2025 Productivity Tools

As we get started on a brand new year, it’s only natural to think about getting organized with your personal (and professional!) goals. As daunting as it can be, it’s always a great feeling to get organized yet challenging to know where to start. As someone who is self-employed, each day I sit down to my desk with a challenge of where to start. Having a backbone of organization, time management, and scheduling tools in place helps me stay focused. I’m happy to share my “short list” of tools that help me stay on track. I hope that some of these tools can be helpful to you, too! As always, be sure to familiarize yourself with each app’s privacy features and settings prior to utilizing these systems. You can check out an awesome Substack for great tips on buttoning down app privacy as you think about productivity and organization for 2025.

Photo by mali maeder

Notion

For as much as I rave about Notion, I should consider a role in sales or account management for this software product—I simply love this tool! At its heart, Notion is a database. However with a clean interface, simplistic usability, and ease of organizational abilities, Notion is a one-stop application for storing and tracking both professional and personal goals and accomplishments. As one of the most important tools that I use each day, I appreciate the quick uploads and storage of PDFs, .jpgs, and files so I can easily store (and find!) important documents or build out case studies all in one place. Notion provides me a place to think—to try out new content ideas, build a coaching curriculum, and also organize family vacations. Talk about a win-win-win! Drive-type storage systems such as Google or One Note are useful, but Notion allows for everything to be in one place complete with hyperlinks, pages, and other easy methods of visualizing storage, tracking, and document mangement.

Cost: Free for personal use.

Calendly (or zcal)

Whether you’re in a job search, starting to reconnect with your network, or simply wanting to take the pain out of meeting scheduling, online appointment apps such as Calendly or zcal are great tools. Sending over a quick, personalized link to your own calendar simplifies the painful process of “checking availability,” allowing for quicker and more reliable meeting scheduling. Sharing your own personal calendar link is always a nice, professional touch too! I’ve used both zcal and Calendly throughout the past five years and both tools are very easy to use and integrate well across Gmail, Zoom, Teams, and Outlook.

Cost: Free for personal use. Calendly: (free) one event type with unlimited meetings, costs begin at $10/month for unlimited meeting types and additional features. zcal: (free) for one or unlimited accounts.

Clockify

As a freelance consultant, keeping track of my time is critical. Understanding how you use your time and having an easy way to snapshot where you’re spending your time most is key to boosting your productivity. Clockify’s time tracking can help you stay on track whether you’re in a job search, working in a role and wanting to better use and track your time, or looking to easily invoice clients as a freelancer or business owner.

I love being able to quickly create invoices (for free!) using Clockify’s simple reporting functions and my clients love gaining an understanding of how much of my recruiting work is bucketed into specific categories…this not only helps me forecast but also shows clients where time is spent across the hiring process. Clockify allows you to track your time with simple start/stop buttons, provides detailed reporting, and billable hours tracking. Time reports are easily downloadable, allowing you to quickly share with your clients or attach to an invoice that you can design in a program like Canva.

Cost: Free!

Tools Are Great But…

Apps and software are incredible for tracking our activities, but it's equally important to consider how the work we're tracking aligns with our personal well-being.

Focusing on productivity in a toxic or negative environment can undermine the positive start we aim for in the New Year. Moments like employment gaps, slow contract engagements, or projects that progress slower than expected can serve as opportunities to reflect on how our work—whether current or prospective—impacts our physical and mental health.

I hope this list of tools helps minimize distractions and encourages reflection on your achievements over the past year, while also opening up possibilities for 2025. I'm always here to discuss tools or brainstorm ideas for a clear path forward. Feel free to reach out!