For being more productive in our every day, we use tools and hacks to structure, manage and get order into our lives. Here are some that I use day to day or cannot live without and I would love to hear about yours, as I am always open to discover new tools. :)

Evernote - I use Evernote for long-form typing and really appreciate its easy, mobile and clean design. I pretty much use it every day for reflection and journal writing.

Moleskine/Notes - I used to rely heavily on Wunderlist for to dos, but ever since it got bought by Microsoft I reverted back to good old Moleskine notebook for jotting down to dos and notes. I also use Notes on my iPhone for to dos.

Whereby - This is by far the easiest and most intuitive video conferencing tool I have come across. No dial-ins, no downloads, no hiccups. You have a virtual room, and you share the link with the other party. That’s it - great for remote work.

Google Photos - I like the powerful image-recognition feature to search text-to-image. Best way to find “passports”, “presentation”, “love” - try it :)

WhatsApp and WeChat - I use both a lot for work, and I find communication with colleagues, clients and others much more efficient than e-mail or slack, because they are typically more responsive on chat.

More importantly, I have started to use voice messages as a way to convey complicated things much more efficiently - and you get to hear more contextual information such as tone and mood in a voice message.

Ironically, I have turned off my WhatsApp and WeChat notification in order to NOT check my messages all the time and stay focused. I allocate 30 minutes in my day to swift through all my messages and text.

Google Drive - I don’t like it. I unfortunately have to use it every day. I appreciate the team/sharing function, but I really dislike the interface and I also don’t like that I never know about recent file changes. Any other tools or tips, ladies?

Playing chess - Last, the one productivity “tool” that I have really enjoyed in the last few weeks is playing chess online during my cab rides. I’ve noticed that I started using a “chess mindset” at work too, trying to sense what my opposite will do three steps ahead.