Choose The Right Productivity Applications (Beginner & Advance Guide)

Choosing the Right Productivity Application:

How do I choose the right productivity applications? In this era people often get stuck on this question, finding the right productivity app is by no means an easy task and there is no straight answer to this. People tend not to understand what a productivity app is or how a productivity app can be used. Everyone has a different way of looking at things, we have visual people who like to see the application in the form of pictures so that they can move projects forward. There are also people who like to see things more in the form of lists.

So, there are multiple different ways that you can use to build your own productivity set of applications. Just step back a little bit and just think, what do you need in a good productivity system? Well, essentially what you do need is three things.

Components That You Need In A Productivity Application:

Notes Application:

We need a notes application where you can quickly grab notes, ideas, telephone numbers, addresses, and anything else like that. You need a place to collect and capture those. Your notes are just for capturing your ideas, writing phone numbers, writing important meeting notes, or anything else that you may want to collect.

To-Do List Application:

Secondly, you needed to have a To Do’s manager that’s going to manage all the To Dos that you have to deal with on a regular basis. Your To-Do List is essentially just capturing the things that you have to do and giving heads up on things such as meetings, travelling, etc.

Calendar:

Thirdly, you’re going to need a calendar. The calendar is the most important productivity application you have because it’s the calendar that’s going to tell you how much time you have available what you want to do on specific occasions, where you need to be to be, and what you need to do.

How To Choose Productivity Apps As A Beginner?

Once you’ve got those three items, how do you choose the best ones? Well, if you are a beginner, it is recommended that you look at prominent and well-versed productivity apps in the market like Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Now this really does depend on the kind of tools that you use.

For example, if you are a Windows user and you have an Android phone, maybe you want to look at the Microsoft ecosystem or you want to hybrid between Microsoft and Google.

Even the Apple ecosystem. You have a suite of productivity apps too. You’ve got Apple Notes, which is one of the top note-taking applications. Now you have also got the new Apple reminders application, which is now a serious contender as a To-Do list manager of both Microsoft and Google. You’ve also got the Apple Calendar, which is often not spoken about but is a very powerful calendar.

Starting With Built-in Applications:

It is always recommended that people start with the built-in applications. One of the reasons for that is quite simple, a lot of third-party application makers have a really difficult time maintaining their created application and suddenly such as with Funder list or Newton Mail, they just disappear.

In case you are a beginner to this always start with built-in Apps as these have a very low probability of failing. You may come to invest a lot of time building a good system around those third-party apps but would always be at the risk of the app suddenly closing or disappearing. So, you do need to be careful, and you do need to make sure that the applications that you’re using are not likely to disappear.

How To Choose Productivity Apps For Intermediate & Advance-level?

With built-in apps, you are safe. These apps are solid, they’re dependable, and you can play around with them and really start to build out your very own system. But once you get to the intermediate and advanced levels, maybe you do want to start looking for applications that are going to give you that little bit more power.

Reasons Not to Pick a Feature-Rich Application:

Now here is where you need to be very careful. Many people have found that if they pick a feature-rich application, it has way too many features for them. So, if you’re the kind of person who wants to try and utilize every single feature and ends up spending way too much time playing around with the productivity applications then it is suggested to keep an application that has fewer features but is dependable.

With feature-rich applications, you’re just going to create a huge backlog. At times Experienced professionals have noticed that when they tried to discover and utilize all the features it would take them loads of time, this may feel as though you have spent your time being productive, but you have wasted the time.

People have felt that they were being productive because they had this beautifully organized to-do list manager. But their time had been wasted and could have been utilized in other places. These people spent whole afternoons just trying to decide what was the best font for their list, what would be the best background colors, and the best images for that list.

It was not the best use of their time, which is why in the end they realized that these apps were never going to work for them. Only people who have their To-do lists organized and know which feature they use and require are bound to succeed in using feature-rich apps. But on occasion, you will also see other people who are trying to convince themselves that these applications are helping them to be more productive. But they’re spending 40 to 50% of their day in these applications just organizing stuff. That is not being productive, that is procrastinating, and you really need to be aware of something like that.

Features of Good Applications:

The truth is the best applications that you can use are boring because you don’t spend that much time on them. You don’t want to spend that much time on them. All you want them to do is to tell you what to do next, or to give you the information that you need to do.

If you’re playing around with color choices. If you’re playing around with options and settings, that is procrastination. What you need to be doing is doing the work, and that ultimately is what the best set of applications will do for you. They will give you what you need to do and allow you to get on and do it without trying to drag you in and play around with different ways of organizing lists and so on.

Recommended Time To Give A Productive Application:

So be very careful when you’re selecting applications. Now, one of the things you need to know is if you’re going to choose an application, you’ve got to give it time. You’ve got to allow yourself six months to a year with that application to really learn how to use it. So, it has become almost second nature. People know all the keyboard shortcuts they need to know to get their notes into their computer or their phone in a heartbeat. This is all because these people gave time to their application. From getting there To DOS in, to getting their calendar events in they can do that incredibly fast because they are not switching applications all the time.

Conclusion:

They have spent the time to learn those apps, and that’s what they had to do. Don’t just think that an application isn’t working for you and just switch to another application because this strategy of yours will never let you find the perfect application that suits your needs. You will have to work rounds on the application to understand it and find ways to implement and use it. That’s part of the joy of the journey to find your own application.

FAQs:

What Is A Productive Application?

Everyone has a different way of looking at things, we have visual people who like to see the application in the form of pictures so that they can move projects forward. There are also people who like to see things more in the form of lists. So, in general terms, productive apps are apps designed to facilitate day-to-day tasks. These apps are used mainly in 3 compartments, in taking notes, in creating a To-Do list, and in a calendar.

What Is The Most Productive Application For Beginners?

Google Calendar is probably the best calendar out there and Microsoft OneNote is one of the best note-taking apps out there. Whether you use your To-Do List manager, it could be Microsoft to-do list manager or it could be Google Task Manager. Even the Apple ecosystem. You have a suite of productivity apps too. You’ve got Apple Notes, which is one of the top note-taking applications. Now you have also got the new Apple reminders application, which is now a serious contender as a To-Do list manager of both Microsoft and Google. You’ve also got the Apple Calendar, which is often not spoken about but is a very powerful calendar.

Should I Go For An Application With Many Features Or Keep It Simple?

When many people have found that if they pick a feature-rich application, it has way too many features for them. So, if you’re the kind of person who wants to try and utilize every single feature and end up spending way too much time playing around with the productivity applications then it is suggested to keep an application that has fewer features but is dependable. With feature-rich applications, you’re just going to create a huge backlog. When trying to discover and utilize all the features it would take you loads of time, this may feel as though you have spent your time being productive, but you have wasted the time.

Are Built-In Applications Better Than 3rd Party Ones?

What Are The Main Apps For Productivity?

There are 3 main apps

1. Notes Application:

2. To-Do List Application:

Secondly, you needed to have a To Do’s manager that’s going to manage all the To Dos that you have to deal with on a regular basis. Your to-do list is essentially just capturing the things that you have to do and giving heads up on things such as meetings, travelling, etc.