HERDING THOUGHT KITTENS

Now more than ever, I have a million work and non-work-related tasks, tidbits, and to-dos running around my little brain. It's often like herding tincey little thought kittens, and once I think I have herded all the little blighters, another pounces at my ankles, then another takes a swipe from a blindspot. Before I know it, I am being mauled by thought kittens. Nothing too serious, but they do have needly little teeth.

It's in these moments of feeling overcome that I start writing lists. But I have to write lists digitally.

I truly despise my handwriting, and whenever I write with a pen in an old notebook or claggy old Post-It note that has long lost its stickiness, I come out in a stress rash. Revisiting my old handwritten notes feels like Indiana Jones deciphering an ancient, long-forgotten script on parchment.

So, digital it is, and I want to offer a tip on some of my go-to tools to help me wade through the sea of rabid thought kittens and grab them by the scruff.

I'd also love to hear what other people use. Does Evernote still exist? I could google it, but... meh.

Remember OneNote by Microsoft? That always confused me. Plus, some absolute tool I used to work with swore by it, so I never gave it the time of day as a result. Take that, former colleague!

Anyway, my fave productivity tools are:

1. Workflowy
   Why? Makes bullet points fun again. My mind works in lists, so this is a natural fit. Free, easy to use, minimalist, with some subtle but powerful functions.
   "Lovely Stuff" - Not my words, Michael, the words of Shakin Stevens. Like Alan Partridge, this has stood the test of time for me.

2. Miro
   A newer one for me, introduced by a friend. Mind maps typically intimidate me, but I can see the potential of this. Gives Prezi vibes (remember that?). Allows for free-flowing thoughts while keeping everything aesthetically pleasing, so as to avoid stress rashes.

3. Smartsheet
   God, I love this one, still. Pretty pricey. Haven't used it for a while, but infinite applications. MS Project on 'roids, with so many other lovely bells and whistles. Great for all-encompassing projects with loads of stakeholders. Ideally, everyone needs to be on board for it to really work, but even if you're just getting your own stuff together, it's proper powerful.

4. Asana
   Cutesy, but a very good tool thanks to its ease of use, meaning colleagues and clients are more likely to adopt it. Its free plan is more than enough for most of what I do, offering more flexibility than Basecamp's free version. A great way to keep project stuff and large files out of the inbox and nicely organised.

5. Basecamp
   More grown-up than Asana, and in an ideal world, I'd use this more. Clients and colleagues don't naturally gel with it. For some reason, they warm more to Asana, possibly because it has unicorn animations and party poppers when you mark a task as completed.

6. Google Keep
   One of the unsexier note apps out there, but since I let Google into every crevice of my life, it may as well organise my shopping lists, passport scans, and various important bits securely. The obvious integration with Google Tasks and Calendar is a win-win.

7. WhatsApp
   The "message myself" option on WhatsApp is perhaps the best way I can take an emergency note or catch one of those runaway thought kittens before it jumps out the window. No way to organise them, but as long as you capture the note and deal with it later, you've pinned it down. You can come back to it and place it properly in one of the apps above or just keep it in your head.
   The WhatsApp desktop client is invaluable, allowing easy and secure transfer of files and text across devices. You can also leave yourself a voice note, like Alan Partridge and his dictaphone. Monkey Tennis?

8. Sublime Text
   Years ago, I used to geek out about NotePad++ on my Windows laptop. Sublime Text on Mac is free and just gorgeous to use.

9. NordVPN
   The fastest and most reliable VPN I have used—secure and easy to operate. Great for testing links and UX anonymously from different countries. Disclaimer, if you follow the link above and sign up, you get 3 months free VPN, and so do I. No presh.

10. Bitwarden
    A free and excellent open-source password manager. Used to use Dashlane, but this one just feels better and more intuitive than Google's password manager.

So there you have it. The top 10 list you didn't ask for. But if just one person, one day tries one of these tools and it saves them from just one stress rash brought on by a mauling of thought kittens, then this hasn’t been worth my time writing this.

Seriously, let me know what tools you use, if any. Or let me know if I can help you get organised. I can help suggest the best free tools for you or introduce them to you on our next project together. Too presumptuous?