Only a WEEK until 2022!
Can you believe it? I can (‘t).
Seeing how everyone is wrapping up 2021 for 2022, I figured that I want to talk about one of the tools that helped me go through the motions of this year without getting lost in the labyrinth of uncertainty surrounding the current health circumstances that we are experiencing right now.
In a nutshell, applications for productivity.
Without further due, here is a list of my favorite apps that helped me arrive at where I am today in my productivity journey as a high achiever this year:
With a mainstream audience and one of the underrated members of the Google family with a cute interface and simple concept, the 4th place goes to…
4. Google Keeps:
I first reached out to Google keeps while I was looking for a digital platform to store my inspiration notes for my ongoing novel, but I didn’t end up using it that much; for one main reason:
The lack of text features.
Turns out, this service came more in handy as a checkbox of what I need to have in my backpack for when I’m traveling. I especially enjoyed using the aesthetic background it offers.
Well, and a checkbox for recipes. Cue my baking genius!
Also from the Google family, with practical features and accessibility on multiple electronic devices, the 3rd place goes to…
3. Google Calendar:
This year, google calendar didn’t end up being my knight in shining armor as far as productivity is concerned.
Like a lot of Internet users, I rely on a lot of Google services in my daily life (and I’ve especially come to love one peculiar app this year.. Wait for the special mention below).
Though I think I haven’t embraced yet the google calendar system, or at least, I didn’t give it much time.
For instance, I used google calendar this year mostly to save my events, whether online or in-person, which was useful thanks to its reminder features.
Yet, when I tried using it too to track my habits and create new ones, it took me more time to get around the robotic scheduling for my workout sessions in the evening than checking off the habit itself.
That is why I resorted to another app…
With a simple concept, minimalistic design, and a practical system for day-planning, the 2nd place goes to...
2. Time Tune
TimeTune is an app where you can plan your routines for weekdays or/and weekends.
For a while, TimeTune gave me the discipline I was struggling most with before 2021.
I had weekdays planned from the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep and I made a special plan for weekends.
For an average of 10 days and a maximum of 15, I can proudly say that I was following my TimeTune planning texto.
However, the main reason TimeTune didn’t win app of the year for me was its not-so-great flexibility.
For instance, on days where my energy levels were not the highest or where I was feeling less motivated to meet my schedule, TimeTune didn’t have an option that said ‘Hey, it is okay to feel that way sometimes’.
In other words, the app would have been a real game-changer for me if it was interactive, which we find mostly on wellness apps such as Insight Timer or even language apps such as Drops.
Also, the app themes are a premium feature. The others are understandable, but is it really the point to pay for an aesthetic experience?
Though, since the app has been helpful to me overall, I might consider trusting how it develops in 2022.
So maybe I didn’t rely on TimeTune for entire routine planning for a day or weekends when I became more aware of my preferences.
Instead, I used the app mainly for those instances of the day where I need some real discipline, namely; morning and evening routines.
And, my ‘go-to’ application this year, the one that helped me map out my week and stay on track of my milestones…
The 1st place goes to
…
- Tick Tick
Tick Tick was my go-to productivity app this year. After experimenting with journals, habits tracking apps, interactive habits tracking apps, and overall browsing the internet for a simple productivity app that gave me my daily rush of dopamine, TickTick came in like an early Christmas present from the app store.
Seriously, I’ve spent so much time on this app this year. Yet, there is -of course- always room for improvements. But first, let’s talk about why I loved it this year:
Category Feature and the overall Aesthetics:
Woohoo! I was finally able to store my tasks per category and schedule them on a timely basis, with a reminder and on a specific time, and make them pretty!
I loved checking off tasks right after I was done with them. Every time I checked off a box, I could see myself moving forwards in my day with more confidence.
Plus, seeing my tasks organized like that in the way I customized them gave me a more personalized experience of the app and better control over my day.
Also -and this is one of the latest features- the option of ‘won’t do’ gave me even more appreciation for the app and developers; ‘deleting’ a task when it was difficult for me to reach it either by overplanning or the nature of the day didn’t give me much pleasure as when I chose ‘not to do it’.
Diversity of Templates, Styles, and a Priority feature:
Remember when I said I’m all about the aesthetics and novelty in content?
Well, maybe not in these exact words...
Sometimes, when I get those inspiring instances out of nowhere and I have my phone near me, I fly to the inspiration board and I write down some ideas.
Other times when I’m planning out some writing hours, I schedule that time according to the priority level I want to give it on a specific day.
For now, this app does its job well and I’ve been really satisfied with it for a year!
So, what next? …
Regardless of the shortcomings of any of these apps, I acknowledge the efforts of the designers and developers in making them.
However, as users, it is important for us to understand what we want from the seas of applications so as not to turn them into obstacles on our way;
The sooner we know what we want, the sooner and better we will not only be able to help ourselves using these digital tools but also give back to the app developers by helping them grow and create more helpful means for others in this time of digitalization, and which I think we’ve only gotten started with…
Digital Innovation is the future. Our future. And we need to stay vigilant about how it affects us as social beings and productive resources if we want to do what is for the best for ourselves, for the coming generations, and for the world.
Finally, a special mention to the one and only…
Google Docs:
Google Docs was the backbone of my digital transformation this year as far as my writing journey is concerned.
Google Docs was more than a ‘digital shift’ for me this year in my writing;
I proved wrong to that voice inside me that said ‘Do you honestly think typing a story is going to feel the same as writing it?…
“Do you think you can do it?” and to which I replied:
“I don’t know, but I know it will be hard, and I know that I need to do it. You and I both know that.”
For me, a big part of writing was picking that pen and a paper and disconnecting from the outside world.
When I used to scribble my stories on an agenda, I felt unstoppable. I could write all day if I wanted.
The shift to the digital for me meant that:
1/I was going to be connected to the world through using an electronic device and a service on the World Wide Web, which means my writing session was not going to be ‘that’ private anymore,
2/Worrying about an empty pen was not the same as worrying about an electricity shutdown; which means my writing session now relied on outside factors,
3/Nobody would tell me off for writing on paper, but spending 24hrs in front of the screen…. and which means, my writing session now had health boundaries.
Obviously, like it is for any new venture, the early days were hard, and I mostly struggled with the right digital ‘tone’ and ‘mood’ of my words such as the text features.
However, I pushed myself -mindfully- to “get the hang of it!” and I’ve launched into learning about this new flavor of writing on a digital (here: Google Docs) platform.
I think it is truly one of those new beginnings!
And on this note, I wish you a mindful productive year 2022!
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Disclaimer: This article was only my personal review of these apps featuring my personal opinions and experiences. This is not a reference and it is not for advertisement or promotion purposes.
