These aren’t just productivity apps. These apps are making me smarter, more organised and a bit groovier. OK, I can’t really back that last one up.
Teux Deux – task list 
I love the process of task management. Seriously. OK, I might be a bit weird, but I love the process of organising and the feeling of accomplishment when I cross things off my list. Yes, I am one of those people who will add something to a list only to cross it off.
I’ve used quite a few list apps over the past few years, but I’ve stuck with Teux Deux the longest.
You can create tasks, add notes and subtasks, and assign a deadline and a reminder. You can drag and drop between days, and it’s just really easy to use.
How it’s boosting my productivity
Being realistic about my to-do list is part of my move to be happier today day. So while it’s really easy to move tasks between days on Wunderlist, I am trying to assign only an achievable amount of work to each day (rather than just pushing whatever is left over to tomorrow).
More than anything, I’m using Wunderlist to facilitate my other productivity (and sanity-maintaining) processes.
How much does it cost?
You can try it for free for 30 days then upgrade if you like it. It’s $3 USD a month or $24 a year.
2019 EDIT: I’ve tried a few different list apps but Teux Deux is still my favourite.
30/30 – task timer
Regular readers and followers will know that I’m a fan of the Pomodoro Technique, and the 30/30 app is helping me use it.
Sure, I could just use a timer, and I have done so in the past, but I’ve found that simply setting a timer for 25 minutes (work time) and then again for five minutes (break time) was making it too easy to lose focus. I would quickly check emails, and before I knew it, I’d spent 15 minutes replying to things that definitely weren’t more important than the brochure I was writing.
At the start of each workday, I look at Wunderlist and break my workload into 30-minute chunks: 25 minutes of work with five-minute breaks. Then I have a break for lunch and do the same again for the afternoon.
How it’s boosting my productivity
The reason 30/30 is working so well for me is that I am forcing myself to be realistic about how long a task is going to take. That’s great for planning and quoting.
The ticking clock, together with the Pomodoro Technique principle of ignoring all distractions for 25 minutes, is helping me get a lot more done. It’s a productivity WIN.
How much does it cost?
It’s freeeeee, but it’s available only in the App Store. Sorry, my Android friends.
2019 EDIT: This is still a great timer to stay on focus. I also use Chrome extensions Toggle and Pomodoro to track my time and stay on task!
Headspace – meditation
In my post about Project Happy, I mentioned that I have started using the Headspace app for daily meditation. My goal is to learn how to become more present in each moment—with more focus while I work and not thinking about work when I’m not working.
Headspace is the brainchild of Andy Puddicombe. Andy became a Buddhist monk at the age of 22 and ten years later set about demystifying meditation. His guided sessions make it very easy, and his voice is quite heavenly.
How it’s boosting my productivity
Being able to focus is a massive benefit to my productivity, as I’m not flicking away from my work to get my next ‘fix’ of social media or to check my emails. I won’t pretend I’ve got the whole meditation thing down pat, but after a month, I know my stress levels are down. I feel a lot calmer as I look at my bulging to-do list. I’m getting on with the job rather than wasting time in a state of panic.
The result is being able to get more done in the time I have. I am also feeling more relaxed during my evenings and weekends because I’m more present in those moments, which in turn is helping me be more productive. I’m freaking LOVING it.
How much does it cost?
Free for the starter Take 10 program—10 minutes of guided meditation for 10 days.
Monthly subscriptions from $7.99 to $19.99 USD per month.
I signed up for the $7.99-per-month package, paying $95.88 USD.
And they gave me a discount through an email campaign, so I paid even less.
I spent a few moments looking at what I spend my money on, for my business and for myself, and realised that less than a $100 for a year of guided meditation is a great investment.
2019 EDIT: I’m still meditating and loving it!
Freedom – distraction remover
Speaking of getting more done, the main idea behind the Pomodoro Technique is working without distractions. The Freedom app doesn’t let me trust myself alone with social media and email. Freedom takes away my bat and ball, puts me at my desk and then tells my friends I’m busy.
