How App Switching Kills Your Productivity
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There are many stories about apps; which is the best, which should you use etc etc
Ultimately, there is no ‘perfect’ app.
What works for you may not work for me.
What I like about an app may not be to your taste or needs.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t write about them, and certainly, over the years, I’ve found some great apps that I might not have know about.
You’re Killing It However, one of the biggest productivity killers is app switching.
You have that feeling of FOMO; the fear of missing out!
What does this shiny app do? Do I need it?
Switching apps, in the short term, is detrimental to your own productivity.
Downloading, installing and setting up a new app takes time. This is time you could be spending doing your work.
Of course, there could be genuine reasons for changing apps, but on the whole, unless you’re not getting what you need, then don’t swap.
It follows the adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
My Personal Experience I have been guilty of this, primarily around task manager.
As a long-time user of Todoist, I was sucked into the conversations and reviews about Things3. Then TickTick.
I really enjoyed Todoist; I still think it’s great, but I was looking to reduce subscription costs! Don’t ask me why I then moved to Things3, which has a one-off cost, and then to TickTick; which I tried first but is still a subscription.
Whilst they are both great apps, in their own right, in each case I couldn’t make them work for me.
Things3 is a beautiful app. TickTick is bursting with functionality.
Neither of those attributes were for me!
All this really meant is that I had to spend time recreating my workflow and learn a new system each time.
Apple Reminders
The simplest solution is usually always the best.
I’ve ended up with Apple Reminders. It’s free, and it does exactly what I need.
I know I’ll look around again, but right now I am conscious that I need to work and not be swayed by the next shiny thing.
Do you find yourself switching apps; hoping for the utopia of a perfect app?
Originally published on Medium