Todoist has been my task manager for some time, and one of the features it offers is the ability to flag tasks as needed. I have avoided using priorities until recently, but I finally figured out how I wanted to use them and have started to add them to my Todoist workflow. One of the key points about using them is that I’ve made a point of using them sparingly, as Gregory McKeown suggests in his book Essentialism.
“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years.” – Gregory McKeown, Essentialism*
- . Collaborate on projects by assigning tasks to others. Prioritize your tasks with priority levels. Track your progress with personalized productivity trends. With access to 60+ app integrations like Google Drive, Dropbox, Zapier, Evernote, and Slack, Todoist will quickly become your hub for getting work and life organized.
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- Pomodoro is an effective productivity technique that will show you where your time goes. For instance, a task that you guess might take two pomodoros (2, 25 work minute sessions) may actually take you four pomodoro (4, 25 minute work sessions). You can then use that knowledge to make more accurate estimates in the future.
- The right productivity method can make a huge difference in your work. A friction-less workflow can take you from feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, and unproductive to feeling calm, in control, and prepared to take on even the biggest projects. The good news is, there are new methods being developed, tweaked, and shared all the time.
Evernote connects with the productivity tools you already use, so you can work your way. Learn more → Document scanning. Back up important documents to all your devices, and keep the information—not the clutter. Learn more → Web Clipper. Save web pages (without the ads) and mark them up with arrows, highlights, and text to.
Prioritization has gotten out of hand over the years, and the addition of three different levels of priority flags in Todoist could very well add to the problem rather than help get prioritization back under control. For those unfamiliar, here are the types of priority flags in Todoist:
- Red: Priority 1 or P1
- Blue: Priority 2 or P2
- Light Blue: Priority 3 or P3
Todoist Productivity Tips
You could argue that there is a fourth type – an item that is unflagged – but I don’t believe the clear flag is a flag at all. Instead, it’s more of a signifier that the level of priority is non-existent for that task. (To be fair, all tasks have some form of priority, but that’s a topic for another article.)
The great thing that Todoist has done is not endow any of these priority flags with any sort of predetermined meaning other than level of importance. For example, Priority 1 could mean “due today” or “due over the next three days” while Priority 2 could mean “due this week.” It’s all very subjective, which makes the tool all the more personal. That said, if you are sharing projects with others then it’s crucial that everyone be on the same page in terms of defining what each priority flag means for the team.
In my mind, less is more when it comes to using these flags. That’s why I pair up priority flags with Labels and using them in Filters. But I only use these types of Filters for highly important tasks, not urgent ones. For example, I have a label called “@writing” and what I’ve done is created a filter that allows me to be very proactive with my writing tasks. Here’s the search term:
P1 & @writing & 30 days
I also have another filter that removes the priority flag from the equation, but what the above filter does is push the really important writing to the forefront.
I’ve done the same with any sort of administrative tasks that need to be done, as I’ve got an “@admin” label as well. If anything else, the priority flag takes the place of my high energy and low energy labels in these cases, acting as a trigger that trumps energy levels altogether. As a result, when something is flagged as top priority, it gets attention because it is associated with my main work (writing) and I use the flags sparingly enough that I can’t help but take notice.
I have started to use the second priority flag as well, flagging tasks that I want to ensure I keep tabs on and yet don’t have due dates associated with them as of yet. The difference in flag colour is what matters more in this use case than how Todoist treats the flags themselves (red flags are always at the top of any project or filter view in Todoist, only trumped by any task that has a time of day attached to it). Once I assign a date to a task that has a P2 flag, the flag gets removed because the task will show up in a filtered view at that point and that negates the need for the flag. Flagging with that second tier flag also ensures that when I conduct a weekly review that those tasks stand out more, and they need to because with no date assigned to them they can get lost in the weeds.
The key to using priority flags (or flags of any sort) is that if you use too many of them then they lose their power. If you are intentional with their uses, consistent with their uses, and ruthless with their uses, you’ll be able to give the tasks they are associated with the attention that they deserve – and when they deserve them.
I’d love to hear how you’re using flags like this, whether in Todoist or not. Share them in the comments below.
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- Todoist
- Photoshop Express Photo Editor
- Homesnap Pro
- OneDrive
- 1Password
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps For 2021
One thing that all dedicated real estate agents have in common is that they’re always on the move. They’re running from office trainings to client meetings to listing presentations to open houses—fielding calls, texts and emails on their smartphone along the way. This little pocket computer is essentially a mobile office, but it obviously has the capability to do much more than standard call and email communications. Apps, of course, are what unlock that potential.
