My Top 5 Productivity Apps in 2024 (Arc Browser, xTiles, ShortForm, Notion, Todoist)
TLDRIn this video, the creator shares their top 5 productivity apps for 2024: Arc Browser, xTiles, ShortForm, Notion, and Todoist. They highlight how each app helps streamline tasks, from managing tabs with Arc to organizing tasks visually with xTiles, reading detailed media summaries with ShortForm, building a digital second brain with Notion, and keeping track of daily tasks with Todoist. Each app is presented as a key tool in enhancing productivity and organization, catering to different needs such as task management, reading, and business operations.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Arc Browser helps reduce tab clutter and acts like a project management tool for organizing life and work.
- 🧩 xTiles allows users to organize tasks visually using customizable tile boards, making it perfect for visual thinkers.
- 📚 ShortForm provides in-depth summaries of books, articles, and podcasts, making it easier to consume detailed information quickly.
- 🧠 Notion serves as a second brain for organizing ideas, managing business, and handling creative projects, although it has a steep learning curve.
- ✅ Todoist is a simple, effective to-do list app that helps manage daily tasks and recurring reminders efficiently.
- 🚀 Arc Browser's folders, spaces, and customizable sidebar help improve focus and efficiency.
- 🎨 xTiles' intuitive interface makes it easy to set up and organize without needing extensive tutorials.
- 📖 ShortForm saves time and money by allowing users to preview and summarize books before deciding to buy or read them.
- ⚙️ Notion offers a vast range of features, suitable for both personal and professional project management, despite the complexity.
- 📝 Todoist's free version offers everything needed for simple task management, with a potential upgrade for team use.
Q & A
Why did the speaker decide to switch from Google Chrome to Arc Browser?
-The speaker switched to Arc Browser because of its focus on minimalism and efficiency, particularly appreciating the ability to organize tabs into folders and spaces, which helped reduce tab hoarding and improve workflow.
How does Arc Browser help the speaker stay organized?
-Arc Browser allows the speaker to separate work and personal browsing using folders and spaces. Its customizable sidebar also helps the speaker manage multiple projects efficiently, making it feel more like a project management tool.
What is the primary appeal of xTiles for the speaker?
-The speaker appreciates xTiles for its visual approach, allowing tasks and notes to be organized into customizable tile boards, which is more intuitive and flexible compared to other apps like Notion.
Why does the speaker prefer xTiles over Notion?
-The speaker finds xTiles more intuitive and easier to use, with greater flexibility in moving and organizing tiles. In contrast, they found Notion to be clunkier and less playful.
What makes Shortform different from other summary services like Blinkist?
-Shortform provides more in-depth summaries compared to Blinkist, offering detailed coverage of key topics. The speaker appreciates this level of depth for understanding concepts better.
How does the speaker use Shortform for their reading goals?
-The speaker uses Shortform to reference summaries of books they are reading, helping them to save time and effort on detailed note-taking, while also supporting their goal of reading a new book every month.
What is the speaker's view on the learning curve of using Notion?
-The speaker acknowledges that Notion has a steep learning curve, requiring months of trial and error to figure out the best system. However, they believe it is worth the effort for its flexibility and usefulness.
What are some of the ways the speaker uses Notion?
-The speaker uses Notion as a second brain for archiving, referencing, and managing both personal and business-related tasks. They emphasize its potential for creative production pipelines and knowledge databases.
What role does Todoist play in the speaker's productivity routine?
-Todoist serves as the speaker's go-to app for managing simple daily tasks and reminders. The speaker appreciates its simplicity and ease of use, especially for recurring tasks and daily to-dos.
What advanced feature in Todoist does the speaker mention, and do they use it?
-The speaker mentions Todoist’s advanced features like project setup and calendar views, but they do not currently use them. They might consider these features if they start hiring a team.
Outlines
🚀 Starting Your Journey with Productivity Apps
The speaker reflects on their YouTube journey, where they experimented with various productivity apps to enhance efficiency. Friends often ask them how to get started with such apps, so they decide to share their top five productivity tools that have significantly impacted their life. These recommendations are suitable for students, professionals, or anyone seeking to optimize their daily tasks. The first app discussed is Arc Browser, which excels in minimalism and efficiency, transforming the speaker from a tab hoarder into a more organized user through its customizable features like folders and spaces.
