Technology is great when we use it for us, not when it uses us for its advantage.

Ever since technology has born, there have been many innovations that have automated many parts of our lives.

If you observe your room, you can see that the air you get from the fan and the light you get from the bulb is also technological innovation. It may sound simple for you now, but it was a great deal back then.

We live in this era where technology offers so many uses by automating certain parts of our lives – then why most of them are not using it.

There are a few reasons why people are not using the available technology to their advantage:

1. Maybe it’s not affordable for them
2. Maybe they don’t want to adapt to innovations
3. Maybe they don’t know it yet ( that it exists)

Here In this blog, I will share a few technological ways that helped me improve productivity, and it might enhance yours as well.

How can technology help improve productivity?

If you can automate or improve efficiency in certain parts of your life – you will be able to save so much time. And you can focus that time spent on things that matter.

Being busy with the work done through technology is not productive.

I will list some of the ways by which technology can help you in improving your efficiency.

Note: The tools mentioned in this blog are not sponsored, nor it’s an affiliate link

By mean tools in technology, there are two types;

• Digital Tools (Software programs, Websites & apps)
• Physical Tools (Electronic devices)

Let’s start with how to use technologies to improve productivity, and then I will list the related tools with it.

1. Project Management

Tracking the progress of the project is a hectic task. Not until we have some technological tool for it. There are so many specialized tools for monitoring projects available now – which can make this much more straightforward than manually writing down the progress.

Is project management even necessary?

Yes, it is; when you list down the things that – you “Have to Do,” “Doing Now,” and “Done” – you will have much more clarity on what’s going on with your projects.

Using digital project management software’s you will be able to arrange the order of the work you need to do. You can organize tasks based on their urgency or importance – you will also be able to prioritize them as low, medium, and high levels.

You will get discover many options as you explore these technological tools.

These digital software’s are not only designed for businesses but also individuals.

If you are working in corporate, make the most use of the digital software’s they offer. Explore those software’s and customize if you can (without affecting others’ data).

One of my favorite tools for project management is NOTION

By mean project management, you can also use it for content management and many more things.

I use Notion for almost everything from Habit tracking, Note-taking, and money management.

You can use Notion to replace basic excel sheet works like money management.

I also use Notion to track the progress of my books, movies & series.

This free tool is better than using so many paid mobile applications for tracking books to read and movies to watch.

I suggest you explore this software; it is available on all platforms.

But only desktop versions offer a rich experience; if you have a laptop device – explore it.

Notion’s mobile app provides additional support for due reminders and glances- nothing special. So don’t try to judge that software by using its mobile application first.

The most important part of this tool is – you can customize so many things. You can make it complex or keep it simple.

Even I am writing this blog in this software only. It is excellent for keeping your database organized and linked with relevant ones.

2. Digital Calendar

Most people only use digital calendars to see the upcoming holidays but nothing else. Calendars are a great way to make yourself super productive.

If you keep your calendar to note down the reminders and activities to do, you will never forget to do the most important things – that have to be done on any specific day.

You will be able to reduce the memory load in your brain – so that you can focus on the things that matter now.

Calendars are not just beneficial to see the holidays and festivals; they are much more than that. They can be used as one of the most powerful productivity tools for life.

You can use digital calendars for,

• Payment reminders
• Birthday reminders
• Anniversary reminders
• Meeting reminders
• Schedule events
• Time Blocking

It is just like an external brain that you can use for remembering things.

And by doing this, you will free up your brain’s energy, and you can then use it for processing other information.

I use Google Calendar for noting down the reminders – so that I will never forget them.

You can use any application or software of your preference – as long as it makes your work done.

3. Time Tracking

There is no need to track your time all the time and get frustrated or obsessed about it. Track your time only while doing the work.

When you track your time while doing your work, the work will feel like a meaningful one. You will get to know how long have you worked for a day and how many significant tasks have you done for the day.

This time tracking mechanism can be handy for reflecting on how productive you are.

One such software I use to track the time I spend on my work is Toggle Time Tracker.

There are many software’s out there offering a similar solution. You can choose your own and get the work done using this method.

4. Social Media Scheduling

Scheduling in social media might not be relevant for all as most of you might be using social media only for consuming content and not for posting anything.

When you use a schedule for social media, it will help you free up your time to post manually. This tool will be great for those who want to post something on social media quite frequently.

There are so many tools available for scheduling images and videos on social media. But so many people are unaware of this thing.

I started using social media scheduling tools when I noticed that I tend to spend more time on social media – even while I just opened it to post something.

These tools will help you post on social media without using social media. So there will be no chance of getting hooked into it.

The tool I use is Publer.

Publer’s free version itself is capable of doing many things.

5. The Pomodoro technique

Now that you have learned about project management and time tracking, it’s time to implement the Pomodoro technique.

What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is used to split up a long bunch of working hours into short parts. It is used to split your working hours and break periods more efficiently.

Pomodoro technique, by default, consists of 25 min working period with a 5 min break.

You can customize it with your breaking point. I use the Pomodoro technique with 40 min of the working period followed up with the 10 min of break.

The break period is meant to move your body, not to stay idle and use social media.

By using the correct amount of breaks within the working hours, you will keep your energy high throughout the day. You will feel significantly less fatigue.

You don’t have to keep track of the time to work and have a break – software and applications will do that for you.

There are many Pomodoro timers available for free.

Here is the list of some of them,

1. Pomofocus
2. Tomato Timer

Conclusion

Solving problems is what made the human race move forward.

If technology weren’t there – we would have been in the stone age, playing with the sticks and sparking fires around.

Would you crack stones to fire these days, or will you use some math box or a lighter?

That’s how the question of “whether we should use technology or not ?” will sound.

Innovations are helping us in solving the day-to-day problem for us.

We could at least take a little effort to use the freely available solution to solve our problems.