9 Tools to help you master your planning

In my previous posts about planning I’ve already mentioned some tools that can be used for planning.

Here is an overview of tools I use mostly:

1. Trello

I use it mainly for my weekly planning but it can be used for many things. You can use it to create a roadmap to your endgoal, track progress on your tasks and so on.

The upside of Trello is that it is flexible, the downside is that you have to create each board yourself before you can use it.

There is a way to start from an existing template. For instance, to get a weekly planning board, go to this template. Then click on ‘Menu‘, choose ‘…More‘ and then ‘Copy Board‘.

You can find more Trello templates at Inspiring Boards.

2. Things

I’ve been using Things for ages. It is a great todo manager for Mac and iOS.

Things has some more advanced capabilities, like grouping tasks in Lists and grouping lists in Areas of Interest.

I also like its sleek design.

3. Freemind

I use Freemind for mind mapping. It’s free and runs on many platforms. It works and it’s free. What more do you need?

If you prefer a web tool there is Wisemapping and plenty of other mind mapping tools online.

4. Way Of Life

WayOfLife is an app for habit tracking. I’ve been trying it out for a while now.

It’s mostly focussed on daily habits.

5. Evernote

One of my favourite tools. I use it for everything. Right now I’m writing a draft for this post in Evernote.

I use the webclipper to quickly copy interesting articles.

Evernote is also great for sharing notebooks with friends to organize vacations or exchange ideas.

Another way I use Evernote is by forwarding all incoming invoices by email to my Evernote email address to keep them all in a dedicated notebook.

My To Read list in my Books section is based on an Evernote notebook.

If you want to know more about Evernote, check the website or get the Essentials Guide.

6. Drafts

Drafts is an iOS app that I use for creating quick notes on my iPhone. Drafts has a lot of build in plugins to store your notes in different systems, such as Evernote, email, Reminders, Calendar and many more.

7. The 5 minute journal

I use 5 minute journal for daily journaling.

What is great about the 5 minute journal is that is not just a journal. It is structured in a way to help you focus on positive experiences.

The 5 minute journal offers inspiration, a moment of reflection, focus on your most important tasks and affirmations. And all on just a single page!

This journal helped my to be more positive in life. Even before my morning coffee!

8. Notebook

Sometimes the best tool is plain old pen and paper. I keep a Moleskin notebook in my jacket pocket just in case. When meeting someone, it feels less impersonal to write something down in a little notebook compared to typing it in your phone. And there are less distractions.

I use the Evernote version of Moleskin notebook allowing me to scan notes directly into evernote using my iPhone camera.

9. Calendar

Planning also means milestones and deadlines.

I mostly use the Calendar and Reminders app on my iPhone.

I tried alternative calendar apps like Sunrise but they couldn’t really convince me so far.

Wrap-up

These are 9 tools I use daily. Do you have other favourites or did I miss any?

Let me know and leave a comment!