My Productivity System
Why I Use Three Productivity Tools Instead of One
Like many people, I've spent years searching for the ‘perfect’ productivity app. I've tried digital planners, notebooks, calendars, and countless task managers. The problem wasn't that any of them were bad, it was that I was asking one tool to do everything.
Eventually, I realised that planning happens at different levels and each level can (and in my specific case SHOULD) use a different tool. A weekly plan isn't the same as a daily to-do list, and a to-do list isn't the same as actually doing the work.
That's why I've settled on a hybrid system that uses three different tools, each with a single purpose.
Step One: Planning the Week
At the highest level, I use Notion Calendar to plan my week.
This isn't where I list every little task. Instead, I decide what themes or larger pieces of work belong on each day.
For example, Monday might simply contain:
Housework
University study
Gym
The goal is to answer one question:
What should I be focusing on today?
Step Two: Planning the Day
Each morning, I review my weekly plan and transfer today's work into Todoist.
This is where large projects become actionable tasks.
Instead of "Housework," I might decide that today's goal is:
Clean the bathroom
Todoist becomes my commitment for the day. It helps me prioritise without overwhelming me with everything that needs doing this week.
Step Three: Executing the Work
Once I'm ready to begin, I switch to paper.
This might seem old-fashioned, but I've found that a paper planner is far less distracting than a phone or computer, which I often find to be distracting. It also lets me break work down into the smallest possible steps.
For cleaning the bathroom, my list might look like this:
□ Clean toilet
□ Clean sink
□ Clean bath
□ Wipe skirting boards
□ Sweep floor
□ Mop floor
Crossing off physical tasks provides immediate feedback and makes larger jobs feel much more manageable.
A Progressive Checkbox System
Rather than using a simple tick box, I use a progressive checkbox system that shows the current state of each task.
Checkbox drawn: Planned for the day
Line Drawn through box: Started
Half shaded in box: Paused or delegated (with a note explaining why or to who)
Coloured in box: Completed
This means I can glance at the page and instantly see which tasks are untouched, which are in progress, and which are finished.
Alongside the checkbox, I also use simple priority markers:
! Must be completed today.
↑ High priority.
→ Nice to complete if time allows.
These symbols tell me not only how far I've progressed but also how important each task is.
Why Three Systems?
At first glance, using three different tools sounds overly complicated.
In reality, each one answers a different question.
Notion Calendar asks, When should this happen?
Todoist asks, What am I committing to today?
Paper asks, What do I need to do right now?
Because each tool has a clearly defined role, there's very little duplication. Instead of maintaining three separate task lists, I'm simply moving from long-term planning to daily planning and finally to focused execution.
For me, that's the biggest lesson I've learned about productivity: the best system isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that works for you, and each person will be different. While this system works for me, only parts of it (or none of it) may work for you.