(This post is part of a series. View the series intro here)

I have always been a planner. I adore my paper planner. There’s nothing better than being able to visualize the upcoming month on a sheet of paper. But even with the security of my planner, I find that I am constantly making lists on scratch papers all over the house and office. Sometimes I want to remember something for a later date but don’t have a good place to stash that reminder away.

That is….before I discovered Todoist.

Productivity Tool #1: Todoist

Todoist is by far my favorite digital tool for productivity. In simplest terms, it is a digital “to-do” list. But it is so much more than that. Since I have started to use Todoist, I feel more relaxed about my life. It sounds crazy, but it’s true! Once I know that all of my tasks are listed and scheduled out, I can relax and focus on the moment.

Here are some of the features I love most about Todoist:

 1. I can create projects within projects

Organization makes me feel calm. When I was searching for a task management tool, I looked at them all (Trello, Asana, ClickUp, and more). I found that most of these tools were too complicated. I needed a system that was SIMPLE.

Todoist works the same way my mind works. I have several projects. Within each of those projects, I have smaller projects. Within each smaller project, I have tasks.

For example, one of my projects is to help write the Emerson Ecologics Element Magazine. That is a “project” in Todoist. The Element Magazine is published six times a year, so each issue of the magazine is a smaller project. Then each issue requires multiple tasks.

I list every single task for each project, no matter how small. For the Element example, I need to attend a strategy meeting, schedule the expert interview, conduct the expert interview, submit the outline, write the article, review the edits, talk to the designer, and review the changes made by legal. I schedule every single task for a specific day and time.

2. I can schedule tasks to recur on a schedule

There are some tasks I need to do every day, every week, or every month. In Todoist, I can schedule these tasks to recur. Todoist will remind me every time I need to attend to that task again.

 3. I can leave tags and comments on a task

One of the things I love about Todoist is the ease of use. One way to add tasks is to open a project and begin adding tasks inside that project. But there are other ways! I can add a task at any point by simply clicking the “+” button.

If I want that task to be placed into a specific project, I hit the # and the name of the project. Todoist will file that task into the proper project.

If I want to add more information to a task (maybe I need a phone number or to remember a person’s name), I can add a comment to that task.

4. I can use Todoist on my computer and phone

I use Todoist on my desktop as well as my phone. The beauty is that they sync instantly. I can check off a task on my phone, reload the desktop app, and the sync is done. Adding tasks and comments via mobile is also super smooth and easy.

5. I can easily contact customer support

I always get confused by one thing or another when I start to learn a new application. Every time I have emailed customer support for help with Todoist, they have responded within minutes. This is a huge bonus in my book.

Productivity Tool #2: Atracker Pro

The other productivity tool that I use every day is called Atracker Pro. Atracker Pro is a time tracker. It is a necessity for anybody who bills for their time. Like Todoist, I appreciate Atracker Pro for its simplicity. I created a library of projects within the app (these are much like my projects in Todoist). When I start to work on a project, all I need to do is open Atracker Pro, click that project, and it begins to track my time.

It’s as simple as that.

Take this week to check out Todoist and Atracker Pro. I’ll be back next week for the two best digital tools for writing. If you ever need to write blogs or even simple emails, these tools will help your writing look professional in no time.

Next up:

2 Best Digital Tools for Everything: Part 2 (Writing)