OK, not really. What it does do is remove my Internet access for a designated amount of time (and that’s pretty much the same thing). I can’t override it without rebooting my computer. For real!
I also can’t get distracted with a cool meme or conversation on social media. Nor can a new copywriting enquiry or a blog post from my favourite writer distract me from the writing I simply must do.
How it’s boosting my productivity
On my first day of using Freedom, I realised how much research I do online. I also realised how much research I do as I write. That doesn’t mean the app isn’t a good fit. Instead, I’ve adjusted my process a little.
I schedule chunks of time to research and map out my ideas. Then, when it’s time to write, I shut everything out using Freedom.
As a result, I’m planning my copywriting out a little more, which is great for productivity, as I’m cutting back on rework and editing. I’m also being pushed to be a little more creative, because I can’t simply Google the answer.
How much does it cost?
This baby is $10 USD, but it offers you a free trial (on Macs or Windows) with five uses. I figure that even if I don’t use it all the time, which I don’t, it will save me a lot more than $10 in the long term. It probably saves me $10 a day!
2019 EDIT: I don’t use this all the time but it’s still on high rotation when I need some distration-free writing!
Spotify – music for motivation and focus
I am seriously late to the Spotify party, I know that. But I’m here now, and I’m having a great time.
If you haven’t heard, Spotify is a commercial music-streaming service that gives you access to shed loads of music. You can listen to it online or offline, and it has pretty much made my music collection irrelevant.
You can create a station or playlists based on an artist or song, which I find kinda cool as I’m crap at putting cool playlists together.
How it’s boosting my productivity
I’m slowly creating different mood jams for different times of the day and for different types of copywriting projects. Sometimes I need silence to write, but if I have some ambient noise happening, I can focus more easily with some music drowning it out. No lyrics, though. I can’t have lyrics.
Through the process of play, Spotify is helping me work out what my most productive working conditions are—and creating them.
How much does it cost?
On mobile, you can listen to artists, albums and playlists in shuffle mode. Or choose a readymade playlist to suit your mood. On tablet and computer, you can play any song, any time.
If you pay $9.99 USD a month, as I have, you can get more access across more devices. Oh, and no ads.
Finally, some two not so surprising apps….
2019 EDIT: I’m still rocking out and particularly love the collection of white noise and rain sounds. I also love Brain.Fm.
And we’re done
That was a long post. If you’ve made it this far, I thank you! What do you think?
Are any of these apps new to you? Do you think they could help you? Perhaps you’re already using some of them.
Let me know in the comments. Especially if you’ve got some awesome productivity apps to add!
Belinda
30 Responses
Great article Belinda, not the usual list for productivity but some apps with different focus. 30/30 is a new one to me, but on my Wunderlist for the day.
Thanks Paul and thanks for stopping by. I’d love to get your thoughts on 30/30 if you try it. I don’t use it every single day because some days I need a little more unstructured time.
Being so productive all day is tiring! :0
Hello Belinda! Copywriter myself from South Africa; I really like your articles
Hi Andrew – thanks for stopping in and saying hi. I’m glad you’re liking The Copy Detective. Stick around!
Evernote is one of my favourite productivity apps. I use the ‘checklist’ functionality to get that awesome ‘ticking something off’ feeling once I’ve completed a task. It syncs across all my devices and helps me organise my thoughts (and my life!)
I keep trying to use Evernote – I know it’s so powerful – but I just can’t get into it for some reason. I don’t know why!
Thanks for stopping in! 🙂
I’ve found it works best for me when it’s in list mode rather than visual mode. It’s easier to scan for some reason. Could be worth a shot!
You might be right… List mode isn’t something I’ve tried before. Thanks!
Try google keep its simple and it’s similar to evernote plus its free!
I too love Wunderlist and Spotify and it was your ‘Project Happy’ post which introduced me to Headspace which has been lulling me off to sleep at night! Will have to now check out some of the others listed!
