Productivity and effective time management is key to staying focussed, making the most of the hours in the day and checking off your to-do list. Time is valuable, especially when working from home where we are surrounded by seemingly endless distractions – from the snack cupboard to the dog barking at the neighbour through the window.
At PFM, we pride ourselves on dedicating our time to producing high quality work for our clients. Our team have shared the productivity tools they find most helpful when it comes to getting the most out of their working hours. They may even help you find your new favourite to help you get the most out of your day!
Ben (Creative Lead)
As a member of the creative team, I am always on the lookout for resources which help me find that happy balance between time management and creative inspiration. That’s why I stand by Noisli as my favourite productivity tool. Noisli is a digital space which allows me to create the perfect sound environment that enhances my creativity and focus. Building my perfect sound environment allows me to quickly get into the ‘zone’, reduce stress and block out those distracting noises.
Zoe (Junior Account Manager)
When it comes to maintaining productivity when completing longer tasks and projects, I swear by the Pomodoro technique. If you haven’t heard of it, this technique breaks work up into 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between. This method helps me maintain focus and productivity for 25 minutes and use those 5 minutes in between to move around, grab a cuppa, and come back refreshed and ready to tackle another 25 minutes of focus. My favourite tool for this is the Focus To-Do app which combines the Pomodoro technique with task management so you can clearly organise your to-do list and build lasting habits!
Matt (Paid Ads Director)
In terms of time management, my Google calendar is a reliable tool in helping me stay organised as it allows me to plan my to-do list around client and internal team meetings. I am able to easily share my calendar with others, set reminders and even sync it with my phone to streamline my organisational processes. When it comes to task management, Trello has been an unwavering favourite of mine for a few years now. It’s a free, easy to use, collaborative and visual tool which allows me to organise my to-do list and ensure I effectively manage my daily priorities.
Daniella (Head of Agency)
When it comes to organising my daily list of tasks and maintaining my productivity throughout the day, I value the integrated workspace app Notion. The platform allows you to organise your to-do list like never before, as Notion allows you to personalise and bring clarity to your to-do list through minimalist design and streamlined templates. A close second on my list has to be Flora, the productivity app based on virtual gardening. We can all relate to how distracting our smartphones can be – with notifications popping up every few minutes from the plethora of apps that (somehow?) ended up on my phone, it’s hard not to get distracted. Flora is the one app which actually rewards you for putting your phone down – through virtual tree planting. It’s a great concept which helps you stay focussed on your tasks and helps you build positive habits.
Freya (Creative Content Writer)
If you haven’t already, you need to introduce the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace into your daily routine. For me, being my most productive self involves taking on tasks one step at a time and giving myself room to pause and clear my head between tasks. This is where Headspace is an amazing tool. Not only does the app make mindfulness and meditation both simple and accessible, it gives you the tools to train your mind and address the fundamentals of increasing your focus to get more done in less time. If you really want to make the most out of the hours in the day, I’d definitely recommend giving it a go. My personal favourite productivity meditations on the app are the focus and creativity meditations.
Paul (Junior Designer)
At PFM, we use Monday.com for daily task management, account management and communication. Monday.com has transformed remote working for me and that is why I put it at the top of my list of productivity tools. It allows me to clearly visualise and plan out my week, easily communicate with the rest of the team and keep focussed and accountable on each and every one of my tasks. It has also significantly reduced the number of emails that pile up on my inbox each day, which is definitely a bonus!
Angus (Midweight Account Manager)
Despite the seemingly endless productivity tools available, I have a firm favourite when it comes to concentration and getting in the ‘zone’ and that is Spotify. As an app which many of us already use on a daily basis, over the past few years I have used the service to create a personalised playlist which includes tracks that improve my mood, reduce stress and help me focus. A much-loved artist of mine, which I recommend to you all, has to be Kid Cudi and his neo-psychedelia which always helps me concentrate. Spotify have their own selection of pre-built playlists which are tailored to helping listeners focus. I recommend their Lo-Fi Beats playlist as a great starting point, but it’s always fun to experiment with different tracks and figure out what works best for you.