Platforms to get organized and improve my performance

It is no secret that one of the keys to productivity and even success is organization. Certainly, you may ask yourself why, and you will find the answer in a well-known phrase: time is money.

Thus, all those projects, jobs or goals that you set for yourself require you to have a certain amount of time to accomplish them. Therefore, you will only be able to dedicate adequate time to each one if you manage your schedule properly and are disciplined.

As you can see, the idea that only those who are talented are successful has been partially disproved. This is because it has been shown that effort is what achieves most of your goals and, of course, behind the effort, your daily planning to perform each task.

Additionally, having everything structured, the feeling of tranquility and confidence that order transmits to you, will be another of the points that will make your path to victory a pleasant one.

However, so far so good, but how can I start organizing myself?

You’ve come to the right place! Today we will see 5 applications to be more productive, which have free versions and with which you can start to be much more efficient. Let’s see what it’s all about!

What platforms can I use to get organized?

1. Google Keep

If you are familiar with Google and its various applications such as Google Drive or Google Calendar, Google Keep is made for you. Keep is a task manager from Google in which you can:

• • Write down your tasks and organize them by color.
  • Create to-do lists and reminders.
  • Share your lists with others.
  • Pin the most important notes or the ones with the closest due dates on the home screen.
  • Synchronize your tasks with your email.

The interesting thing about it is that, if you don’t want to take notes, you can activate your microphone and speak, since Keep will transcribe it for you. In addition, you can add photos that you consider important to remember everything.

Regarding its availability, you can use it in your computer’s browser through its official website and in your Android or iOS cell phone as a mobile application.

2. Microsoft To Do

If you want to use one of the best task organizers today, Microsoft To Do is what you need. It was developed by Microsoft and is characterized by providing you with a variety of possibilities, such as:

• • Add new tasks, both short and long term, to which you can attach files or images.
  • Prioritize your deliverables according to their due dates.
  • Set reminders so you don’t miss any task.
  • Divide each task into specific steps.
  • Link the application with your hotmail or outlook email.

A remarkable aspect of this application is that you can access it for free from various devices such as cell phones with android and iOS or computers with Windows or Mac.

3. Focus To Do

On more than one occasion, you may have heard of various techniques that help you manage your time. Among them, one of the best known for its positive results is the Pomodoro method.

This technique consists of working on a project in a focused and intensive way for a period of time (e.g. 25 minutes) and then resting for 5 minutes.  Afterwards, you repeat this formula until you finish everything.

Of course, the breaks will increase if you complete four pomodoro work/rest cycles in a row (e.g. from 5 minutes to 30 minutes).

However, sometimes it can be complex to meet these times without spreading yourself thin at some point. For this reason, Focus To Do has been designed.

From the synchronization with your cell phone or computer, you can choose different tasks to accomplish and set countdowns to work and rest. In this way, it is as easy as clicking a button to use this method.

It also provides you with statistics of the time you spent on tasks and others and supports your project management and task scheduling through its aesthetic and intuitive interface.

As I mentioned before, it is an application that you can download on your mobile, either iOS or Android, and on your computer as a Google Chrome extension.

4. ColorNote 

It is a simple application that works as an agenda where you can organize your projects.  Similar to the ones we mentioned before, you can:

• • Organize notes by color.
  • Create to-do and shopping lists where you can cross off items item by item.
  • Plan activities and set deadlines in your personal calendar.
  • Schedule reminders for your chores.

However, as a plus, you can synchronize all your information and notes with your Google account. This allows you to run online backups so you don’t lose track of your homework.

At present, it is only available for Android phones.

5. Taskade

It is a free application that has established itself as an indispensable tool for individual and group teleworking.

Interestingly, unlike other apps we have seen before, Taskade also works as a communication channel, since it allows remote teams to converse, organize and do their work in real time:

• • Collaborative task lists.
  • Notes.
  • Mind maps.
  • Brainstorming, among others.

Currently, it has many features that you can access from your:

• • Android or iOS cell phone.
  • Mac, Windows or Linux computer. In this part, you can download it as an app or use it as a Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge extension.

We hope you found this brief tour useful! If your main problem is organization, I recommend you also read these two articles on what is a personal finance plan and how to make a business plan.

For now, see you next time!