Hey Kirsty and thanks for stopping in. I’m glad you’re giving Headspace a go – I’m trying to share it’s awesome! The sleep meditation is luscious and something I’m trying to be able to do without my earphones stuck in. Even if I get to the counting… I never last very long. I suspect that’s the point 😉
I also need to give you props for introducing Wunderlist to me!
Great list Belinda! I’m going to check out the 30/30 app because I love the Pomodoro technique. My biggest problem is I never want to stop working when I hit 25 minutes!
Let me know how you go with it Clinton!
I know what you mean about being tempted to work through. I’ve started making my 5minute breaks more physical with a quick set of push ups or squats while I get a drink. All that activity makes the 5minutes seem like 2, I’ve got some oxygen around my body and then I’m back to work!
Hi. I used to use Scrivener and had for many years, and even wrote a few novels with it. It’s a great app, as you know. But I found that the Ulysses III app helps me “rock my productivity” even more. You should look into it. It’s great!
Ooh I love me a new app. I’ll check it out. Thanks JMK!
Thanks for such a great list! I’m already in love with Scrivener and Wunderlist but the others are new to me. I would also add http://www.prowritingaid.com to this list. My writing has improved massively since I started using it. It totally calls me out on all my bad writing habits.
I’m with you though. I tried Evernote and just couldn’t get into it. It seemed like it was making simple things more complicated. I don’t want to give up on it though since so many people seem to love it!
Thanks for the addition Freya! It looks a little like Hemingway App- another great tool to improve your writing.
You might find this podcast episode useful >> http://www.psychotactics.com/evernote-techniques/
Sean D’Souza shares some pretty awesome Evernote tips. This opened it up for me!
Meditation apps brought me to your site. I read every word about your favorite apps. Your enthusiasm was most interesting! At age 74, I’ve been “around the block” many times, and appreciate your feelings for what you do.
I use organizing apps, but not writing apps. However, good writing is most appreciated. Keep up the good work.
Best regards …
Thanks Bill.
Interest…
That’s a lot of money to keep your days moving, though.
I suppose it boils down to: if one doesn’t have internal discipline, one has to pay for external motivators…
You’re right Charlie. I put my hand up to needing some help to stay focused sometimes.
I’ve since culled the list down a little. I still pay for Headspace, Scrivener and Spotify and the others apps I use are free. I think they are totally worth the money though so an investment I don’t mind making.
Thanks for stopping in and leaving your thoughts.
Great list of useful apps especially for writers. Thank you Belinda!!
Thank you so much for this article. I loved it and I have decided to start using a couple of apps you have recommended. I love headspace and that’s why I readcyour email and know I have many other apps to increase my productivity.
II use headspace everyday. I just downloaded Wunderlust and 30/30 per your convincing recommendation. I work remotely and so I hope this will help me. Thanks for the tip.
I hope you find them as valuable as I do Janet!
Thank you for sharing your productivity apps Belinda. The Freedom app is crazy. It shows how much we as humans are addicted to internet.
For me below things/apps/tricks makes me do wonder:
1. Google docs – I use font Nunito (Semi bold), size 12. I can’t express how much I love this font. As soon as I start writing, it flows. I love this font in docs. I recommend you to try it.
2. Bear Notes App: Again, I am a fan because of the good fonts and UI. I take better notes with this one. (only for Apple)
3. Google Calendar: I put to do things with specific instructions on them. And I do it the moment it pops up. Was difficult for few days but now it makes me work like magic.
That’s top 3.
I hope you found some value. Stay Awesome.
I love that you included fonts too 😀
I’ve never heard of Bear Notes… I might check that out.
Thanks for reading and commenting Rohan!
Hi Belinda,
Thanks for sharing your productivity apps. Just want to suggest Trello and Slack for team collaboration as I’ve found these tools really good and the best thing is they are free.
Good additions Matthew. I haven’t really used Trello a lot but I do use Slack occasionally.