I run my IT business thru my phone, I have in email all the dates I have to make service calls. I need to find a way to just forward my emails to something that will remind me.

Tried all the big project management apps but it's to complicated, I just want to forward my email to a app and then track it on the app.

Hey folks,

Today’s post focuses on how you can move from general guidelines to personalized advice for managing distractions.

The process is fairly simple and consists of 3 steps:

Step 1: Identify the trigger or inconvenience → Step 2: Identify the vulnerability → Step 3: Set a barrier or limit within your control.

This process can be applied to other areas as well, but we’ll focus on distractions today.

Step 1:

Do the same things you do every day, don’t change anything yet, just add one small thing:

Every time something prevents you from working, no matter how small, insignificant, or obvious it seems, write it down.

Example:

• Started work at 9:30 (had to catch up with some coworkers).
• 10:30 (responded to a message from a coworker).
• 13:00 (checked Reddit for 15 minutes).

You can keep a separate physical or digital note for this. I promise you, capturing a distraction isn’t hard, it only takes a few seconds. However, it can get out of hand if you’re interrupted a lot, so do it in moderation. If that's the case, start by capturing the ones that annoy you the most.

Step 2:

At the end of your day (or lunch break, or the next morning), go over the list and ask yourself:

• Was the interruption truly urgent?
• What did you feel when it happened?
• Could you have delayed it a bit?

This is not to shame you or make you feel bad. The goal is to highlight your vulnerabilities so you can choose solutions that work for you.

For example:

• Started work at 9:30 (had to catch up with some coworkers): I did this because it felt rude to ignore the group. It’s kind of an office tradition at this point.
• 10:30 (responded to a message from a coworker): I responded immediately because I get anxious about when to reply, so I get it out of the way and return to my schedule.
• 13:00 (checked Reddit for 10 minutes): I felt bored, wait, no, I felt helpless because I couldn’t figure out a solution to a specific problem.

Why does this matter?

Interruptions come in different flavors, and generic advice has its limitations. The best advice for you will account for nuances that only you can recognize. Introspection and tracking will help you notice these crucial data points.

Step 3: Set limits or barriers (that you can do).

Focus on what’s manageable, don’t try to jump from zero to hero.

For example:

• Catching up with coworkers: Reduce the hangout time by a couple of minutes and gradually scale it down over a few weeks.
• Responding to messages: Disable notifications for non-urgent channels and check them every 30 minutes to an hour (choose a duration that you can handle). Over time, you can extend this interval.
• Reddit distraction: If you hit a performance wall, take a walk and let your mind wander. (I’ve explained the reasoning behind mind wandering previously.)

How to find these solutions:

If you’re struggling to come up with practical solutions, all I ask of you is two things:

1. Track the interruptions you experience and why they happen.
2. Select the interruptions you can control.

When you’re ready to explore solutions, type this in ChatGPT:

"Here’s my distraction, here’s what it feels like to me and why I do it. What small, practical steps can I take to move past this? Please give me different options to choose from."

Then, continue that conversation until you find an option that works for you.

There are some limitations to this, of course, and you’ll need to experiment with it a bit, but the general idea remains the same: You can look for personalized advice once you’ve personalized your problem, rather than just adopting generic guidelines that don’t address your core vulnerabilities.

Any thoughts or questions?

I’m productivity tool builder, so naturally, I’ve read many books on the topic. Here are my favorites—let me know yours too!

Deep Work by Cal Newport: I know this one’s a bit cliché, but it’s impossible to leave off my list. It’s truly eye-opening, and I always recommend it to friends looking for their first productivity book.

Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal: This one’s pretty new (I think it came out this year). I’m a big fan of Ali’s YT channel, and I love his non-hustle approach to productivity. I think this trend will keep growing as AI takes over some of our tasks. Can’t wait to see more books like this!

