If your new year’s resolution for 2025 is to be more productive, then you’ve come to the right place. We know how important it is to be productive so that you can manage your personal and professional life with ease. But the secret to productivity isn’t about working harder or sacrificing sleep, it’s about having the right tools on hand to help you do your work.
If you’re relying on your memory and good intentions to stay productive, then you’re not going about your work in the best way. We’re all just human beings, after all, and we are susceptible to distraction, procrastination, and forgetfulness. That’s why you need productivity tools to help you define your tasks, priorities, and upcoming deadlines so that you can stay organized and on top of it all.
The benefits of productivity tools
Here are just some of the ways that productivity tools can help you achieve success.
Manage your time better. If you struggle with procrastination, productivity tools like a daily planner or a to-do list can help you schedule your day better and manage your time much more effectively.
Know what to prioritize. Being productive means knowing the difference between what’s important and what’s not important. A productivity tool helps you clarify your priorities and stay on top of them.
Keep your eye on your goals. It’s easy to forget about your goals unless you put them at the forefront of your mind. A productivity tool will help you remember to check in on your goals and maintain progress.
Be more organized. Trying to remember all of your work deadlines, appointments, and social obligations is no easy task. Don’t rely on your memory alone to keep track of it all. Instead, use productivity tools to help you manage all the details and stay organized.
Be more efficient. Productivity tools can help you strategize and plan your days, so that you can use your time and energy more wisely.
As you can see, having good productivity tools by your side is key to tackling your work with confidence. Below are our recommendations for the must-have productivity tools for 2025.
Paper Planner
If there’s one must-have productivity tool that you want in your arsenal it’s a paper planner. A planner is a multi-functional productivity tool that helps you manage all the various aspects of your life. It helps you see the big picture view of your life, with a yearly and monthly calendar, and it helps you see the micro view of your days with a weekly and daily schedule, along with space to write down your tasks, deadlines, appointments, etc.
Moreover, a paper planner is a space to write down your yearly goals and keep track of them throughout the year. It truly is an all-in-one productivity tool that helps you attend to the practical parts of your day while also helping you achieve your big dreams and goals.
Productivity Notepad or Deskpad
The simple but mighty notepad is another must-have productivity tool for 2025. Let’s say you have a busy week ahead full of errands, work deadlines, meetings–and let’s not forget, you also have to pick up the kids from school and get dinner on the table. How do you know what to do first? And in what order?
A notepad like our Game Plan Deskpad helps you strategize. You identify your priorities and areas of your life/work that you need to focus on. And you have space to write down reminders and things you have to do. You can use the deskpad to write down your grocery lists, appointment reminders, and other notes. It’s a great framework to use to help you organize and structure your days like a pro.
Dashboard Deskpad
If you’re a freelancer, small business owner, or someone who works on a lot of projects, a must-have productivity tool is the Dashboard Deskpad.
Projects have so many moving parts. For example, if you’re a freelancer, then you have to keep track of all your clients and their various needs and deadlines. And you also have to be on top of things like marketing your services and managing your finances. A productivity tool like the Dashboard Deskpad help you see all of your projects in one singular view. You view all your tasks and next steps, and figure out which work stream to tackle next. The Dashboard Deskpad has special features like:
- Weekly Theme and Highlights for at-a-glance planning
- Top 3 Priorities for the week
- 6 Focus Areas to segment and list tasks for goals, projects, or clients
- Daily Tracker for habit-tracking and routine-tracking
You can also use the Dashboard Deskpad to manage big personal projects like a cross country move or a family vacation or a birthday party.
Bullet Journal
A bullet journal is a must-have productivity tool for freelancers, creative professionals, and anyone who wants to monitor their goals and habits.
With its dot grid design, a bullet journal lends itself to all kinds of personalized layouts. You can use a bullet journal to create a fitness tracker and record your reps, time, speed, etc. You can create a book log and keep track of the books you’ve read. You can also use a bullet journal to brainstorm and help you come with ideas or solutions to problems.
A bullet journal is an all-in-one productivity tool that helps you stay organized and accountable to your goals. Pair it with colorful pens and highlighters to visually organize your work and data.
Timer
If you’re trying to combat procrastination, then a timer is an essential tool that will help you stay productive.
It’s so easy to dilly dally on tasks. Whether it’s tidying our room or writing a draft of a report, we’ll find an excuse to go on our phones and waste precious time. A timer gives you the urgency you need to buckle down and finish your task. When you know you only have 15 or 20 minutes to spare, then you get focused, fast.
Use a timer to help you do productivity sprints. Set it for 15 minutes and then do your task as quickly as you can.
Written by JiJi Lee