I was having a conversation with a friend about productivity systems and we eventually talked about what productivity geeks like to talk about: productivity apps.

I asked my friend what software she used.

“Notion.”

I shuddered a little. “I found Notion way too complex and confusing.”

“Oh? What app do you use then?”

“Obsidian.”

My friend laughed. “I find Obsidian way too complex and confusing!”

This conversation shows that “what works for me may not work for you.”

Yet we hop on the productivity app wheel and try to make it work for us. A lot of times, the new shiny productivity app pushed by productivity gurus (cough, Notion) may not be the right answer for you.

So what should we do instead?

Don’t copy. Design.

What worked for Sue in accounting may not work for Paul in Marketing. Different jobs, personalities and needs.

So, instead of choosing a productivity app and then pretzel our system into it, we should do the opposite.

Step 1: take note of your:

• Personality preferences

• Needs
• Unique attributes

Step 2: Find the solution that fits your needs.

Now, grab a pen and a journal, choose a quiet place and answer these questions:

1: What helps you get productive?

What would you like to accomplish with your productivity system? What is the end result that you’d like to see? Think about the time when you’re very productive – did you enjoy analog systems more than digital ones? Think about your personality preferences, needs and unique attributes.

2. Your current system: what’s working and what’s not?

Perhaps you find that while you enjoy writing down your tasks in a bullet journal, you need a search function to go through your many notes because you can’t seem to find anything anymore.

3. What is preventing you from getting productive?

What can you do to get to my vision of stress-free, seamless productivity?

For example, now that you know that you need a search function, you decide to opt for a digital tool.

4. What can you do to “bridge the gap”?

Now it’s time to create a plan to bridge the gap — what must you do to achieve your vision? This is where you research the many options out there. It can be really exciting to explore a shiny new tool, but make sure to match the solution to your needs, personality and preferences.

5. Is the solution working for me? Test and pivot. Rinse, repeat.

This is the part where, well, it can get tedious. Use your selected tool for a while and note how you feel when using it. Does it make you more productive? Or did it distract you even further?

For example, after trying to make Notion work for me, I realised that I needed a minimalist digital productivity solution without too many bells and whistles. While Notion was fascinating, its many features overwhelmed and distracted me. In the end, I use a software called Obsidian, where I created a simple bulleted list to go through every day.

The power of tailored solutions

While it may seem like a seriously tedious process to design a system uniquely suited for you, trust me, you’ll end up with a system that will fit you like a glove eventually. Just be patient and continue to experiment 🙂

Happy planning!