Getting Things Done by David Allen: This one, on the other hand, is an older classic, but the GTD method is still super useful today. It’s helped me stay organized and keep track of everything. Fun fact: I enjoyed the book so much that I reached out to David Allen, and got to interview him on my podcast 😎

Power of When by Michael Breus: This book genuinely changed my life. I’ve always felt that my optimal times for tasks vary throughout the day, and this book helped me figure out my perfect schedule. (It actually inspired the idea for my current startup too)

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman: Last but not least. This book hit me really hard—when I first read it, I almost cried. It’s completely shifted my mindset, helping me focus on what truly matters and live more mindfully.

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed it—what’s your favorite? :)

Edit: Thanks for all the great recommendations! If you enjoyed my post, I’d love it if you could check out my project as well, mentioned in my earlier posts!

I've been using Todoist to line up my daily tasks. I'll create recurring tasks or setup manual, single-use tasks. Either way, I can't seem to figure out how to see my progress/success. I would like to be able to look back and see how many times I've completed the task in month. See which days I missed completion. Any thoughts or insights?

Has anyone tried to see if they can focus more, just starting nose cancelling headphones? I'm starting to notice all the background noise in my office and wondering if that is affecting my ability to focus. I might invest in a pair if people have found that it helps (I have also considered getting those loop earplugs but my ears tend to get irritated after a while if I have anything in them)

Hello,

I watched a lot of videos on how people use google calendar to time block. I came across Jules Acree who seems to use general themed time blocks then she puts the actual related and specific tasks over that block. Rather than super specific “event” blocks. When I watched other videos “her method” didn’t seem that common.

So, I’m curious how do you all time block on your calendar?

I tried her method and I like it so far only thing is the tasks over the event block look really bad because it doesn’t overlap consistently.

Edit: Todoist article helped me realize there is time blocking, time boXing, task batching, and day theming. I think what I describe above is a mix between day theming and task batching.

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There are so so many clickbait quiz apps that i am targeted with, does anyone have any experience with ones that actually work? Mainly looking to conquer; task/choice paralysis I'm a self employed artist with ADHD so when i don't have an externally specified time sensitive goal i tend to not know what to actually do out of my many ideas/options and just bed rot instead. Consistently low energy, find it difficult to wake up, and very avoidant of life admin tasks (laundry, cleaning etc)

Hey everyone, I’m on the hunt for a versatile note-taking app that works well across different areas of life—academic, professional, and personal.

For Students: Which app works best for organizing class notes, assignments, and project planning? Is there one that stands out for collaboration or visual organization?

For Professionals: What’s your go-to app for managing meeting notes, task lists, and work-related documentation? Do any of these apps excel in integrating with other tools like email or calendars?

For Daily Life: When it comes to quick to-do lists, grocery lists, or personal journaling, which one is the most user-friendly and efficient?

I’m particularly curious about the strengths of Notion, Evernote, Google Keep, and Microsoft OneNote, but I’m open to other recommendations too! What do you use, and why do you love it?

It is the most unproductive job in the world, but someone has to do it, I review & categorize productivity software to help people make the best decision on it, it's a strange undertaking, but one that I've been obsessed with for over 12 years now, ever since I was in school.

As someone who is absorbed in the world of software for productivity, I typically review around 4-5 new tools a month and keep around 600+ tools updated collectively. I get around 10-15 new tools landing in my inbox every week, so you can imagine I'm swamped in options.

One of the things people ask me a lot is what tools do I use and do I switch them up, so I thought it might be interesting to share my perspective:

• Golden Rule: Don't flood my tool set for the sake of shiny new tools. An example of this, is I have only ever used 2 task management apps in the last 10 years. That was Sunsama & Todoist, both great tools and both used for good stints (Sunsama: 3 years, Todoist: 10 years collectively) - I like to compare moving tools to moving house, effort, money & time, all factors that don't help productivity.

• Task Management App: I keep with Todoist, it solves the majority of my needs. Eg. planning the next week of work and allows me to

• Note-Taking App: I don't use note-taking much at all. I do occasionally journalling, but most of my documents are baked into Craft now. I ditched Notion after using it for maybe 7 years and Craft does the job well, I take basic documents, not so much using databases, and just ideas, thoughts & proof of concepts.

• Calendar App: I use Google Calendar. Keeping things basic & simple.