📁 Organize Your Life with X Tiles
X Tiles is introduced as a productivity app that allows users to arrange tasks, notes, and other items into customizable visual tile boards. This is ideal for those who prefer a visual layout over traditional document-style organization. The speaker emphasizes how intuitive X Tiles is, requiring little onboarding, and praises its flexibility compared to Notion. The app makes organizing fun and creative, encouraging users to experiment with layouts. The speaker, having switched from Notion to X Tiles, shares an affiliate link for free signup and encourages feedback from users about their experience.
📚 Deep Dive into Knowledge with Shortform
Shortform is presented as an app that offers in-depth summaries of books, articles, podcasts, and other media. The speaker highlights how it differs from similar services like SparkNotes or Blinkist by providing more detailed insights into key concepts. They appreciate its depth, using it as a valuable resource while preparing for a video on 'Feel Good Productivity.' Shortform is ideal for previewing or summarizing books, which can save time and money. The speaker links to an affiliate discount, suggesting it as a tool for fellow avid readers.
🧠 Stay Organized with Notion
Notion is described as the speaker's 'second brain,' a versatile tool they use to manage their business, YouTube channel, and personal life. Although they initially relied on Notion for everything, they've recently focused it on managing professional tasks. Despite the learning curve, the speaker stresses that Notion’s flexibility, constant feature updates, and project management capabilities make it an invaluable tool. They predict it will become a leader in productivity tools within five years. The speaker advises viewers to try Notion, particularly because it's free.
✅ Keep It Simple with Todoist
Todoist is introduced as a simple, efficient task management app that excels at its core purpose: helping users remember and complete tasks. The speaker uses the widget to keep their to-do list easily accessible, adding and checking off tasks throughout the day. While many productivity apps offer task management features, the speaker prefers Todoist for its simplicity. It also supports advanced features like recurring tasks and project organization, which the speaker might explore if their needs grow. They recommend Todoist as a no-cost, easy-to-use tool for keeping track of daily tasks.
🎯 Wrapping Up the Top 5 Productivity Apps
The speaker wraps up by summarizing the top five productivity apps that have significantly improved their life. They express gratitude for these tools, noting how they’ve helped boost efficiency and organization. Viewers are encouraged to check out the affiliate links provided to try the apps for themselves. The speaker invites suggestions for other productivity apps that could be featured in future videos and thanks viewers for their support. The video ends with a call to action for likes, subscriptions, and comments.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Arc Browser
💡Tab hoarding
💡xTiles
💡Visual organization
💡ShortForm
💡Notion
💡Second brain
💡Todoist
💡Affiliate link
💡Daily habits
Highlights
Introduction to the user's journey with productivity apps, explaining the importance of finding the right tools for daily efficiency.
Arc Browser helps users declutter their browsing habits by offering features like folders and spaces for better organization.
Arc's sidebar customization allows users to manage multiple projects simultaneously, turning the browser into a project management tool.
Arc automatically closes unused tabs after a set time, helping users stay focused and reduce tab overload.
xTiles offers a visually oriented task management system, ideal for users who prefer to see their tasks laid out in tile boards.
xTiles provides flexibility and customization, making it intuitive and easy to use, even for first-time users.
ShortForm is a unique productivity app that provides in-depth summaries of books, articles, and podcasts, helping users consume information efficiently.
ShortForm's detailed summaries dive deep into key topics, making it a preferred alternative to apps like Blinkist for more in-depth learning.
ShortForm helps users preview books or gather insights without needing to buy or read the entire book.
Notion is praised for its versatility in managing life, projects, and creative pipelines, acting as a 'second brain' for users.
Notion's flexibility and consistent updates make it a strong contender for becoming the leading project management tool.
Despite its steep learning curve, Notion offers endless possibilities for organizing information once users invest time in learning it.
Todoist is highlighted for its simplicity, acting as an essential 'don't forget' app for daily tasks.
Todoist supports recurring tasks and reminders, making it a useful tool for habit tracking and time-sensitive tasks.
Closing notes emphasize the importance of exploring these apps to boost productivity and recommend checking affiliate links for discounts.