Holistic Productivity™ Resources

Holistic Productivity is at the heart of the Productivity and Self Management course. Visit the Holistic Productivity website to learn more about this approach.

Getting Things Done® (GTD®) Resources

You’ll find details of books, articles and video on the Getting Things Done (GTD) Resources page. This page is updated periodically as updated content becomes available.

Apps & Services

1Password (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android) | agilebits.com
With so much of our information and services on the Internet, security is more important than ever. 1Password provides a secure repository for all of your online passwords that can be securely shared between your computers and devices. It will also generate secure, random passwords that will never be guessed and helps avoid the temptation of using the same password on multiple services.

Asana (Web, iOS, Android) | asana.com
Asana is a cloud-based task a project management solution. You can create multiple workspaces representing different areas of your life. For example you could have a “Personal” workspace for all your personal projects and a “Business” workspace for projects specific to your business. Asana is designed for collaboration, you can join other people’s workspaces and projects and can give selected people access to your own projects and workspaces.

Day One (Mac, iOS) | dayoneapp.com
Day One is a beautifully crafted journalling app, with versions available for iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Mac. Journal entries can automatically be enhanced with “meta data” such as the location and weather and selected entries can optionally be shared with others.

DEVONthink (Mac) | devontechnologies.com
DevonThink is popular among people who have a lot of research material to manage, including professors and lawyers. What sets it apart is its intelligent search algorithms.

Evernote (Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android, Blackberry) | evernote.com
The Evernote software and service is sometimes referred to as “your external brain”. It’s a place to store all kinds of information that might otherwise go missing. You can add and access this information from any modern web browser, using applications for Macintosh® and Windows and from many mobile devices, including those running Andrio and iOS. The basic service is free and a very capable solution and there’s are paid Plus, Premium and Business options that offer enhanced features and storage.

MindNode (Mac, iOS) | mindnode.com
MindNode is a mind mapping app for Mac and iOS that is easy to learn, but can handle complex mind maps. The uncluttered interface puts the focus on the content and mind maps can be synced between Mac and iOS devices using iCloud.

OmniFocus (Mac, iOS) | omnigroup.com
OmniFocus was created by a team of productivity experts and is one of the most powerful tools for implementing GTD. It’s a personal task manager designed to handle complex workflows.

OmniOutliner (Mac, iOS) | omnigroup.com
OmniOutliner is the premiere outlining tool for Mac and iOS. It’s highly flexible, both in terms of functionality and aesthetic control and is compatible with industry standard, including OPML.

RescueTime (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android) | rescuetime.com
RescueTime runs in the background on your computer or mobile device (Android) and tracks how your spend your time. There are both free and paid memberships available.

Sanebox (Web-based) | sanebox.com
As the name implies, Sanebox is designed to help keep your email inbox manageable. The most important email ends up in the Inbox and the rest of the email is automatically sorted into a @SaneLater folder. Other features include the ability to Bcc, for example, oneweek@sanebox.com to outgoing messages and have SaneBox notify you if there hasn’t been a reply within a week.

Timing (Mac) | timingapp.com
Timing collects data as you work on your Mac and provided detailed information on how you spend your time. For example, it can tell you how much time you spend in specific apps, on specific websites, and even how much time you spend working on specific documents. The nice thing about Timing is that all of the tracking happens automatically; there’s no need to manually start and stop timers.

Scrivner (Mac, Windows) | literatureandlatte.com
Scrivner is designed for long-form writing projects, such as books and research papers. It can hold research material and can be used to outline the written content using a familiar cue card metaphor.

TextExpander (Mac, iOS, Windows) | smilesoftware.com
Using TextExpander you can define snippets that expand into words, sentences or even paragraphs of text. Advanced functionality includes the ability to prompt for input and to automatically insert, for example, the clipboard contents or the current date.

Todoist (Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android) | todoist.com
Todoist is a popular cloud-based to-do list manager. There are clients for most major platforms, making it easy to access your tasks and projects from whatever device tends to be close by.

Toggl (Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android) | toggl.com
Toggle provides one-click time tracking on Mac, Windows, Web and mobile devices (iOS and Android). It’s a convenient way to keeping track of how you’re spending your time and for time-based billing.

Trello (Web) | trello.com
Trello is a cloud-based project management tool that distinguishes itself by being very visual in nature. Trello boards are analogous to a white board (but without constraints on size). These boards can be divided into lists (columns) and these lists contains cards. Think of cards as Post-it Notes that can be moved between lists as work progresses and ideas develop. The front of the card contains the title and can optionally include a photo and summary information. Details, including a description, discussions and attached files, are revealed by clicking on the card.

Books

Books by David Allen — You’ll find books by David Allen on the Getting Things Done (GTD) Resources page.

Atomic Habits by James Clear
Written by one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, James Clear provides a practical framework for cultivating constructive habits and for dissolving those that are counterproductive. He also goes into depth on the distinction between habits and goals. In a nutshell, while goals are useful for establishing direction, habits ultimately define success.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

The Checklist Manfesto by Atul Gawande
This is an outstanding book written by Atul Gawande, who’s a surgeon based in the Boston area. He talks about how useful, and even transformational checklists can be in any industry, using specific examples from the medical, construction and aviation industries to help support his claims.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

Deep Work by Cal Newport
Cal Newport describes deep work as “the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.” This excellent book emphasizes the importance of creating habits around deep work (especially given the distracted, hyper-connected world we live in) and provides practical advise for honing this highly productive skill.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Modern technology has the potential to bring tangible benefits to all areas of life. Though if used inappropriately, it can be a major source of distraction and anxiety. Cal Newport takes an in-depth look at the impacts of technology with a strong focus on social media and the tactics that are employed to steal our time and attention. Through practical exercises, this book guides the reader towards a productive use of technology that encourages the human interactions we inherently need to be happy and fulfilled in life and work.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
If you every find yourself in a place of overwhelm in any area of your life, take solace in the pages of Essentialism. This book provides a thoughtful strategy for engaging with those things that are most "essential" and practical ways to say "no" to the rest.
[website]

Now Habit, The by Neil Fiore
Written by psychologist Neil Fiore, Ph.D., The Now Habit dives deeply into the roots of procrastination and provides practical tips on how to rise above these patterns. This book was a source of inspiration for the It’s About Time™ workshop.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

Paperless, by David Sparks (iPad)
This is a very useful resources if you’re interested in adopting a more paperless lifestyle and use Mac® and iOS® technology. Author, David Sparks (aka MacSparky) provides a wealth of practical advise in an interactive format that caters to both novice and experienced users.
[iBookstore]

Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Ronney Doland
A great resource with practical and proactive tips for creating an clutter-free home and work environment.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working by Tony Schwartz
Lots of relevant and practical information for being effective in these modern times. Challenge the productivity myths that pervade our culture and provides concrete advise for balancing and energizing your life. This book was formerly called Be Excellent at Anything.
[Amazon.ca] [iBookstore]

Productivity Websites/Blogs

Unclutterer | unclutterer.com
In their own words: “Unclutterer is the blog about getting and staying organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place is our gospel.”

Zen Habits | zenhabits.net
A very popular blog published by Leo Babauta, the author of The Power of Less and Focus. Leo is originally from Guam and now lives in San Francisco with his wife and six kids. He and his guest authors have some insightful and practical advise for bringing simplicity to our modern and sometimes frantic lives.