So collectively, Craft, Todoist, Google Calendar & Superhuman for emails.

Many people might find that a lot, but I used to use maybe 5-7 tools, now it is down to 4. I'm even exploring whether I could use Craft as my task management app.

What tools do you use?

I simply set a timer for 20 minutes. I keep a pen and notepad beside me to write down any pressing thoughts I have (things I have to do, things I want to look up, etc). I don't allow myself to do anything else, just sit around and think (or not), no stimulation of any kind. I know this isn't an original idea, the Dutch call it Niksen. I just started doing this when I feel a bit overwhelmed.

Do any of you use any apps for productivity and if so, which apps do you use? And are paid versions even worth it?

I am struggling a bit with scheduling certain tasks and end up completely forgetting them. Especially on a personal capacity lately.

For some time I’ve been using a to-do list for completing tasks, but I’ve optimized too much on finishing the task at hand rather than focusing on quality. For example, on my todo list, I’d put “finish problems 1-3 for math homework” or “write json parser for coding project”. I’d finish those tasks but the quality is quite lacking. For the former, I’d often get problems wrong and for the latter, I’d write buggy, messy code. Sure, I might’ve finished them, but the quality is so bad I might as well have never done them in the first place.

I’ve thought of adding a task like “check through physics homework” or “write unit tests for code”, but I can probably think of many different ways to minimally pass these todo’s. I have an accountability partner but they don’t have domain knowledge to evaluate the quality of my work.

So what are some ways that force me to deliver high-quality work?

Imagine if Notion had an offline mode (which it soon will).

What is the unique advantage that Obsidian offers, apart from privacy?

You can do everything you can do in Obsidian with Notion, and more - Markdown is restrictive without plugins, themes, etc., and with those it's like a kitchen combine on a par with Notion in terms of sluggishness.

So what's the deal? I ask this with no hatred towards Obsidian, I have only tried it about 10 times now, each time ending up frustratingly copying all the content by hand and pasting it into Notion to work there.

I have lots of things I want to do in my spare time and hobbies I want to start, but it's being limited by my technology addiction. I have ScreenZen and Lock Me Out on my phone. Screen Zen limits my distracting apps, and then they block each other so I can't bypass the limit. This is working great, but I can't find anything similar for PC. I've found browser extensions that make it easier (DeArrow, News Feed Eradicator), but that doesn't cover my games. I found one app meant for eye strain but it's bypassed with one click. Anyone have any ideas? I'm interested in programs that either block specific programs or the whole PC at certain times of day.

I have lots of things I want to do in my spare time and hobbies I want to start, but it's being limited by my technology addiction. I have ScreenZen and Lock Me Out on my phone. Screen Zen limits my distracting apps, and then they block each other so I can't bypass the limit. This is working great, but I can't find anything similar for PC. I've found browser extensions that make it easier (DeArrow, News Feed Eradicator), but that doesn't cover my games. I found one app meant for eye strain but it's bypassed with one click. Anyone have any ideas? I'm interested in programs that either block specific programs or the whole PC at certain times of day.

i need to achieve a portfolio to enter art school in february. Starting now i need a calendar i can fill with routine todolists every day of the week and different activities during the weekend because i'll have more time by not being in school. Is there a software mixing calendar and todolists and wgere i can duplicate them to not have to create the pretty much same tdl every day for 3 months ? thanks

I've been grappling with a recurring issue I've been running into: a lack of urgency or "sufficient anxiety" to get things done, even when it's crucial. It's slightly different from procrastination here me out.

For instance, I had an important task to prepare a recommendation letter package for a colleague. The best practice would have been to compile all the materials two weeks in advance. Two weeks ago, I actually made significant progress and had a decent draft ready. However, I kept delaying the final steps, always thinking, "Oh, I just need to add one more small thing," which realistically would've taken about two hours to complete.

