22 Productivity Tricks and Tools You Love

Last week, in a giveaway sponsored by Manage Your Day-to-Day, we asked you to share your favorite tips and tools for getting things done. Tons of what we can only assume are super-organized, task-master Riot readers chimed in, and five lucky participants won copies of the book. Here are 22 of the best productivity tricks and tools you love. Tips Use the Pomodoro Technique Schedule tasks in 30-minute blocks on your calendar Break large projects into smaller steps to prioritize, organize, and have the satisfaction of finishing things along the way. Change locations to keep your brain awake and engaged Do the worst item on your list first. Everything else is easier from there. Write everything down, following the Getting Things Done method Create and stick to a basic daily schedule to give yourself structure Only check email at set times throughout the day Turn off desktop email alerts so you’re not interrupted while completing other tasks Delete or archive emails you don’t need immediately to keep your inbox clean Turn off the wi-fi on your computer when you’re working on a task that doesn’t require connectivity Take a deep breath and just do it!   Tools A timer–on your phone, microwave, whatever–to keep track of how long tasks take to complete and plan accordingly in the future A good old-fashioned list on paper–nothing more satisfying than crossing off completed items Wunderlist–to keep to-do lists separate from email and other work programs Getting Things Done by David Allen Self-Restraint and Mac Freedom–programs to shut off social media Evernote app for collecting lists, notes, reminder photos Omnifocus task manager for Mac and iOS Todoist–desktop and mobile task management, Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android Use LastPass to keep all passwords in one place Google Keep to save and access important info in one place Did your favorite make the list? What else should we add? _________________________ Sign up for our newsletter to have the best of Book Riot delivered straight to your inbox every two weeks. No spam. We promise. To keep up with Book Riot on a daily basis, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, , and subscribe to the Book Riot podcast in iTunes or via RSS. So much bookish goodness–all day, every day.