One of the biggest contributors to digital stress and distraction is an overreliance on digital tools without having a clear system in place. This is especially true in a work setting, where multiple tools are used for the same tasks, but also in personal life, where digital media consumption can spiral out of control without boundaries.
The Overhead of Too Many Tools
Take this example: I have been using a Kanban tool for personal task management and wanted to implement something similar at work. However, my workplace did not license the tool I was familiar with, so I had to use an alternative integrated into MS Teams. At first, this new tool overwhelmed me. It had more features—allowing me to create tasks from emails or messages with a single click, whereas before, I would manually copy and paste only what was necessary. While this sounds like a time-saver, in practice, it cluttered my Kanban board with unnecessary tasks, creating more overhead instead of helping me stay focused.
However, the more complex a tool, the more time it takes to manage.
Sure, there’s an argument for mastering a tool’s complex features to maximize efficiency. However, the more complex a tool, the more time it takes to manage. And when multiple tools each introduce their own overhead, it quickly eats into the time available for actual productive work.
The Core Principle: Define the Problem Before Choosing the Tool
The key takeaway? Don’t throw powerful tools at a vaguely defined problem. Instead, establish a clear system of what needs to be achieved before selecting a tool.
Before adopting a new tool, ask yourself:
- What specific problem am I trying to solve?
- Do I already have an existing tool that addresses this issue?
- Does the new tool offer real added value, or is it just additional complexity?
For a broader discussion on this, check out this post: The Best Apps for Increased Productivity – Do They Really Exist?
Task Management: A Systematic Approach
Many of us are familiar with basic task management principles:
- Keep all tasks in a trusted system.
- Regularly review priorities and eliminate unimportant tasks.
However, successfully accomplishing tasks isn’t just about organizing them—it requires dedicated time to work on them. This is why I strongly believe that a calendar is essential to managing priorities effectively.
I covered this concept in more detail in this post: Mastering Your Professional Calendar: Hacks for More Productivity and Fewer Useless Meetings, but the key strategies include:
- Reviewing your most important tasks daily and blocking time for them in your calendar.
- Allocating at least one hour of deep work for every hour spent in meetings.
- Using your peak productivity hours for focused tasks and reserving lower-energy periods for shallow work.
Workload Management: Understanding Capacity
An often-overlooked aspect of effective task management is workload management. One way to enhance your system is by assigning T-shirt sizes (S, M, L, XL) to tasks to estimate how much time they will take.
- Small (S) – Quick tasks that take less than 30 minutes, such as replying to an email or scheduling a meeting.
- Medium (M) – Tasks requiring 30 minutes to 2 hours, like writing a short report or preparing a presentation slide.
- Large (L) – More involved work that spans 2 to 4 hours, such as coding a feature, drafting a detailed document, or conducting an in-depth analysis.
- Extra Large (XL) – Significant efforts that take 4+ hours or even multiple days, like completing a project phase, writing a lengthy proposal, or conducting extensive research.
This simple addition helps you prioritize tasks based on effort and importance, ensuring that critical work is addressed first. It also provides a realistic overview of your capacity, allowing for better workload distribution and time management. By avoiding overcommitment to non-essential tasks, you can reduce stress and maintain focus on high-value activities, leading to a more efficient and balanced workflow.
Over time, this system becomes intuitive. By continuously assessing prioritized tasks and their estimated time, you’ll develop a better sense of what you can actually accomplish in a day, week, or month. More importantly, it will prevent you from saying “yes” to too many tasks that don’t contribute meaningfully to your goals.
The Bottom Line: Systems Over Tools
To truly get things done, focus on building a system rather than relying on the next best tool. A simple, structured approach includes:
- A task collection list where you can prioritize and estimate effort (T-shirt sizes).
- A calendar to allocate time for completing tasks and managing capacity.
- The discipline to limit task intake, ensuring you work effectively rather than drowning in simultaneous, shallow tasks.
By implementing these principles, you’ll avoid tool overload, minimize digital stress, and achieve long-term productivity without feeling overwhelmed.
Checklist
- Choose tools based on your actual needs, not just their features.
- Prioritize tasks and estimate effort using T-shirt sizes (S, M, L, XL).
- Use time estimates to prevent overcommitment and ensure realistic planning.
- Schedule dedicated deep work sessions and manage energy levels efficiently.
- Prioritize strong task management habits instead of relying on apps to improve productivity.