Below are the five the best real estate apps on the market. Not all of these are geared purely toward agents, but that doesn’t stop them from being excellent tools for the job. Make your work life easier by downloading and becoming acquainted with these apps.
Increase Productivity
Todoist
This task management app has all the usual features you’d expect: organize tasks and projects; apply labels and filters; and set reminders, priority level and due dates. You can also add other people to projects you create so they can see the details, comment, share files and more. One of Todoist’s best features is its integration capabilities with other apps. You can sync your Todoist account with the tools you use every day, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Chrome, Zapier, Alexa, Slack and more.
Productivity apps are really only useful if they sync to all your devices, and Todoist does just that. Besides the smartphone apps, you can download Todoist to your desktop, add it as a browser extension, enable it as an email plugin and add it to your smart watch.
Cost: free; subscription upgrade options available
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Get it for Android or IOS
Edit Photos
Photoshop Express Photo Editor
Photography pros use Adobe Lightroom, but real estate agents don’t need all the bells and whistles to make listing or ad photos look great (not to mention learning how to use all the bells and whistles). Photoshop Express is a lighter version that has all the crucial tools you need to make your real estate photos look fantastic—and without the learning curve.
This app allows you to do all the usual quick fixes, like cropping, straightening, rotating and auto-adjustments for contrast and exposure enhancements. You can also dig deeper with filters and color effects that help make your photos look sharp and eye-catching. Best of all, Photoshop Express has tools to create collages and add text, logos, watermarks, borders and more to any image.
Cost: free; subscription upgrade options available
Get it for Android or IOS
Made for Real Estate Agents
Homesnap Pro
Productivity To Do List
For the best real estate app, look no further than Homesnap Pro. Direct integration with more than 200 MLSs across the country means that you can rely on this app to have real-time, comprehensive, agent-only MLS data, including price history, showing instructions, commission splits, property summary, recent sales, comps, school districts and property lines. Homesnap Pro goes further than the MLS and incorporates third-party data to surface listing details that agents otherwise wouldn’t have access to, such as historical deed, mortgage, and tax records.
Homesnap Pro has a variety of productivity and engagement tools, all available from the app or on a desktop browser. Agents can also share a branded version of the app with clients to collaborate on their home search and ensure that clients aren’t poached by third-party advertisers.
There are a few paid features in the app, such as the ability to launch multi-channel ad campaigns that are fully managed by the Homesnap team. The Pro+ subscription version sets agents up with a Google business profile, custom website, advanced prospecting tools and more.
Cost: free; subscription upgrade available
Get it for Android or IOS
Cloud Storage
OneDrive
There are numerous providers offering cloud storage, so the question you need to ask when deciding which is right for you is what differentiates each from their competition. Microsoft’s OneDrive is an excellent solution for a range of reasons, but its most notable features are included in the paid version: Microsoft 365.
With a personal Microsoft 365 account, you get 1 TB of cloud storage and access to OneDrive, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote and Skype on all your devices. You can easily view and share files, documents, videos, photos, and floor plans from the OneDrive app, including any you upload while you’re out and about with a client. OneDrive auto-syncs photos from your phone, so you can quickly upload listing photos to the cloud just by launching the app, and then download them on your desktop to publish on the MLS. The Word app also has a speech-to-text feature so you can dictate notes, and the file will save directly to your OneDrive cloud.
Cost: free; subscription upgrade options available
Get it for Android or IOS
Password Organization
1Password
Life would be easy if we could just use the same password for every program, but then life wouldn’t be very secure. With so many passwords to juggle, it’s a wonder how anyone remembers them all. Worse, if you’re saving them to a note on your phone, it’s probably not secure. A password manager is not just a great tool for work, it’s a great tool for your personal life as well.
Think of 1Password like a single sign on (SSO) program. Once you input all login information for the programs you use, you just need to remember the password for your 1Password account. Inside the app, you simply tap the account you want to log into and 1Password will launch the program instantly (whether it’s an app or website) and auto-fill your login details. 1Password is able to store logins, lockbox combinations, credit cards, addresses, notes, bank accounts, driver’s licenses, passports, and more.
Cost: starting at $2.99/mo with a free 30-day trial
Get it for Android or IOS