The End Of The Series

Hi everyone.  Welcome to another episode from Productivity Matters.

In fact, this is the last in the current series; but don’t worry, I’ll be back in the new year. 

I've had a lot of fun making these, so in the great tradition of end of year shows; I thought I'd take look back at what I've talked about over the last 18 weeks.

What is productivity

If we're to understand how the tools and methods can help us, then we need to get to the heart of productivity, and what it actually is?

Productivity means different things to each of us; but one thing I think we can all agree on is that it’s the means to getting things done in the most efficient manner. 

It may be that the easiest way to do this is using good old-fashioned pen and paper.

The tech world has been overtaken with all sorts of apps to help us do something better. 

ToDoIst

Task managers are designed to help you make sure you've done what needs to be done.  Tasks are either one-off single jobs that need completing, or they are a bigger project broken down into more manageable chunks.

The market is a flood with task manager apps; GoodTasks, Things3, Wunderlist, and even Google have one called Keep.

I use ToDoIst for my task management; and the main reason I chose this is ease of use and the integrations into the other tools I already use.

One of the strengths of ToDoIst is the ability to use natural language to set dates and times, for reminders. It's simple to type 'Call Mum every Wednesday at 6pm'

ToDoIst will automatically create a recurring task, that appears each Wednesday. On the paid-for service, you can also set a reminder for 10 mins before (or whatever time you decide), to pop-up on your mobile phone, or desktop, so you'll never forget again.

On the paid for version you get extra functionality, including:

• Task Labels & Reminders - adding more control to the way you can filter and be reminded of tasks
• Add tasks via email - This is a good one. Simply forward emails direct to ToDoIst; either to the default Inbox, or straight into a project. A real time-saver
• Task comments & file uploads - Add extra comments to your tasks, and upload files to support the tasks
• Productivity tracking and charts
• iCal synchronization - Add your tasks into your calendar, so you can see them in one place.

I use the premium version; which at the time of recording is $36 per year (about £28).

www.todoist.com

Evernote

ToDoIst integrates nicely with Evernote, so that any reminders I set are automatically created in ToDoIst.

Evernote is my note-taking app of choice.  I have tried others, such as Bear and OneNote, but I just can't seem to get on with them as well.  Maybe that's because I've been using Evernote for so many years, and it's second nature.  Certainly, Evernote have had some negative press over this last year, with their new brand image; but the product itself is very stable.

I use Evernote for almost everything, from scanning documents to store them, for storing e-receipts that arrive by email, and their webclipper which I use to capture and save information from the web.

Evernote has a basic, free, version which will be just fine for many.  There is also a premium offering which unlocks a boatload of functionality.  

www.evernote.com

Online Security

On the subject of the web - how safe are you?  In one episode I talked about security, not only of your passwords, but also general steps you can take to make sure you don't fall for the scammers that are so prevalent, and increasingly clever, nowadays.

Staying safe online doesn't have to be hard, and must be considered all the time. 

Here are a few simple steps:

• Don't write passwords down where they can be easily found
• Never give out your credit or debit card PIN
• Change passwords frequently and
• Use different passwords everywhere
• Be aware of phishing attacks too - if an offer looks too good to be true; then it probably is.

I also talked about using multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication, as an added layer of security.  It sounds more complex than it actually is.  Simply, set up a second device to act as a barrier for the scammer.  When you log in to an online account, then you'll need to use your mobile phone to authorise the login.  Even if the scammer has your login and password, without your second device, they won't get access to your account.

A good password manager will help you to manage all your passwords - I use LastPass; but others are available, such as 1Password and Dashlane.  They're well worth investigating.

www.lastpass.com

Online Photos and Online Storage

When I looked at these, in separate episodes, I claimed that Google was the winner in both cases.  I still maintain that. As a service, Google really is second-to-none and since they are available across all platforms, then you're not constrained by the device you use.

Plus, they're free to use.  Although I did caveat that statement; since Google don't charge you, they do make their money by selling information for advertising purposes.  So, whether you class the services as free is probably semantics.  The majority of us have a Google Gmail account, or use their Photos app, or Drive, for storage. 

Or used one of their other plentiful services; like Maps; Translate and more. 

I did also look at Apples photos and Amazon also have a Photos app; which is free for Prime members.  For online storage, as well as Google Drive there are also offerings from Microsoft OneDrive, Apple (iCloud, for Apple users only), Dropbox and Box.

Fantastical 2

Time management in a busy life is important, and I use Fantastical 2 for my calendar.  

I know that each operating system has their own calendar; like Calendar on iOS, or Google Calendar; but I prefer the way Fantastical 2 can be used to enter information.  It's natural language capability means I just type the entry, without really thinking about the format.

Available on iOS and Mac, with some great Apple Watch integration; Fantastical 2 is also integrated very well with ToDoIst.

