How To Create The Ultimate Productivity System

Is there a system that can give you the most productivity? We in the productivity arena are always looking for methods to improve our productivity in our daily lives. And I've been on a never-ending search for the "ideal" productivity system or tool.

I studied books, evaluated devices, tried new applications, and attempted numerous different sorts of planners during my year-long hunt. I even made a planner to aid in my search for the perfect productivity strategy. Despite my extensive research, I am not convinced that there is a "Ultimate System."

What Goes Into Creating The Ultimate Productivity System?

I recognized I needed to develop concrete specs for what this ultimate tool may look like, even if I wasn't sure. After significant thought and consideration of my own systems, I've come to the following conclusion:

Notes, calendars, records, task lists, and contact information must all be merged into one system.

This appears to be a rather straightforward classification. Just thinking about these topics might inspire you to come up with some new ideas. However, it is not as simple as it appears. I'd want to tell you about something that isn't first. Then I'll provide a suggestion to you on what it could be.

What Isn’t the Ultimate Productivity System

As I previously stated, I have experimented with a variety of tools and processes in order to boost my productivity during the last few years. Let's take a look at some of the things I've tried to find the productivity increases we all want before we look at what might be the greatest tool.

Microsoft Outlook

At first look, it appears that this is the case. You can keep track of your calendar, email, and to-do lists all in one spot. You can also use email to keep track of your notes. It's very simple to install on your computer or smartphone.

However, the drawback is that you can't properly take notes. You must store emails or tasks, which can rapidly become a burden. Sure, the search tool helps, but it doesn't actually keep track of things for our productivity needs.

Also, the task list is clumsy, and I haven't been able to figure out how to use it effectively for the many things I have going on at work, with my family, and at home.

Evernote

Then I tried Evernote on its own. It can be used on a computer, smartphone, or tablet once more. You can keep track of your notes and records. This is where you'll save your to-do lists. And, if you're a power user, you've probably figured out how to make calendars in this area.

Nonetheless, I've discovered that I'm always rearranging how I keep items on this app. After a while, you'll have to pay for storage and upload space separately. I also discovered that you can get a long way before needing to become a "super user."

Microsoft OneNote

This is similar to Evernote. It is, in reality, remarkably similar, albeit with fewer features. Although I have found the simple structure to be the most effective, there are some things that are simply difficult to make work if you want to store all of your information in one place.

While I prefer this program for information storage due of its simplicity and clean format, I wouldn't put my daily calendar there.

Paper Planner

We can sometimes acquire some pretty configurable features with paper planners. We can put whatever we want in there and leave out whatever we don't. I tried one of these from an office supply store once, and it was just too cumbersome to carry around.

After that, I switched to Michael Hyatt's Full Focus Planner. Even after using it for nearly a year, it still didn't offer all I wanted. I checked for a couple of additional resources but couldn't find anything.

Finally, I made my own planner, which I've been using for a year, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for in terms of keeping everything in one place for reference, scheduling, tasks, and contacts.

Bullet Journaling

A bullet journal was a tool I used for a long time. It's essentially a blank dot matrix notebook in which you may draw, write, and design your own planner, calendar, and task management system.

While I enjoyed this method since it allowed me to keep goals and a life plan in addition to diary entries, the downside was that I had to move through five or six of them per year, which required a lot of transfer effort.

This gave me the most flexibility in a productivity tool, but it was far too time-consuming to have to transfer my notes, goals, and life plan every time I purchased a new journal. There had to be a more lasting solution.

The Ultimate Productivity System

I've returned to this program three times and have concluded that it is the ultimate productivity tool. It incorporates a number of the previously stated features. Nonetheless, I can store everything in one or two places and take it with me everywhere I go.

My iPad/iPhone combo with OneNote, Calendar, and Contacts is the perfect productivity tool.

I know what you're thinking; I mentioned the other options weren't working. You are correct. That was my point. They didn't work, though, because they were alone. I could construct a productivity tool using a combination of the items I use every day once I found the perfect platform.

Again, the ideal productivity solution should bring together notes, calendars, records, task lists, and contact information in one location. I use three major apps to store everything in one place after configuring my iPad/iPhone to communicate the information I require.

• OneNote: With this app, I keep journal entries, reference materials, goals and life plans, and all of my task lists and daily pages in one place.
• Apple Calendar: This is where I keep my annual and monthly calendars updated with all my important dates, meetings, and events.
• Apple Contacts: While I had to do some work cleaning this up, I found this to be one of the most useful tools because you can keep so much information that it really works well.

The great thing is, I can have these both on my iPad, iPhone, and MacBook. This combination of apps and technology has really built the ultimate productivity tool for my life.

Is it better to use tools or a system?

What I've discovered is that in order to develop the perfect system, we need the right combination of tools. We can do almost anything once we discover the correct tools and put them together in the right framework.

In the end, it meant combining various tools that I had previously tried unsuccessfully on their own into one strategy that offers me massive benefits every day.

User Beware

You may not find all of the tools and systems I use beneficial. As a result, you might utilize alternative programs or parts of some of the tools I use while setting up your particular productivity system. That's OK. Part of the joy of figuring out your productivity is figuring out what works for you.

And, most importantly, have fun.

It was exhausting for me to try to figure out my productivity strategy since I was so frustrated. However, I'm having a lot of fun now that I've started to embrace the creative element and know-how to find wonderful tools.