Ep. 56: Habit Tune-Up: Escaping Academic Twitter, Time Blocking During Vacation, and Making Time for Big Projects

Tool Comparison

Cal Newport shares his insights on using Workflowy and Trello for task management. He uses Workflowy for non-professional tasks, leveraging its hashtag feature for weekly prioritization, while Trello is reserved for professional roles due to its card-based system that allows for detailed task information sharing 1 2. Cal appreciates Trello's ability to share boards with colleagues, which he finds beneficial for collaborative projects 1.

I got in the habit of using Trello... because it was easy for me to share my board with other people.

--- Cal Newport

Both tools have their strengths, and Cal suggests choosing based on personal preference and project needs.

   

Task Management

Cal discusses methods for prioritizing tasks using productivity tools like Workflowy and Trello. He highlights the importance of creating different views of tasks to manage various roles and projects effectively 3. Workflowy's hashtag feature allows users to filter tasks by urgency or context, providing a streamlined approach to task management 3.

You can add hashtags to any task you want... and then if you click on one of those tags, it will automatically show you just the entries that have that hashtag.

--- Cal Newport

Cal also emphasizes the need for seasonal adjustments in productivity systems, suggesting a more relaxed approach during less busy periods 4.