How to use tools to improve your productivity

We live in the age of AI, there is a bunch of tools available to help us improve our productivity, but all this tools can be overwhelming. In this post, I go over the main basic tools and how to use them to improve your productivity.

Navigating the digital world is more challenging than ever. We live in a era of constant change, where new tools and technologies emerge every day. Keep your information organized is paramount to get the most out of your productivity tools.

What tools do I need?

Each person have different tools needs for obvius reasons. I don`t know what your day to day is, but there is a common set of aspects that are for the most part common for most of the people.

Calendar

Having a good calendar tool is a must, it helps you to keep track of your schedule and to plan your day. There are several options and depending what laptop and smartphone you have, some options are better than others. I recommend using Google Calendar, it is free and has a lot of features, but if you have a iPhone, I recommend using Apple Calendar. This is important, if you can stay in a single platform you will get more consistency between different tools and this can be a game changer on the long run.

Notes

A reliable note-taking system is the backbone of knowledge work. Whether you're jotting down ideas during a meeting or building a personal knowledge base, having a dedicated space for your thoughts is essential.

For simple, quick notes, Apple Notes or Google Keep sync seamlessly across devices and are perfect for capturing fleeting thoughts. Tools like Notion or Obsidian offer linked notes, databases, and the ability to build a "second brain."

But if you want a truly unified experience, I highly recommend Seedly Studio. It's a super powerful tool that lets you keep all your notes, todos, and even drawings in a single place. What sets it apart is its built-in AI capabilities—you can interact with your content using powerful AI tools, making it incredibly easy to summarize, brainstorm, or transform your notes. It's the kind of all-in-one solution that eliminates the need to juggle multiple apps.

The key principle here: capture everything, organize later. Don't let the perfect system be the enemy of actually writing things down.

Todo Lists

This is where most people struggle. We all have endless lists of things to do, but without a proper system, items slip through the cracks.

My recommendation is to keep it simple. Todoist and TickTick are excellent choices that balance power with simplicity. They integrate with calendars, offer natural language input ("Call mom tomorrow at 5pm"), and let you organize tasks by project.

A few principles that work well:

• Weekly review: Every Sunday, spend 15 minutes reviewing your tasks for the week ahead
• Time blocking: Assign specific time slots for important tasks in your calendar
• The two-minute rule: If something takes less than two minutes, do it now

Email

Email is still the backbone of professional communication, but it can quickly become a source of stress if not managed properly.

The most important advice I can give: don't use your inbox as a todo list. Process emails in batches, ideally 2-3 times per day. Use labels or folders to organize, and archive aggressively.

Tools like Superhuman or Spark can help with email management, but honestly, the built-in features of Gmail or Apple Mail are sufficient for most people. The key is the system, not the tool.

AI Assistants

This is where things get exciting. In 2026, AI assistants have become genuinely useful for everyday productivity. Here's how I use them:

• Writing assistance: Drafting emails, summarizing documents, or brainstorming ideas
• Research: Quickly getting answers to questions without falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes
• Coding help: Getting unstuck on technical problems or generating boilerplate code
• Task automation: Creating scripts or workflows that would take hours to build manually

The key with AI is to treat it as a collaborator, not a replacement. It works best when you bring the context and judgment, and let the AI handle the heavy lifting.

Popular options include ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini. Experiment and find what works for your workflow.

A Framework for Maximum Productivity

Having tools is one thing, but knowing how to use them together is what separates the productive from the overwhelmed. Let me introduce you to three battle-tested productivity frameworks that, when combined, create a powerful system.

Getting Things Done (GTD)

David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology has been a cornerstone of productivity for decades—and it's still incredibly relevant in 2026. The core idea is simple: get everything out of your head and into a trusted system.

The five steps of GTD:

1. Capture: Collect anything that has your attention (ideas, tasks, commitments)
2. Clarify: Process what each item means and decide if it's actionable
3. Organize: Put items where they belong (calendar, task list, reference)
4. Reflect: Review your system regularly (the famous "weekly review")
5. Engage: Take action with confidence

GTD excels in high-interrupt environments and for managing multiple concurrent projects. The weekly review ritual is what makes the whole system work—skip it, and things start falling through the cracks.

The PARA Method

Created by Tiago Forte as part of his "Building a Second Brain" concept, PARA is a way to organize all your digital information into four categories:

• Projects: Short-term efforts with a specific goal and deadline
• Areas: Long-term responsibilities without an end date (health, finances, career)
• Resources: Topics or references that might be useful in the future
• Archives: Completed projects or inactive items

The beauty of PARA is that it works across any tool—your notes app, file system, and even physical files. When combined with GTD, you get the best of both worlds: GTD handles what to do, and PARA handles where to find what you need.

Time Blocking

Time blocking takes productivity to the next level by turning priorities into scheduled appointments. Instead of working from a task list and hoping you get to important work, you pre-commit by blocking time on your calendar.

Here's how I approach it:

• Morning blocks (2-3 hours): Deep work on my most important project
• Afternoon blocks: Meetings, calls, collaborative work
• End-of-day block (30 min): Processing email and planning tomorrow

Studies show that a significant percentage of professionals now use time blocking to stay focused and reduce context switching. It's particularly effective for creative work and deadline-driven projects.

The Integrated System

Now let's put it all together. Here's how I use these frameworks with the tools we've discussed:

Your Daily Rhythm

Here's what a productive day looks like with this system:

Morning (15 min)

• Review today's calendar blocks
• Check your task list for priorities
• Set your intention for the day

Throughout the day

• Capture everything in your notes app (don't try to organize yet)
• Work in focused blocks per your calendar
• Use AI to overcome obstacles and accelerate work

End of day (15 min)

• Process captured notes into tasks or reference
• Review tomorrow's calendar
• Clear your inbox to manageable levels

Weekly (30-60 min)

• Review all active projects
• Process your entire inbox
• Plan the week ahead
• Archive completed work

The Mindset Shift

The goal isn't to have the perfect productivity system—it's to have a system at all. Start simple, iterate, and find what works for you.

Remember: tools are meant to serve you, not the other way around. If a tool is causing more friction than it solves, it's okay to drop it and try something else.

The most productive people aren't the ones with the most sophisticated systems—they're the ones who consistently show up and use any system. Pick one tool from each category, commit to it for 30 days, and adjust from there.

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Tools Mentioned

Calendar

• Google Calendar
• Apple Calendar

Notes

• Seedly Studio ⭐ All-in-one with AI
• Apple Notes
• Google Keep
• Notion
• Obsidian

Todo Lists

• Todoist
• TickTick

Email

• Superhuman
• Spark
• Gmail
• Apple Mail

AI Assistants

• ChatGPT
• Claude
• Google Gemini

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What productivity tools have worked for you? I'd love to hear about your setup.