February 1, 2023

Using Taskade as a second brain

We all have goals that we want to reach. We start out each new year with grand visions of what we will become and/or accomplish over the next 12 months, but the truth is that most New Year's resolutions fail by mid-January. How can you break that cycle?

• Establish SMART goals. Ones that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. For example, let's say we want to improve our health in 2023. Instead of simply stating the goal as "I want to be healthier", we could say, "I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 6 months." It is specific (10 pounds), measurable (by weighing ourselves), attainable (10 pounds in 6 months is doable), relevant (at least for many of us, losing 10 pounds would likely improve our health), and time-based (within the next 6 months).

• Identify your strategy for achieving the goal. Using the example from above, will you cut out chocolate (eek) or stop midnight snacking? Will you increase your exercise? Track what you eat? Any and all of above are quantifiable and trackable.

• Identify your method of tracking your progress. There are tons of useful tools out there, and depending on your needs and style, one of them is right for you. These are the same tools and software programs that enhance our productivity and organization, whether it's in the personal or professional arena. My favorites are Notion and Taskade. To compare and contrast:

  Notion is a powerful free resource and might be best if you need a free personal productivity tool, you need a tool that can be used to create a wiki and to build databases, and/or you need to publish content on the web. It has a web clipper so you can easily insert snippets that you see online. There are both free and paid versions of Notion, starting at $8 per user per month.

  Taskade is excellent for individuals whose primary use is task and project management and those who want to be able to work with calendars. Video calling and time-blocking features are also available on Taskade but not on Notion. There are free and paid versions of the program, but the free version is robust enough for one user. Paid versions are very affordable, starting at $5 per user per month.

When it comes down to it, there is no clear choice between these two options. Both are flexible and feature-rich, but Taskade may be the better choice for someone who is looking for simpler, more visual productivity tool with a lower learning curve, while Notion may be better for someone who wants to create a large database and wants tons of features.

So there we have it. No matter what your goals are, you can track them and measure your progress efficiently with a productivity tool like Notion or Taskade.