This is the final post in this weeks’ Periodic Review series. It is inspired as my own productivity practice has evolved quite a bit over the past two years, since I have been writing about Getting Things Done and other workflow systems.

In the previous posts we looked at how to manage your Periodic Reviews, starting with a high level of granularity and developing a personal method that works well for you.

In this post I am going to show you some of the tools that I use to manage my workflow.

I have tried and evaluated many different tools and applications, and changed everything more than once. Here are some things that I have learned about myself via this process:

1. I do not like digital or online applications, for whatever reason, so I do not use them properly and any workflow system that I try to use that relies on one will collapse.
2. I do like my notebooks and paper lists. I like them very much, and any workflow system that allows me to utilize these sorts of tools works. I mean really works. Since I started using the new notebook method in January I have not missed a Weekly or Monthly Review!
3. It is important to make things as simple as possible but no simpler. For me this means two things:
   • Having just enough complexity to keep things interesting without letting things get lost in the system.
   • Requiring just enough effort that I get a feeling of satisfaction simply by completing my tasks.

Here is a short video of how I manage my lists:

If you can’t see the video, click on the title of the post

I realize that there are people out there that swear by their smart-phones or PDAs, but they just do not work for me. That is the most important part of any productivity workflow system – it has to work for you.

Later this month or in mid-May (UPDATE: the e-book is being finalized now and will be released in August, 2009) I will probably be releasing a new e-book that describes how to really get down to the core of what works for you in your productivity system. If there is anything specific to your own situation that you would like this book to address, please send me a e-mail with the form below.

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