I think It’s more important to understand how you learn, rather than what tool is deemed best.

  • Do you learn best with simplicity in mind? A simpler tool might be for you.
  • Do you learn best by having fun? Gamification might work for you.
  • Do you learn best with a helping hand? Guided tools might suit you best.

We’re all different. So, by finding tools that enhance your existing way of learning, you’re not trying to learn anything new, you’re just enhancing your ability to do it faster and more efficiently.

Which is what productivity is…

Productivity is getting the results you want with less time and effort.

If you can find a tool which gets you the results YOU want with less time and effort because it enhances YOUR way of learning, it might be worth putting the time in to try it out.

Or you don’t have to, that’s up to you.

And if not, if you can’t find the tool to suit you, maybe it’s not worth using productivity tools or apps at all.

You’d probably be more productive that way anyway.

Oh! Before you go!

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Now goodbye you brilliant human, go be productive.