Time is the only resource that is irrevocable. It is impossible to purchase the option of having more than 24 hours in a day, so what matters is how you use the time you have. Truly, it is the amount of time you spend on fulfilling a task that reflects your productivity – the less time you spend, the more you can achieve in the amount of time you have today.
Let’s make something clear right here and right now. Time management is not about making to-do lists and crossing tasks out. It is about becoming more productive by using your time resources as efficiently as possible. To-do lists can be a tool to help you achieve this, but if you spend more time making lists than actually completing the tasks, you need to reassess the way you use your precious limited time.
We know better than anyone else does: recruiters have to deal with tons of various activities you need to deal with daily. You need to keep in mind calling potential candidates for the job, meetings, job interviews, scoring candidates, emails, dealing with various forms, etc. Yet, recruitment, just like any other job, represents a set of tasks you need to take care of day after day.
The Internet is flooded with productivity tips designed for recruiters specifically. But remember: those tips may remain forgotten in the Internet’s depths unless you find a suitable way to constantly remind yourself about following them.
What’s Better For Time Management
With the increasing popularity of both bullet journaling and various productivity mobile apps, the stand-off between the admirers of both approaches to time management has never been more severe. Some may say that keeping a bullet journal is the best way to plan your time. Others would find using mobile apps much more convenient and argue that analog methods should be a dying species nowadays.
Each approach has its perks. Using a notebook can be helpful to remember your to-do list by writing it with your own hand; besides, you are the one who decides how to manage the space in your notebook, what categories you need, etc. Mobile apps, on the other hand, can be more convenient to use as we always have our phones with us; besides, your phone can remind you about the tasks you need to get done or important meetings today.
Yet, we are not going to take any sides here. There are as many opinions as there are people. The truth is, you are going to have to figure out what’s better for you on your own. Here, we can only suggest what you can try out to find the secret key to maximizing your productivity.
5 Apps To Plan Your Day Effortlessly
Planning is essential to being productive, it goes without saying. So let’s take a sneak peek at time planning apps that you definitely should try.
Trello
Platform: web, mobile (Android, iOS), desktop (Windows, Mac)
Price: free (Business Class and Enterprise subscriptions are available)
Trello offers its users to create boards with various lists of tasks or notes. Each task or note is represented as a card pinned to the board.
The Key Reasons To Try It
Segmenting your workload. Each board and each list helps you divide your task into different segments: scoring candidates, calls, job interviews, etc. Each segment needs to be taken care of daily, so try to dedicate at least some time to each of them.
Team task management. Trello is perfect for working on a project in a team. Different boards represent different projects you can work on. You can create different lists of tasks on the board, assign them to people on your team, comment on the tasks, send attachments etc. The lists can also be created for gathering ideas.
Wunderlist
Platform: web, mobile (Android, iOS, Windows Phone), desktop (Windows, Mac,), ChromeBook, Kindle Fire
Price: free (pro version is available)
Wunderlist’s features are quite similar to the ones described in the section above. Yet, what makes it different from Trello is the way tasks are represented. In Trello, the concept of boards and cards is at the core of the service. Wunderlist is focused on lists. Lists can be joined into theme-based or project-based folders and easily shared with your coworkers.
The Key Reason To Try It
Easy filtering. You can use various hashtags when creating lists and tasks. You can create priority-based hashtags or come up with other criteria for sorting cards. Wunderlist allows you to filter your tasks by the hashtags, so it can help you avoid the distraction of seeing too many tasks.
Todoist
Platform: mobile (Android, iOS), web, desktop (Windows, Mac) + browser extensions and email plugins
Price: free (premium subscription is available)
Todoist may seem to be just one more planning app. Yet, if it were the case, it wouldn’t have become so popular. Its distinguishable feature is allowing you to earn points by completing tasks, achieve levels and compete with your fellow coworkers.
The Key Reason To Try It
Karma. You can set a daily goal for yourself – completing a certain amount of tasks each day. The more tasks you complete, the more points you earn and the better karma you have. This is what can keep you engaged for a long time.
Evernote
Platform: web, mobile (Android, iOS, Windows Phone), desktop (Windows, Mac)
Price: free (premium subscriptions available)
The Key Reason To Try It
You are in charge of your planning. Evernote is the closest thing you can get to carrying a notebook with you all the time. You can write down important information, add photos, web pages and other attachments to be reviewed later or shared. It is up to you to manage the structure and components of your planner. Are you into checklists? Create checklists for every segment of work you need to deal with. Do you prefer to prioritize your tasks? Manage several to-do lists of different priority levels.
1-3-5 List
Platform: web, mobile (Android, iOS), desktop (Window, Mac, Linux)
Price: free (premium subscription is available)
The Key Reason To Try It
Focus. 1-3-5 List is based on the idea that you need to concentrate on dealing with 1 big thing, 3 medium things and 5 small things daily in order to be both productive and alive by the end of your workday. Thus, if you are tired of making long to-do lists that you never seem to fully accomplish in a day, this app may turn out to be your getaway to focusing on what’s truly important.
Why DNA325 Chose Trello
We definitely recommend Trello. The extensive capabilities of this management tool allow using it not only for workflow organization but also as a diary, organizer or even an intracorporate forum. Trello is designed in full compliance with Kanban methodology and upon opening it, the user is immediately directed to a list of tasks (both current and upcoming). Such a view, in our opinion, allows assessing objectively the productivity of the company’s employees.
Summary
We are presented with thousands upon thousands of apps available in Google Play and App Store. It makes choosing a time planning app and sticking to it a lot harder, doesn’t it?
Do you end up downloading half a dozen time planning apps and not using any of them? If the answer is ‘yes’, here is a piece of advice. Do yourself a favor – download one planning app at a time. Switch to another one only after you are convinced that the one you are using doesn’t meet your needs and expectations.
You can set a trial period for trying out one app. It could be a week or two. During that trial period, analyze what you find helpful and (perhaps) life-saving, what features you lack, and what irritates you in this app.
Do not hesitate to try a new way of managing tasks if the one you are using doesn’t satisfy you. Good luck in your quest for becoming your most productive self, dear reader!
