If you are anything like me you are constantly on the hunt to find ways to be more productive. I absolutely love trying new products or methods, so I’ve tested out a few for you! Below is a collection of what I consider to be the best of the best. If you have something you think I should try out feel free to send me a note, I’ll try anything once!

Focusmate

I started using Focusmate in February 2020 (before the world caught fire, remember what that was like?) I’m fairly certain that I learned about it from a Facebook group for writers that I was a part of. The premise of Focusmate is that you hop on a video call with a partner and do focused work for 50 minutes. How you use the time is completely up to you some users will work on typical “work style” tasks like studying, writing, completing their to-do list, and so on. Some users prefer to do things like clean, work out, or another “active style” task.

What I love about Focusmate is that there is an accountability partner on the other side, regardless of what your task is. You let your partner know what you are working on, and then check in again at the end of the session. There is also a super encouraging Facebook group for those who want a little more interaction.

Visit Focusmate here. The free option offers three sessions a week, and the unlimited option is $9.99 USD a month.

If you’d like to work with me click here to connect to my upcoming sessions.

Forest

If you are someone who tends to look at your phone while you are trying to get focused work done, then Forest might be the app for you. The premise is simple, you pick how long you want to put your phone down for and plant a virtual tree. If you look at your phone before your tree is finished growing it dies. You obviously don’t want to kill your precious tree!

A cool feature of the app is “plant together”. A room is created where you can invite friends to plant with you. it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure the tree doesn’t die. If you are worried about killing your own tree, imagine the pressure to avoid killing someone else’s tree.

Forest App is available for download on iOS or Android, click here

Goodnotes for iPad

This one might be a little niche because you need an Apple Pencil compatible iPad. In March 2020 I decided that I would go paperless for some online courses I was taking. Having always been a massive fan of notebooks, pens, highlighters, and all the accoutrements, this was a difficult transition. But it was made all the easier with Goodnotes.

The Goodnotes app for iPad truly does function like a notebook. Of course it has the added benefit of looking cleaner because anything you don’t need can be removed. The best function for me however is that all text is searchable, even what you write by hand. Personally I tend to write a lot of random notes, sometimes in random places. Using Goodnotes makes it easy to find all those bits and pieces. (This isn’t to say that I have abandoned my Bullet Journal, it just looks a little different these days.)