Hello!
In this post, I would like to present four tools that I use daily and help me be productive and efficient in my work. I have always been fascinated with tools and techniques that improved my productivity while studying or working throughout my academic path. As a doctoral student, being organised is a necessity and one of the core pillars that allows me to push myself to reach personal goals and perform my job in the best way I can. So, here are some of the elements that I find essential for my work:
2. The Timekeeper: Toggl Track
“We are what we repeatedly do.” - Aristotle
1. The Hub: Notion
The first tool I would like to present is Notion, where I organise all the notes, To-Do lists and plans of my daily life. It is remarkable how it has such a clean interface without sacrificing flexibility or convenience to customise the workspace to my needs. Currently, my setup contains a primary page that gives an overview of my daily To-Do list, the upcoming tasks and deadlines and the general view of my Journal, where my notes are organised per category (such as meeting minutes, projects, lectures, software related). Additionally, I have sub-views of my Journal that focus on specific categories and provide an additional level of organisation. For example, the ‘Projects’ view sorts my projects according to their status (e.g., ‘Not started’, ‘Ongoing’, ‘Completed’) and the members involved in each one, which helps with navigating and visualising the overall roadmap of the work.
Furthermore, I have another section dedicated exclusively to Literature Review, where I keep notes on the papers I read. I find it more convenient to include this information within my Notion workspace (and complement it with a literature manager software to generate citations) because it allows me to reference papers within other pages and provides quick access to any information needed.
My work life as a doctoral student is generally crowded with concurrent tasks and deadlines, topped up with unexpected events that may require immediate action. Therefore, I firmly believe having this centralised platform has a tremendous positive impact on my ability to plan and execute my work efficiently. I thoroughly recommend trying out this tool for yourself! If you would like to try a simplified version of my current framework, here is a template.
2. The Timekeeper: Toggl Track
Next, I would like to present Toggl Track, a tool to track time while performing a given task. I started using it during my bachelor’s degree to compare the effort required by each course and have since used it for all my work. I would like to share three benefits of using this app.
First, it helps me control procrastination: having a timer running during a specific task creates a feeling of accountability that makes it unprofessional to divert my attention towards other activities (or entertainment). If I feel the need to take a break, I pause the timer and rest, which nicely connects to the second advantage: to measure my workload accurately. Assuming that the time tracked for each task is truthful, this data helps me to get a feeling of how much I worked each day and better manage the exhaustion. As a side note, it also shows the time spent in meetings, which I believe have spiked for everyone working remotely during the current challenging times. Finally, it helps to balance my effort across different projects that run in parallel and make sure I am allocating sufficient time to make good progress in each one. Regarding the practicality of using this app, I can say that it quickly becomes natural to start and stop the timer for each task.
3. The Energiser: Spotify
The third app I would like to mention is Spotify. Since high school, I have become used to listening to music while working, and it has always astonished me how it helps me focus and stay engaged for long periods. I am particularly drawn to Melodic Progressive House, which combines a steady bass beat with uplifting melodic piano and stimulates my creativity while handling technical programming activities. Furthermore, as my work has always involved many reading assignments, I have also created several playlists with genres that set the mood for these less stimulating but mentally demanding tasks.
“Music is the oil and fuel of my mental engine.”
Working with music gives me the mental clarity to perform for sustained periods, perhaps as caffeine or theine would (and which I do not consume regularly).
Ultimately, pressing the play button has become an automatic gesture as I sit at my desk every day, and something that I am very grateful for, given the positive impact it has on my life.
4. The Fitness coach: StandUp
Lastly, I would like to describe one of the techniques I used to tackle the sedentarism of my work, which usually involves sitting for the most part of the day. Indeed, I have noticed that if I allow myself to sit for long periods for a full day, my legs start to hurt and not even working out at the end of the day solves this uncomfortable sensation. Therefore, a scheme that works well for me involves combining the Pomodoro technique with physical activity. Essentially, the app StandUp allows setting a timer for working and for stretching/standing. By forcing myself to stand up every 25-30 minutes and do some form of exercise (usually leg-oriented, such as lunges or squats), I feel I can effectively counteract the consequences of prolonged sitting. Note that 25-30 minutes is the frequency that works for my needs and that I can sustain over the day (alternating with 30-50 repetitions of a given exercise). Still, most likely, you may find a different ideal combination. Another side benefit is that, on days where I feel particularly sleepy, exercising positively improves my alertness.
Conclusion
These are some of the tools I find particularly helpful in managing my daily work routine and sustaining my performance for more extended periods. Please feel free to share other techniques or habits you apply in your life!
Have a great day!
Acknowledgments
Image by Karsten Würth on Unsplash