Top time management apps for planning a busy week
I have a habit of planning my week on Sunday evening. Call me overambitious, but I use every waking hour of the week. That’s how busy life can get as an editor who’s striving to reclaim some personal time.
On Monday, I tackled my schedule with discipline. But often, by Tuesday, everything begins to fall apart. An urgent meeting that I had no choice to attend, coupled with delays in content workflow, would put me into panic mode.
Often, I had to frantically rearrange my time slots, only to find there was barely any leeway available.
The issue isn’t time management, but tools that fit my workflow
If you’re like me, who would rather fill up their schedule than idle away, you know that typical time management tools only solve part of the problem.
I wanted an app that lets me prioritize my tasks, easily time-block so I’m not distracted, and still don’t lose sight of my monthly to-dos.
So, I spent several weeks testing different apps to see which works. Below is how they fare.
Apple Calendar — Great for basic scheduling
I’ve been using Apple Calendar before subscribing to any time management apps. It runs natively on my Mac, and it’s free.
Why I use it
It lets me schedule reminders or events and reschedule them easily. For example, I can drag a schedule I’ve set on Monday to Tuesday, and the calendar automatically syncs across my devices.
Fits my content workflow?
Not really. I can’t prioritize schedules I set in the calendar. Additionally, it has limited space to note my thoughts, which, for me, is a major letdown.
NotePlan — Turns notes into scheduled tasks
NotePlan combines a notebook and a calendar into a scheduler that editors like me love. Personally, NotePlan is one of the top time management apps I’ve tried that lets me schedule my time on the go.
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Why I use it
Once installed, I can literally dump my thoughts in the notes. But what caught my attention is that I’m able to schedule important tasks on the calendar.
All I need to do is add a date to the task, and the app automatically maps it to my calendar. Or I could drag a specific task into a time slot on the calendar to block it.
Fits my content workflow?
Absolutely. Scheduling aside, NotePlan lets me organize my thoughts with various templates, fonts, and formats. For example, I can add a screenshot of an interesting app I’ve tried to the note and list the pros and cons in a table.
Structured — Love the minimalist design
Structured markets itself is a daily planner for ADHD, and strangely, I felt calmer when trying the app. I like how colorful and minimalist Structured is.
Why I use it
It takes only a couple of steps to add a schedule to the calendar. While most time management apps help you list the events you’ve scheduled, Structured shows unallocated time I can make full use of.
Even 5 minutes, time-blocked for a screen-off, can be a game-changer when I’ve been on-screen for hours.
Fit my content workflow?
Partially. While I’ll never miss an important meeting scheduled (with the brightly colored icons), I wish it would let me take notes as easily as NotePlan does.
My thoughts on the best apps for time management
I’ll be quick about this.
- If you manage time up to the minute and note-taking is a priority, use NotePlan.
- If you want a minimalist planner that keeps you focused, try Structured.
- For basic scheduling, Apple Calendar is a good tool to start.
How do you manage your schedule so you don’t get overwhelmed? Have you tried any of the tools I mentioned? Share your thoughts with me below.