Despite knowing that my reputation could be affected, I couldn't muster the necessary urgency. My medication helps me focus, but it doesn't seem to affect this specific issue of feeling the pressure needed to complete tasks on time. Fast forward to yesterday, I reached out to the letter writer to inform them that the materials would be sent soon, and I could sense their dissatisfaction with the delay. 😭

Does anyone else struggle with this? How do you manage or create a sense of urgency when your brain just doesn't seem to recognize it? Any strategies or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a simple and effective way to increase your chances of committing to whatever you have planned for the day.

When you set your to-do list, start as you normally would. Then, create a different version of that list, assuming you could only accomplish half of what’s on it.

For example, let’s say your to-do list for the day looks like this:

• Respond to emails.
• Prepare a draft for the monthly report.
• Schedule a dentist appointment.
• Pick up dry cleaning.
• Prepare dinner.
• Tidy up the living room.

Now, imagine something unexpected happens during your day, and now you can only do half of what’s on that list, what would you cross out?

This exercise is beneficial because it allows you to create a backup plan in the calm environment of your home, rather than making impulsive decisions when you’re busy or distracted.

This practice helps protect you from overloading yourself. We often underestimate the time and energy each task requires, and sometimes we abandon tasks entirely because we don’t have the bandwidth to handle them amidst the confusion.

Remember, you need to eliminate half, either by crossing off half the items or reducing the scope of each task by 50%.

As you’ll discover, there are some limitations to this method (for example, 50% might not always be the ideal amount), so don’t hesitate to refine it to match your needs.

🧩

You state your goal publicly as a way to hold yourself accountable and receive support.

r/AccountabilityForMe

Hope to see ya'll there!

I’m a junior in high school and am struggling with brain fog. During my freshman year, I got long covid, which lasted for about 9-10 months, wherein I physically couldn’t get anything done because I was so exhausted all the time. It caused me to lose a bunch of credits, and even after it supposedly went away, I’ve still been experimenting side effects all the way up to junior year. It’s becoming a real problem that I don’t know how to deal with. I can’t for the life of me concentrate long enough on something or remember important information in school. It doesn’t help that I have ADHD, and I was in a car wreck last year that left me with a concussion. I had hoped to get a scholarship and go to college, but now I’m struggling to even keep enough credits to graduate high school. I know I’m capable of doing great in school, because I always have, but this brain fog is hindering me so badly that it’s essentially ruining my life and plans for the future. My parents and teachers have been working with me, but I don’t think they understand just how bad it is. Getting one assignment done outside of class is an achievement for me. We’re coming up on finals week and everything is going wrong. My grades are low and I have so many missing assignments that I simply can’t get done in time because of my brain not being able to remember them or concentrate long enough to get them done. The finals I have coming up require an absolute shit ton of things to remember, and I know that it can’t possibly go well. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to tell my parents and teachers to make them understand. If anyone has any advice I’d love to hear it, because I just don’t know what to do anymore.

In late December or maybe early January, I will have my university exams. But There are so many things I need to study and catch up, but after coming home from uni, I struggle to focus. And Even if I open a book I find myself checking my phone within 5 minutes or daydreaming and staring at the ceiling for no reason. But earlier, I used study for 3hrs straight, but from the past few months, many things has happened in my personal life, and because of that I'm finding it hard to shift my focus from that Please!!!! guys I really need your help!!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

If anyone has a recommendation for extensions on any browser that blocks websites after a certain number of visits you put yourself, please let me know!

Currently at home this week recovering from surgery and cant get myself to do anything. Happens every holiday and I'm worried this lack of discipline is going to ruin my adult life. I already have plans on what to do how do I get started

Hi everyone, I posted a few days ago about frequently feeling guilty for not being productive enough in one day. I don't wanna jinx myself, but apparently, after the post, I did make some small adjustments, and magically, it works!

I deleted Instagram out of my phone (since I'm surfing on that a lot), and tried to focus on my college deadlines right now (this is my last week). I put on some classical music and locked in. And I also took some nap time and drank water too!

I woke up today feeling great (I went to bed early, too), spent a bit of time looking at creative works on other subreddits, and felt ready to begin work again. Now I'm looking back; I only have one assignment left, which is surprising because of how much I was able to do in a few days since it's supposed to be a lot of things due this week. Maybe because I'm drinking coffee right now or having a good sleep yesterday, but overall, thank you for all of the advice I received, and I love seeing myself being productive right now! Have a great day ahead!

