The Essentials: Brad’s Productivity App Makeover (Premium)

If you have been listening to First Ring Daily or following me on Twitter for the past few weeks, you will have seen that I have been trying to change up my workflow and find new apps to help me stay organized. This entire process got kicked-started earlier this year when I decided to stop using Word as my writing utility and ever since that point, I have been looking to revamp other parts of my daily grind.

One reason for this is that companies that make only one specific app, treat that app as if it's their first born child. The app typically gets updates frequently, feedback is integrated quickly, and honestly, stand-alone apps are usually better than those built by companies who are trying to solve every problem that has ever existed. Of course, the downside is that these types of companies have a higher chance of running out of money and your beloved app may go away forever.

There are four basic parts to my productivity workflow: email, notes, task management, and a calendar. I'll focus on each one specifically about how it has changed (or hasn't) and why I chose each app.

Email:

Previously, I was using the Windows 10 Mail app but I have switched to Newton Mail. Despite the fact that this email app comes at a premium, it is far superior to the Mail app and it syncs everywhere.

Embarrassingly, Microsoft's Mail app does not sync settings across machines. When you review devices and jump between PCs frequently, not having your email settings sync automagically on each machine is frustrating. Newton Mail fixes this issue and I quite like the interface as well.

I stuck with Microsoft's Mail app for two years but the company is not updating it fast enough and now that there is a high-quality alternative (bonus points that it is a store app), I could not justify sticking with the Microsoft app. Newton Mail is $50 but they send you a 20% off coupon a few days into your trial; it is quite expensive but I feel that it was worth the price.

Notes:

For First Ring Daily and the Sams Report, I use OneNote for basic note taking and our show notes. For the past year or so, I have been using this application in the browser. Going forward, I am using the dedicated Store apps.

Why? The store apps sync faster, are quicker to load, and generally work better than the browser-based counterpart. This slight change has resulted in a better experience as I am less dependent on a web browser (more on that later) and the local apps also have more features as well.

This is not a significant change but it helps me move forward with my goal of using a browser less and dedicated apps more.

Task Management:

This was likely the biggest update to my workflow. Prior to this change, I was using a whiteboard that is next to my monitor in my office.

The problem with using a whiteboard is that it's only in one place and if I am upstairs or working remotely, I don't know what's on the board (obviously). To remedy this, I began searching ...