Ali Abdaal
August 30, 2023
Best Productivity Tools & Apps for Daily Work
TL;DR
After testing 137 productivity tools over 15 years, a content creator shares his daily workflow using apps like Things 3, Ulysses, Notion, and Rise to optimize writing, filming, time tracking, and overall productivity.
Key Takeaways
- 1Use a two-tier task management system: an 'Anytime' list for long-term tasks and a 'Today' list focused only on daily priorities
- 2Physical tools like pen-and-paper journaling (Morning Pages) remain as valuable as digital apps for clearing your mind and generating ideas
- 3Reduce friction for activities you want to do more of—use dedicated bags, standing desks with treadmills, and quick-access tools to make habits easier to maintain
- 4Combine specialized writing apps (Ulysses for drafting, Notion for organization) rather than relying on one tool for all writing tasks
- 5Time-tracking with automatic apps like Rise provides actionable insights into how you actually spend your time across different activities
- 6A dedicated home office setup with multiple camera angles, microphones, and monitors streamlines video creation and remote collaboration
- 7Protect intentional time with batching: process emails once, read newsletters in batches, and schedule focused blocks for deep work
Notable Quotes
“What gets measured gets managed”
“The trusty pen and paper notebook is just like one of the things that I go back to so often and really levels up my productivity”
“One of the things that I swear by is reducing the friction as much as possible for the things that I want to do more of in my life”
“If I can just reduce the friction as much as possible to doing the thing it means I'm way more likely to do the thing”
Chapters
1. Morning Routine & Daily Planning
Starts with Withings smart scales, shower, and Clever Dripper coffee. Uses Morning Pages journaling technique (three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing) to clear the mind and generate ideas. Reviews daily priorities using Things 3 app with 'Today' and 'Anytime' lists, synchronized with calendar.
2. Writing & Location Independence
Takes iPad Pro and journal to local coffee shops to work in varied locations, making work feel more like play. Uses Ulysses as the primary writing app for drafting, tracking a 1,000-word daily target, then transfers work to Notion or Google Docs. Peak Design 6L sling bag reduces friction for mobility.
3. Email, Reading & Content Consumption
Uses Superhuman email client for fast inbox management with keyboard shortcuts. Reads Morning Brew and Readwise newsletters. Uses Reader RSS aggregator and ReadWise for highlighting and resurfacing valuable articles. Mentions therapy with BetterHelp as a productivity tool for understanding limiting beliefs.
4. Deep Work Setup & Time Tracking
Works at standing desk with focused YouTube ambience music in background. Uses Notion as central hub for all writing, project planning, OKRs, and company operations. Tracks time automatically with Rise app to quantify work across different activities (writing: 183 hours, Google Docs: 183 hours in 2023).
5. Treadmill Desk & Movement
Uses Walking Pad C2 treadmill under standing desk to log 65 days of use across 235 km. Walks while gaming or working. Takes intentional breaks to walk outdoors, often generating best ideas during walks. Uses Apple Notes to quickly capture ideas, later processing into Notion or Ulysses.
6. Video Production & Multi-Camera Setup
Three camera angles (main, overhead, shorts-angle) connected via HDMI to ATEM Mini Pro switcher. Uses Sennheiser MK416 microphone and Elgato Wave 3 microphone for podcast/Zoom calls. Keyboard switching between Mac and Windows via mechanical keyboard. Uploads footage to Google Drive (75TB of 115TB used).
7. Calendar, Intentional Phone Use & Tools
Uses Fantastical for calendar and scheduling. Uses Otter.ai for voice recording and transcription during walks or meetings. Uses strong or Trainerize fitness app to track workouts with progressive overload principles. Communicates with team via Slack and Loom screen recordings to replace meetings.
8. Evening Routine & Journaling
Takes iPad and journals in Day One app during Uber/public transport commutes (user since 2016). Reads on Kindle before bed. Plays relaxing yoga and meditation music from Amazon Echo to wind down. Stretches using Lululemon yoga mat to address tight hip flexors and hamstrings.
Key People & Entities
- Julia Cameron
- Author of 'The Artist's Way' and originator of the Morning Pages technique
- Louis House
- Friend and author of 'The Greatness Mindset' audiobook mentioned in the transcript
- Dan
- Remote personal fitness coach who programs workouts for the creator
- BetterHelp
- Online therapy service and video sponsor offering access to 30,000+ credential therapists
- Withings
- Maker of smart scales that sync with Apple Health Kit for weight tracking
- Things 3
- To-do list app with widget support for daily task management
- Ulysses
- Minimalist markdown-based writing app used for drafting articles, newsletters, and video scripts
- Notion
- All-in-one workspace used for video planning, company operations, OKRs, and project management
Glossary
- Morning Pages
- A technique from 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron involving writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness text by hand to clear the mind and generate ideas
- OKR
- Objectives and Key Results—a goal-setting framework used to define and track company objectives and measurable outcomes
- Markdown
- A lightweight markup language used for formatting text, commonly used in writing apps for clean, simple document creation
- RSS Feed Aggregator
- An app that collects content from multiple websites and sources in one place for easy reading and consumption
- ATEM Mini Pro
- A camera switcher device that allows seamless switching between multiple camera angles during video recording or live streaming
- Progressive Overload
- A fitness principle of gradually increasing the weight, reps, or intensity of exercises to continue making strength and muscle gains
- Thunderbolt Dock
- A hardware dock that connects multiple peripherals (monitors, storage) to a computer via a single Thunderbolt cable
- Google Workspace
- A suite of cloud-based productivity tools including Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Sheets for team collaboration