There are a million ways to be more productive, but having the right tools is essential.
You can wake up early, break your work into more manageable tasks, or keep a timer, but to be truly productive, a simple and effective notepad might make all the difference.
First, let’s talk about physical notepads versus your many digital options.
Living in a digital world full of Zoom calls and emails means it’s easy to open up a shared document or write a few notes on a blank desktop notepad. But researchers believe that putting pen to paper is still the best way to retain and organize information.
We often hear about this type of research as it relates to students taking notes. Students who type notes are more likely to write everything down their instructor says because they’re able to take notes quickly, but students who hand-write their notes must make sense of the material while they’re writing it out. That makes for better learning.
The same can go for meetings, weekly, or daily planning, and goal-focused notes.
There is just something about paper, especially when that paper can give you a focused structure for accomplishing your most important tasks.
Below are some of the best notepads to help you be focused and productive. These notepads will keep you thinking about the big picture, while grounding you in the present moment with everything you need.
For Me/For You Notepad
Working in a team isn’t always easy, but you can make it a bit simpler and more organized with the Ink+Volt For Me/For You Notepad.
When working in a team, it's easy to get confused about who's responsible for what, and tasks can fall through the cracks. This notepad makes collaboration seamless.
For Me/For You makes it simple to assign tasks so that at the end of a meeting you and your teammate can walk away knowing exactly what to do/plan/buy next.
To get the most out of this notepad, add deadlines and notes to each action item. Then, schedule a follow up to discuss outcomes and the next steps in the plan.
This notepad is great for managers, team leads, or anybody who is trying to keep track of multiple tasks assigned to multiple people. It can also be useful for teammates working on different elements of a project to make sure every detail gets covered.
Weekly Deskpad
How is your week looking?
If you’re not quite sure yet, you need a notepad equipped to handle all of the complexities a week can throw at you. From dinner meetups to big project deadlines and all of the little things you want to accomplish in between, it’s great to have a notepad that neatly fits it all.
The Ink+Volt Weekly Deskpad helps track weekly events, plus goals, habits, and the tasks you need to put off for a later date.
Use this desk pad in conjunction with a daily planning pad or task pad to elevate your productivity. It’s a great addition to a desk so you can see your week at a glance and make notes accordingly. If you’ve been succumbing to the sticky note spiral, this notepad is ideal for cleaning things up and making every week more streamlined.
Priority Notepad
Some days are busier than others, and some days it’s almost impossible to know what’s first on the priority list. First, take a deep breath! Next, reach for a notepad that does it all.
That’s where the Priority Pad comes to the rescue.
It has everything you need to get you on the path to productivity, all in one place. From big goals to important tasks and last-minute favors that pop up, this notepad is the ultimate go-to for productivity, especially for people who need a flexible, intuitive daily planning system.
Instead of notes on scraps of paper, this notepad will keep you organized and clear about what you need to work on first (and last).
This notepad works particularly well if you find yourself adding tasks to your schedule throughout the day. You can rearrange tasks as necessary without losing sight of the big picture, and that really can make all the difference in priority planning.
Meeting Notes
Meetings can be stressful, chaotic places sometimes, and if you walk away without knowing what your next steps are, then you could probably use the help of a tool that ensures you’re on the right track.
The Ink+Volt Meeting Notes notepad is what productive meeting dreams are made of. You’ll never have to worry about whether you took adequate notes or if a group discussion was helpful ever again.
The crux of the notepad is that it’s simple. What are the main meeting takeaways and what are the next steps? Oftentimes we can get caught up in a group setting or hung up on one detail and the rest of the meeting can sort of feel like a blur, and that’s not productive for anybody.
The top of the notepad is great for specific notes, while the bottom half helps you organize big ideas and plan out where to go next.
Research Pad
Most of our research happens online these days, which is endlessly useful. But it can also be just that: endless.
When you have a million open tabs, it's hard to focus on what information really matters. You catch a critical fact and then... where did it go? When you're digging through infinitely scrolling pages of digital information, it can be hard to grab onto anything for too long.
Enter, the Research Pad. Studies show that our comprehension is improved by writing things down, and this pad gives you a clear structure for recording all your questions and, just as importantly, the answers too.
Don't get lost down a rabbit hole. Focus, find what you need, and feel smarter.
Planning Pad
Plans seem real when they're written down on paper. They become even more concrete when you can visualize each step along the way.
Whether you're a project manager or working on a long-term personal goal, grab the Ink+Volt Planning Pad. It’s a perfect fit when you're working on a deadline and need equal parts flexibility and structure.
This notepad features a timeline, space for notes, and an easy structure for setting deadlines or tasks. You can plan a project from start to finish and build in big milestones along the way, so you can set realistic expectations about your progress.
