📈Productivity: (N) The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.📈
As we are aware, productivity allows us to efficiently and effectively manage our time to check boxes off our to-do lists while accomplishing goals. Through research I have learned two types of productivity are economic and personal productivity. Each type of productivity has their own unique differences that make distinguishing between the two easier! Though this blog focuses on my own personal productivity, let’s examine both before we begin👇
📈Economic Productivity:
👉It is common for companies or countries to evaluate productivity with a math equation, dividing output by input. For example, a country could potentially determine its economic productivity through dividing its financial value of produced goods and offered services by the total numbers of hours needed to make, gather and complete those services. I also came across an example stating a factory could calculate their economic productivity by dividing the total number of created products by the amount of hours employees spent working.
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📈Personal Productivity:
👉This relates back to productivity in general and the measurement of productive effort in terms of the rate of output per unit of input. Remember, personal productivity also evaluates the quality of completed work while using subjective factors as opposed to the economic productivity where a math equation is utilized. For this example, if you work in customer service, you may want to measure your personal productivity by increasing overall customer satisfaction over time, opposed to increasing the number of customers you reach.
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To directly relate personal productivity to my own life, I correlate my daily effort spent job searching, writing engaging cover letters and revising writing samples that are sent to employers as my subjective factors. Instead of taking an economic productivity approach and focusing on the amount of job postings I have applied to, I instead spend my time evaluating the quality of my submitted works to the positions I do apply for.
My Top Five:
1️⃣. Adobe Express
I am proud to share Adobe Express is my go to application for any graphic design needs I may have. This cloud-based media creation app allows all users, regardless of their graphic design knowledge, to create impressive social media graphics, promotional videos and single-page websites. The basic Adobe Express application is free, no payment required, but many users choose to upgrade their account to Premium as it increases their freedom for design and the variety of templates to choose from for their projects. One of the reasons why I have chosen to use Adobe Express for my blog graphics over any other application is because it can be accessed from any device with online access. When I am drafting my graphics it is uncommon for me to complete a graphic in one sitting. Usually I am using Adobe Express on my Mac as the screen display is superior, but I love having the option to quickly pull my graphics up, no matter which stage they are in, on my phone.
Launching the app immediately brings its users to a home page where they can create a custom graphic or remix a template. One of the reasons why this app is so user friendly is because of its ability to allow its users to remix a pre-created template with their own desired information and visual aspects. The home page consists of 20+ categories of templates ranging from flyers, logos, thumbnails, collages and invitations to Facebook posts, business cards and greeting cards. I have utilized the Instagram story/post templates, wallpaper templates, collages and flyer templates. In addition to this blog, I also run an Instagram page (@Cthe_good) as another place where my blog posts are easily accessible with never before seen graphics. There is also some additional fun in my stories throughout the week, so please be sure to follow @Cthe_good on Instagram and come say hi!
2️⃣. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a social media platform that I was encouraged to start using during my years of high school, but never did (sigh). The biggest factor that drew me away from hitting create account on LinkedIn was the intimidation of starting a profile without a network. If you are unfamiliar with the specifics, like I was, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet that is used to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen relationships and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career. A profile on LinkedIn helps users showcase their unique professional story through their experiences, skills and education. Instead of just gaining followers like traditional social media apps, LinkedIn helps you gain connections. Yes, you can still follow accounts on LinkedIn, but there is a further step that can be taken to create a connection. For example, if I followed a past employer and they also followed me back, we each have gained a connection that boosts the size of our network.
Building your network is a crucial part in unlocking the true potential that LinkedIn offers. Gaining connections helps you to understand what is currently going on within your industry and professional circle while the app recommends relevant sources to follow. Participating in conversations under posts on LinkedIn is a great way to showcase yourself and what you value in your career. Posting content is also a way to begin building your network because it will provide your future connections with a reason to stay on your profile and not immediately scroll by.
3️⃣. Notes App
I have always loved the Notes app on my iPhone. Throughout the years I have used it to keep track of random ideas, grocery lists, to-do lists, drafts of emails, show recommendations, etc. Most recently, I have been loving its feature specifically designed for users who create lists within the Notes app. This checklist feature allows you to create an effortless list by tapping the checklist button on the top of the keyboard. After tapping, you may hit return to add a new bullet to the list. If you did not know, tapping an empty bullet will mark it as completed. I love that I can mark a task as completed, but not have to delete it. Throughout the day it reminds me of the goals I have accomplished as opposed to deleting them once completed.
4️⃣. Reminders App
Did you know iPhone or iPad users with iOS 13 or later have the ability to utilize the Reminders app? This tool is a great way to lower the chances of forgetting a deadline or appointment. First, open the Reminders app and tap New Reminder, then type your reminder. Then, tap the date and time button to set a due date for the reminder. You are able to choose from today, tomorrow, this weekend or set your own day and time. Reminders pop up on the iPhone similarly to the way timers do. These reminders alert you of whatever you had set the reminder for. For example, I have a daily reminder that tells me to take my vitamin after dinner because I have a habit of forgetting. Reminders are very handy as they can be set as reoccurring or as an individual reminder.
There is also an option to set a reminder in the spur of a moment using Siri. For example, you may say, “remind me to feed the dog everyday at 7:30am” or “remind me tomorrow at 3:00pm to call Maya.” A feature I just learned about within the Notes app is the ability to share a list with other iPhone users. If you click a list then tap the share button, you can choose how you want to share the list, by text or email, and who will access it. Once someone accepts your invitation to view your list, they will have the ability to write, edit, add, delete and mark items as completed. This collaboration within Notes is an innovative way to allow all members of your family, team or friend group to stay up to date on important information. I love that Reminders are also compatible for the Apple Watch because I receive brief alerts throughout the day if I do not have my phone with me.
5️⃣. WordPress.com
Last but not least, WordPress is one of my top five productivity tools and apps. WordPress is a web content management system that was originally created as a tool to publish blogs, but since evolved to support traditional websites, mailing lists, media galleries, etc. Though I have my own domain, Cthegood, WordPress is the content management system I used to create my site during college. During my junior year, my visual communications professor had us explore WordPress and create our own blog to document our success throughout the course of the semester. Since then, my appreciation of WordPress has continued and I am happy to have revamped my personal blog using this content management system as my blog grows.
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*In the comments below, let me know what your top productivity tools and apps are!
Cthegood 