We all have some tools in the arsenal to support our productivity systems. Some prefer one Swiss-knife tool. Others a combination of tools. I wonder if you’ve picked your tools based on planning horizons they serve or based on features.
When a tool is a Swiss-knife, chances are low that it can handle everything in a great way. Usually you have put in the effort to optimize the tool for yourself. This can pay off and you can appear in a great place. But it comes with numerous hours spent to learn and adopt the tool.
Combination of tools looks a better option because you can “just” use the tools out of the box. Unfortunately these kind of tools usually are not flexible. They either fit your system or you need to try another tool again and again. So you end up with plenty of time spent in nowhere.
I believe that tools are secondary while the system and the actual needs for each of its part in primary. At higher levels you need more freedom and space for creativity. The deeper you go the more fine tuned and robust tool you need.
Tools for year
Year is the highest point in planning horizons. We’re formalizing intentions and need a basic idea sequencing work on them during the year.
Intentions are formulated in simple phrases. They often look like wishes. Later, based on intentions each quarter gets goals to make those dreams come true.
Year intentions should be emotionally appealing. So the tool should allow easy visualization, structuring and be flexible in general.
Pen and paper are totally good for year horizon. Many digital tools can fit as well.
When using digital tools I just recommend to use the one you already actively use. For me that’s Notion. I simply create a page for year intentions and add it to my quick links as I’m using it at least once a week.
Tools for quarter
Focus for quarter is achieving actual goals defined based on year intentions. For that, goals should be split into projects.
So at this horizon we’re dealing with goals, projects, and reference materials. This means we need more sophisticated yet adoptable tool.
Pen and paper potentially can handle this although I find it very challenging to work with reference materials related to goals and projects because nowadays they are digital in majority of cases.
What is needed from the tool to capture and organize goals and projects is allowing basic organization. It could be as simple as folders and documents although I believe most of note taking apps like Apple Notes, Evernote, or Notion would be a better choice.
Personally I use Notion because I find its organizational capabilities much better than alternative apps.
Tools for week
Weeks are about going down to tasks and calendar events.
That’s a time for todo app. All of them provide more or less the same capabilities. It’s a question of personal preference which one fits you better.
I’m old time Todoist user. I don’t remember why I chose it at some point. Those days I was using GTD approach. Maybe was lightweight tool fitting my needs. Maybe because I just like its look and feel. Anyway with my current approach I continue using it as my week guidance for tasks.
Calendar is another important tool during the week. Not critical though. At least I look at it like this. Yes, just like for many of us my calendar contains events and meetings. But I mainly use it for the future, not for the present. I put all my events and meeting into Todoist with start time (usually I have just 1-2 per day). This allows me to see everything I have for the day in one place.
If you find yourself constantly looking for new tools or tweaking your current tools to support your system, I encourage you to review your whole approach to tools. Start with understanding what you really need at each horizon and then make your choices.