There's so much I feel like I want to get done, but when I have some time, I just want to lay around and do nothing. One example is in the morning, when after I drop my son off to school, I have about 40 minutes before I have to work. I could use that time to put away clothes or load the dishwasher, but I just don't feel like it. I'm tired and just wanna do nothing before work.

Then after work, I don't have anything to do really, so I can do things around the house or study or work on my new hobby, but I can't bring myself to do it sometimes. I feel like these are my times to decompress. And for me, that’s strolling on my phone or playing Sims.

Any suggestions? I want to be more productive. I want to get things done, but I feel like my free time is for me to do nothing instead of what I should be doing.

Tried Google calendar, excel sheets, notebooks .. sticky notes..

They all get overwhelming since I don't can't close them all

I’ve always been a fan of a clean desk—everything in place, no distractions. But a friend of mine swears that a bit of clutter helps her think more creatively.

Lately, I’ve tried something in between: I added a portable monitor to my setup. It helps me keep my main work focused on one screen, while using the second one for reference or extra tools, without creating a mess. It’s been surprisingly helpful.

I’ve been thinking lately—do we really need all those fancy apps, dual monitors, and gadgets to get things done? Or is it more about forming the right habits?

For me, one small change made a big difference: I reorganized my desk and added a second screen. It’s not about showing off, but I was getting overwhelmed with too many tabs open. Now, I keep my to-do list on one screen and focus on the main task on the other. It’s been surprisingly helpful!

What about you? What’s one small tweak you’ve made that actually worked?

I need to do better with my tasks. My husband has noticed lately that I will say I am going to do something (like learn a unit of this math) and finish it today and then today comes around and I do some but not all of it (either cause I get stuck or -usually - cause I lose interest) and I don't finish it for a few days to a few weeks later.

I am done with that now. I need to get on top of my tasks.

Learning my husband's math is the only thing I have had in the last 2-3 years that has needed/felt useful for any kind of "deadlines" feature. The rest of my tasks are just due dates but if I don't do them on those dates, then it is fine. They are all chores and just reminders for bills to pay.

These are the tasks I currently have in reminders:

• Chores like taking out the trash and doing dishes and monthly reminders to bathe our cats and put on their flea, tick, heartworm meds.
• Subscriptions & Bills - these are more of just reminders to make sure the funds are in said account and to make sure we pay our CC bill in full before the month rolls over and we get charged interest.
• Reminders for me to work on learning math for my husband - again this is the only thing that deadlines has had any use for in Things 3 or Todoist but barely any use since I don't follow them anyway.

That's it. I have 57 reminders total and most of those are for my husband's math. The other half are subscriptions/bills with only like 4 being chores or anything else. So, I'm not a heavy reminders person. For the most part I don't need it. I only check it weekly, if that because most of the time it is stuff I have put in place as habits anyway like:

• Learn Hubby's Math
• Exercise + Shower
• Rent on the 1st
• Apple Card on the 30th
• Do the dishes
• Do the litter box
• etc.

So I don't really need them... or at least I don't feel like I do but I guess maybe I do based on what my husband has told me lately.

Anyway, I have tried using Todoist, Notion, Obsidian, Things 3, Reminders, Microsoft To Do and either they feel like too much for me (Todoist, Notion, Obsidian) or aren't available on my PC (Things 3 + Reminders) or are too clunky (Microsoft To Do).

I am thinking about just putting all of my tasks inside of OneNote and working with a Calendar inside OneNote instead of any of these other apps since it syncs between my devices for free (mom pays for O365) and I can handwrite and easily move tasks between days and since I don't need notifications as I have found that I just ignore them anyway.

I can't afford a subscription so I have to work with something for free. Since I don't necessarily need deadlines that shouldn't be too bad, right?

Anyway, anyone have any ideas on a task management app that may work for me? Should I just go with OneNote? Should I try Obsidian again?