The best productivity app is the one you actually use

Since I was a teenager, the number of productivity apps has just ballooned. You don’t need pen and paper anymore – you have zenware and Notion and Obsidian and etc etc etc. The world is drowning in productivity apps.

Call me old-fashioned, but I am not convinced these have made us any more productive.

This is because I am not a terribly productive person. You need only look at how infrequently I update this blog.

What used to happen to me is that I would get absolutely overwhelmed by the range of products out there and just…shut down and do nothing. Which feels antiproductive.

These days, what helps me stay productive is an old-fashioned printed calendar with space for to-do lists, and a real notebook made out of dead trees that I can write in. Being able to doodle and do things with my hands is helpful in a way that staring at a screen simply isn’t for me.

Most importantly, I don’t have to change my routine to incorporate a shiny new app. I have my calendar and my notebook and my pens right in front of me, and I can grab them and do nice things with them.

Make it easy on yourself to do harder things. Don’t look for the best ever app. Focus on the things you will actually use, and use them.