Ever sit down at your desk and stare at your screen, numb from the thought that once again, you have to face hundreds of decisions and hope you’ll do it right?

Trust me. I know exactly how that feels, which is why I am focusing on productivity. Our lives have become even more chaotic as our choices increase.

Years ago, I mentioned in my book that the number of marketing tech platforms available (martech) was 7,040. That was in 2020. Evidently, a few platforms have disappeared over the past few years. Today the current landscape shows 6,829 marketing solutions from 6,242 vendors in 48 categories.

The bottom line is that most of us are juggling way too much during the workday. Meetings, emails, deadlines, projects… it never ends. And while the hustle is real, it doesn’t have to feel chaotic. The right productivity tools can make your workday smoother, more focused, and a lot less stressful.

But with so many options out there—digital platforms, paper planners, fancy apps—it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So how do you know what’s actually going to help you get things done?

I’m going to give you a few tools I use and break it all down. We’ll look at digital vs. analog tools, go over the best-rated apps and planners, and show you what a productive day could look like using either method. You’ll also walk away with three solid steps to start building your own setup.

Let’s explore…

Digital vs. Analog Tools: What’s Right for You?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, it really depends on your style. Are you glued to your phone and live by your Google Calendar? Or do you love the feeling of pen on paper and crossing things off your to-do list? Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide:

Feature	Digital Tools	Analog Tools
Access	Syncs across all devices	No battery needed—always available
Flexibility	Easy to update, reorganize, search	Set layouts, harder to shift things around
Focus	Can get distracting with notifications	Fewer digital distractions
Speed	Fast for recurring tasks or reminders	Great for thinking things through slowly
Learning Curve	Might take some setup time	Very intuitive—you just write
Satisfaction	Streamlined and efficient	Tactile, creative, and satisfying

Go digital if you want everything in one place and love automation.
Stick to analog if you enjoy unplugging and want to slow things down a bit.

And if you’re somewhere in the middle? That’s totally fine too. A lot of people use a mix of both.

The Best Digital Productivity Platforms (And Why People Love Them)

Here are some of the most popular digital tools that professionals swear by—and why they work so well:

1. Notion

Why people love it: It’s super flexible. You can use it for notes, task lists, calendars, team projects, and more.
Best for: People who like a DIY approach to organizing their work.
Bonus: You can build your own dashboard that fits exactly how your brain works.

2. Todoist

Why people love it: It’s clean, fast, and easy to use. You can just type something like “Email Sarah tomorrow at 10am” and boom—it’s scheduled.
Best for: Anyone who wants a solid, no-fuss, to-do list.
Bonus: Great for recurring tasks and prioritizing the most important stuff.

3. Trello

Why people love it: The board layout is visual and satisfying. You can move tasks around like sticky notes.
Best for: Project managers or teams that like to see the big picture.
Bonus: Easy to share with others and track progress together.

4. Google Workspace (Calendar + Keep + Docs)

Why people love it: It’s everywhere. You’re probably already using at least one of these.
Best for: Collaboration, planning, and quick access across devices.
Bonus: Everything connects—set a meeting in Calendar, jot a note in Keep, write it all up in Docs.

5. ClickUp

Why people love it: It’s like a command center for big, complex projects.
Best for: Teams managing lots of moving parts (tasks, timelines, files).
Bonus: Super customizable. You can track time, set dependencies, and build dashboards.

Favorite Analog Planners That Actually Work

Full disclosure, I’m more of a “paper and pen” gal. I love the tactile aspect of writing on paper. And don’t even get me started on my ever-growing collection of pens. My main reason is that it allows me to unplug from all electronics without fuss.

Digital might get all the attention, but analog planning is still alive and well. Honestly, it’s kind of lovely. Writing things down can help you slow down and focus in a way digital sometimes doesn’t.

Here are some top-rated planners that are worth checking out:

1. Panda Planner

Why people love it: It combines productivity with gratitude and reflection.
Best for: People who want structure and a mental boost.
Bonus: Space for priorities, scheduling, and little daily wins.