On the iOS version you can choose your default maps application, to open directions; from either Apple Maps or Google Maps. You can also choose the default browser, for opening links.

On the MacOS version, I have a work calendar that will automatically be displayed when I arrive in the office. This allows me to concentrate on what's ahead of me for the day, and not be distracted by personal events. When I return home, my personal calendar will be displayed.

Calendars can also be set up in 'sets', which allows me to limit certain calendar views. Calendars I've subscribed to can also be set up within these 'sets', so I can see them too.  The Mac app also offers the choice of light or dark theme.

This isn't a free app; like many others, but you do get a whole lot of bang for your buck.

www.flexbits.com

Notion

Billed as the workspace for all your online 'stuff'.  Lego bricks for software.  Notion can be used for pretty much anything and is possibly this years fastest growing app.  You can capture notes, add tasks, use tables, include a calendar, upload images, link to other sites and much much more.

The note-taking isn't quite as good as Evernote; in my opinion, and the task manager doesn't yet allow for recurring tasks, so is a little limited.

However, it is one app that really does cater for everyone and everything, and is definitely worth a look.

It's free to use (if you don't use up all 1000 blocks) but you can delete blocks and free up space if you need to; so it genuinely is free.

www.notion.so

Feedly, Pocket & Pocket Casts

There are two apps that I use daily, usually multiple times a day, to get my fix of the news and articles I'm interested in reading.

Feedly is a news aggregator and is brilliant at serving up the news I chose to receive.  They've recently been undergoing some enhancements, and the upcoming new version is totally brilliant.

The other app is Pocket, and they have had a makeover this year.  Pocket is where I capture all the articles and news items that I want to read later.  It syncs up to be able to read offline, if necessary, and the update makes this a seamless and smooth experience.  They have also made their read-out-loud functionality more prominent - so you have have the app speak the stories.  It's spookily good! o

Talking of reading out loud - podcasts are a great way to listen to interesting discussions, reviews or entertainment - although I don't need to tell YOU that!

Pocket Casts is a great podcast app, and has also had a new release in the last few weeks.  I use Pocket Casts daily to listen to the podcasts I subscribe too.  There are others on the market, including Castbox, Overcast and more and I will take a look at some of them in the new year.

Feedly, Pocket and Pocket Casts are all free to download and use; but they also have premium versions available.

www.feedly.com

www.getpocket.com

www.pocketcasts.com

IFTTT & Zapier

Automation is probably the biggest part of being as productive as possible.  Using technology to streamline your workflows, means you can spend more time doing what matters most.

I gave some examples of the relatively simple ways I use automation; using IFTTT (If This Then That) to update a shopping list, and using Zapier to update a Google Sheet. 

For Zapier, one of the main uses I have is to add a line to a spreadsheet whenever I buy something from Amazon.  Whenever a confirmation email is received, I have set up a Zap that will look in the email, take the information and add to a line on a Google spreadsheet.  Now, I can see at a glance what I’ve bought!

Again, both of these are free to use.  IFTTT is available via the web and as an app. Zapier is only available via the web; and does have a cost if you need more than the basics on offer. 

www.ifttt.com

www.zapier.com

Drafts 5

Drafts 5 is an app purely for capturing text.  It's brilliant at that; but with some formatting, and integrations, I can update a field on a Draft 5 document, then run an Action which will, bear with me, run a Zap, from Zapier, and add a line to a Google Sheet.  It's really quick to do, and saves having to open the sheet, navigate to the row and type the info.

I also use Drafts to add to my To Do list, in ToDoIst.  Entering the task details, I then run an action to create a task directly.

There are times when I'll receive an email with lots of different dates for various meetings.  In Drafts, I will enter each one on a separate line, along with the date and time.  I then run an action called Fantastically Good Event Parser.  Then it will take each line and create a separate event in Fantastical 2, using the natural language ability of the app.  This has saved tons of time.

Unfortunately, Drafts 5 is only available on iOS; with a Mac version in the works.  It's free to download and use, but the pro version does unlock additional functionality - but this is not necessary to get the main benefits of this great app.

www.draftsapp.com

Thank You

So, that's it.  I've looked at ToDoIst, Evernote, IFTTT, Zapier, Drafts 5, Feedly, Pocket and Pocket Casts, Google Drive,  Fantastical 2 and Notion. 

I hope you’ve found this episode, indeed, this series, interesting. 

Links to all the apps I've mentioned are in the show notes. 

If you have any questions about anything I've talked about, or have any suggestions for future episodes, then please get in touch via Twitter @prodmatters

The series will return in the new year, with a fresh look at some of these apps, and a look at more productivity apps and ideas to help you be better at getting things done.  

Of course, all the previous episodes are available to listen to wherever you normally listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, so that you're ready for the new series.

If you've already subscribed, then thank you very much; I really do appreciate it.

Have a great time over the festive period and wishing you all a very productive New Year.

Until next time, remember, Productivity Matters.

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