By Joanna Kurylo **Date Posted:** 1/29/2022 --- I am obsessed with productivity. Whether for my day job or any of my side-hustles; I spend more hours working than anything else. And I'm okay with that! Working is something that I love doing and I find great satisfaction in. However, I've developed an obsession with discovering how I can increase my productivity. In much of my workday, I depend on apps to speed up specific processes, document key learnings, or make something easier for me. And it's not just me. Mobile apps have become a standard in working, from automating many time-consuming processes in a business environment to removing the potential for human error in highly complex manufacturing environments. On a smaller scale, it can impact the WFH professional or even those working in a conventional setting in ways that have never been possible. My go-to apps during my workday are [Notion](https://www.notion.so/), Nebo and [Instapaper](https://www.instapaper.com/); the trio combination helps tremendously increase workday productivity. ## Notion I understood how much I needed Notion when I looked back at my almost 40 workspaces I’ve built into Notion (from my dream homes to to my “second brain”) and realized how often I engage with it. Notion describes itself as an "all-in-one workspace, " which is precisely what the platform is.  [Notion](https://notionbasic.com/what-is-notion/) is all about streamlining your workflow and preventing you from having to back in and out of different apps nonstop. It includes the ability to build out practically every available tool you need throughout your workdays, such as a note table, databases, planners, calendars and more. This, combined with a highly smooth and intuitive user interface, allows you to use the app up for many tasks; you're just a tap or two away from jotting down notes, checking your marketing calendar, building out a sales strategy or planning your next big career move. A Notion environment is built using "blocks." Each page you create in Notion is composed of different blocks that you can use to build out our ideal workspace. Blocks can be a variety of different things including images, embeds, maps, to do lists, tables, texts, headings and so much more. You can easily change one block to any other type of block or rearrange blocks. Putting together these blocks can help you create re-usable, engaging, engaging and easily manageable templates. That’s what makes Notion so special and so unique; I can literally build out my ideal workspace. Jason Aten, a tech columnist for Inc., wrote about how using Notion for six months changed the way [he works](https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/i-spent-6-months-using-notion-how-it-completely-changed-way-i-work.html), > The bottom line, for me, is that Notion is flexible enough to build the system that works best for my brain and doesn't try to force me into its own preconceived, well, Notion. As a result, it has completely changed the way I work by making me more organized and efficient. ### How do I use Notion during my workday? I use Notion to organize both my work and my life in a variety of ways. I have tried dozens of different to-do lists in my life, but have always been frustrated that i haven’t been able to find _**THE**_ to do list app yet. I usually find that I'm missing key customizations that allow me to make the to-do list of my dreams. Which is why I moved on to Notion to organize my work tasks. I use notion to built out a custom workflow to organize my task by topic, priority, teammate, status and allow it to make it super sharable with my entire team. I also to keep track of meeting notes with other teammates and external clients, and find that it’s a better way to organize it so i can always go back and see what happened, and most importantly be able to keep track of next steps. I use it as a bookmarking tool. Notion has a greate feature called Database, where I'm able to keep track of everything between inspiration for marketing strategies, to ideas for social media posts. I can set up a variety of different category views I use it to manage connections, as my personal CRM. I have it organized by tag , where and when I met a specific person. this really helps me be really organized when I am following up with people. Curious about Notion alternatives? [Read up on Obsidian](https://itsfoss.com/obsidian-markdown-editor/). ## Nebu The Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory did a study at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This study hooked up nodes to a research participant's head to collect data points. Participants who used handwriting retained more information compared to those that typed.  Sometimes, you don't feel like typing everything out, and it's simply faster or more satisfying to take the handwritten route. Plus, it can be easier to insert odd additions or meaningful doodles with handwritten note-taking. I started getting obsessed with Note-taking apps after watching Ali Abdaal's video on ["How I take notes on my iPad Pro in medical school - Cambridge University medical student"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waR3xBDHMqw&t=485s) where he talks about his strategy on taking notes using iPad, the Apple Pencil, and the Notability app. I tried [Notability](https://notability.com/) for about six months but was frustrated about the lack of any Notion and Notability integration. I moved onto GoodNotes I use Goodnotes, a application that turns your electronic device into an infinitely reusable, not-prone-to-ripping-or-leaving-lead all-over-you note-taking software. I loved using Goodnotes when I need to get something out of my head quickly or when I need to make little visual cues in my notes that aren't possible with typed notes. What I found was missing from Goodnotes was jsut simply an organizational aspect. ## InstaPaper Have you ever been surfing the web, found an article or video you wanted to watch, and then had to leave it behind suddenly? How many times did you find that content again later? They're usually gone forever if you're like me, and you miss out on helpful information. [InstaPaper](https://www.instapaper.com/) gets rid of this problem. It allows you to sync copies of online content to the cloud or your device for offline viewing when you have time. The platform can help you keep track of intriguing online content, or it can be used when you need the content long-term but don't want to keep navigating to its web address and risk losing it forever. ## Explore the World of Apps These are my top three apps for work productivity, but countless more are available with dramatically different functions. Don't ignore all the functionality they offer; explore the world of apps and streamline your workload today. ## Subscribe for more <form method="post" action="https://sendfox.com/form/3z9nrz/m2qggl" class="sendfox-form" id="m2qggl" data-async="true" data-recaptcha="false"> <p><label for="sendfox_form_email">Email: </label><input type="email" id="sendfox_form_email" placeholder="Email" name="email" required /></p> <!-- no botz please --> <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;" aria-hidden="true"><input type="text" name="a_password" tabindex="-1" value="" autocomplete="off" /></div> <p><button type="submit">Subscribe</button></p> </form> <script src="https://sendfox.com/js/form.js"></script> --- **Tags:** #blog/productivity --- [[Contact & Subscribe]] | Follow [@JoannaKurylo](https://twitter.com/joannakurylo) on Twitter Copyright © 2023 Joanna Kurylo All rights reserved.