2. Full Focus Planner

Why people love it: It’s designed for high performers, with quarterly goals and daily focus.
Best for: Anyone looking to align their big-picture goals with their daily actions.
Bonus: The “Big 3” system helps you zoom in on what really matters each day.

3. Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal

Why people love it: Total freedom to create your own system.
Best for: Creative thinkers and people who want a custom planner without the structure.
Bonus: Great paper quality, and the dot grid format is easy to work with.

A Sample 9–5 Day Using Digital Productivity Tools

Let’s say you’re a marketing manager. Here’s how your day might flow using a digital setup:

8:45 AM: Open Notion dashboard. Review your tasks from Todoist, calendar from Google, and today’s priorities.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Deep work session—writing content. Use a Pomodoro timer app like Forest to stay focused.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Morning check-in with the team on Zoom. Notes go straight into Notion.
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Work in ClickUp to assign campaign tasks and update timelines.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch break. Light journaling in the Day One app to reset.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Review campaign analytics in Google Sheets. Log insights in Notion.
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Email follow-up block. Add any new tasks to Todoist.
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM: Finalize your slide deck in Google Slides.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: End-of-day review in Notion. Plan top 3 tasks for tomorrow.

A Sample 9–5 Day Using Analog Tools

Now let’s switch gears. You’re a creative director who prefers working offline:

8:45 AM: Open your Full Focus Planner. Write down your “Big 3” tasks for the day.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Creative concept sketching in your notebook.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Team check-in. Capture notes and to-dos in a meeting journal.
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Visual brainstorming using index cards and colored pens.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch, followed by reflection in the Daily Stoic Journal.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Review client feedback. Annotate printed materials.
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Quiet creative time—phone off, timer set for 50-minute focus block.
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM: Handwrite a first draft of the new script.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Daily reflection in your planner and set tomorrow’s priorities.

Why These Tools Actually Help

The point of all these tools, whether digital or paper, isn’t to look organized. It’s to be organized.

Here’s what you gain:

More focus. You’re not trying to hold everything in your head.
Less stress. You know what’s next and where things are.
More follow-through. You stop forgetting things and start closing loops.
Better awareness. You see where your time goes—and how to use it better.
Record keeping. Good tools make it easier to recall information when you need it.

A Bonus Time Tool For Project Planning

When I am working on a project that has a hard deadline, it’s easy to track a few weeks. But if you’re working on a project that you anticipate will take months, you may find the Days Calculator helpful. Just plug in your start date and end date in the fields and click the “Calculate Duration” button. You can even click the “Count only workdays” link to make sure your weekends are counted.

Let’s say I were to start a project on April 21, 2025, and it was due on June 13, 2025. The duration of workdays I have to devote to the project minus weekends would be 39 days (including the end date) or 8 weeks.

It helps to understand this so you can choose how much time you spend on that project per week. I always work backwards when I have a hard deadline. I prefer to give myself plenty of buffer time for unexepected events, so I usually envision the deadline to be earlier by 5-7 days. I’m always pleased if I can deliver a project several days before the deadline and this approach helps me do that.

Three Easy Ways to Start Building Your System

1. Observe Your Workday

Take one full day to notice your habits. Where are you getting stuck? What tasks repeat daily? Where do you feel scattered? Write it all down.

Why it helps: You can’t fix what you don’t notice. This gives you a baseline.

2. Try One Digital and One Analog Tool

Test drive a combo for a week—maybe Todoist and a simple notebook. See what clicks and what doesn’t.

Why it helps: You’ll quickly figure out what actually helps you—and what’s just adding clutter.

3. Do a 7-Day Trial

Commit to your setup for one full week. End each day with a short review: What went well? What should you tweak?

Why it helps: Small changes build real habits. After a week, you’ll have clarity and momentum.

Productivity tools aren’t magic, they’re support systems. They won’t do the work for you, but they will help you do the work better. And once you find the right mix of tools for you, your workday won’t just feel more organized, it’ll feel more manageable and even enjoyable.

Start small, stay curious, and build a system that works for you, not the other way around.

How to Choose the Right Productivity Tools for Your Workday