What tools do you use to stay productive?
Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night
I rely heavily on customized reminders from Slack known as Slackbots to remind me to do things. I like to play music while I work, too. Sometimes I play new age ambient type of stuff to keep me calm, centered and focused.
Other times I'll play upbeat music for motivation. Coffee is also a must-have for productivity. Oh! And strawberries. Strawberries keep me happy.
Laura Coronado discusses her method for juggling her career as a communications specialist by day and her side hustle as a freelance travel writer by night.
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Interview with Patryk, a Front-end Developer & UI Designer
Memo notes. 📝 Seriously.
I tried out dozens of shiny apps and read hundreds of articles on productivity. And this old school item is the simplest and the most powerful solution.
Each evening, I write down up to 3 tasks I want to accomplish. The key idea is focusing on what's the most important right now. The next day, I don't need to prioritize.
Patryk has learned that there is no reason to wait for the flow - once you start working, it will happen naturally.
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Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
I use Asana and pen and paper to stay productive. I use Asana to jot down tasks I need to do, or ideas I want to develop, and pen and paper are for my daily to-do list. However, I only use the latter when I have a lot on my plate.
I plan my work one week ahead, using Google Calendar. Github is great for sharing work. Especially with myself as I work on different computers.
I participate in different Slack communities. They might not be productive, but the feeling of belonging somewhere can help to stay motivated. It's a great source of inspiration.
Katerina fell into remote work by accident - she reveals how easy and straightforward it can be to make discipline a daily part of remote work.
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Interview with Cameron, a designer who works remotely at a WordPress agency
This is actually a topic I love to nerd-out about! I've probably tried every to-do list app and strategy you can think of. My current approach (and the one that works best for me) includes a mix of software and good old fashioned pen and paper.
Being a remote worker, it can sometimes feel lonely and cause us to spend too much time on social media.
I find the need to block these social media sites during most of the work day which is why I use an app called FocusMe which lets me set a time period to block distracting websites.
I also use a Pomodoro timer called Be Focused Pro which lets you break your workday into 25-minute blocks with a 5-minute break after each block. I use these 5-minute blocks for things like getting coffee, stretching or walking my dog.
This prevents me from sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours straight which can cause some long-term physical and mental problems.
In terms of to-do lists, I've found the best method for me is pen and paper because I'm such an “out of sight, out of mind” type of person.
Learn how Cameron started full-time remote work after trying freelancing and starting a digital agency.
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Interview with Saibu, an HR content writer for a remote company
Personally, I don’t use tools like timers, reminders, or webpage filters. But when it comes to working at Remote Team Inc, we use a lot of tools – from Slack and Zoom to Google Docs and Desktime.
I actually answered this question recently on Quora about the tools we use to stay productive.
Hear how Saibu, a thriving HR content writer, navigates the complexities—and perks—of working with a remote team from Ghana.
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Interview with Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams
I wouldn’t say these tools help me stay productive, per se, but they do help me stay organized which in turn has an enormous impact on productivity. For me, it’s Trello and checklists (most of the time within Trello cards).
Gino realized how important remote work could be to finding the best talent—see his strategies for building remote teams.
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Interview with Andrew, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads
Andrew, co-founder, and CEO of Insured Nomads talks traveling while working, productivity tools, and the best advice he has received.
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Interview with Dane, a freelance writer and author with 7 published books
As far as freelancing sites go, I use Upwork and PeoplePerHour. I also have a website and my portfolio is on SlideShare, which helps to give it a little extra exposure. And I sometimes get leads through my social media presences as well, predominantly from LinkedIn and Twitter.
Other tools that I use quite a lot include Dropbox and Google Docs for storing and sharing files, Slack and Skype for communication and occasionally Trello for project management.
I spend a lot of time in WordPress admin panels as well. But it really depends upon the client, and I’m generally quite flexible about what I use. All I actually need to write copy is Microsoft Word to write it in and Google Chrome to carry out a little research and to find sources.
Dane is a freelance writer and author who works remotely, and balances client work with writing his own books.
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Interview with Kristi, a CEO and remote team leader
Our team uses Google Suite, Trello, and Buffer, but we also embrace whatever our clients prefer, which includes various content management systems and other project management tools like Asana.
Kristi is a CEO, remote work author, and speaker. In this interview, she shares the impact of new motherhood and remote team leadership on her work.
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Interview with Alaina, a nonprofit program state director
I like to keep it old school with written to-do notes in a notebook.
Something about physically writing tasks and adding sub-notes or crossing out completed tasks on paper is more gratifying than typing it up on the computer.
A very simple tool I use in my Gmail is the starred email feature. In Gmail settings, there is an option to have different color stars or markings like the red and yellow exclamation points. I use those stars to sort my inbox and keep track of emails I need to follow-up on.
If I have a task that is time sensitive, I will create a task on my calendar.
A habit I use to employ and need to get back to is time blocking my day on my calendar with events and using my Google Calendar as an extension of my to-do list. This method is also helpful for getting a visual layout of tasks for the day and seeing where your time is spent.
It takes a minute to find your rhythm in a new remote position—hear how Alaina organizes her time to hit the ground running in a new remote work job.
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