All-in-one productivity apps promise to be the solution to your problems with keeping track of everything. The idea sounds great in theory, too. But in reality, they just don’t work the way they should.
5
They Feel Bloated
When using all-in-one productivity apps, you get access to a whole host of features. These tools have calendars, to-do lists, note-taking features, and much more. At first, you feel like you’ve found the holy grail of project management—until you actually start using these tools (or trying to).
Many all-in-one productivity apps have cluttered interfaces, especially if they’re newer and haven’t had enough time to iterate on their user experience multiple times. The dashboards feel clunky, and navigation can be more challenging than necessary.
Even some of the simpler all-in-one productivity apps can still feel bloated when they have too many features. They’re frustrating enough to use on desktop, but their mobile apps are often even more irritating. So, if you want to keep track of your work on the go, you may find yourself disappointed.
4
They’re Overwhelming
One thing that many people get wrong about productivity is that they try to overcomplicate it. Some people (and founders) sadly think that the more features an app has, the better. What actually happens, however, is the total opposite. Rather than being a productivity god, you end up overwhelmed and burned out in many cases.
All-in-one productivity apps are often overwhelming, and knowing where to start is sometimes a struggle. In many cases, you may feel like you need to use every single feature, which results in less work actually getting done and more pointless maintenance.
Notion is a good example of this. While I love using Notion to take notes (though it can sometimes be overkill), I no longer use the tool to organize my life. All too often, I felt like I needed to use every type of template. Some email tools with productivity features, such as Spike, have had the same effect.
Opening an app and getting barraged with new features rarely leads to any actual productivity, and as a result, I’d rather not use them. If you could customize the app to remove some features, that would be a different story.
3
They’re Too Unreliable
Having been in the tech space and written about different apps for several years, I’ve seen a lot of transitions. I have also seen many apps come and go, and I’m very skeptical about any new trend or tool that hasn’t stood the test of time. The AI craze of late 2022 and early 2023 was one such example; I tried numerous apps that no longer exist.
Many new all-in-one productivity apps are, in my opinion, not stable enough to use long-term. I can’t trust a tool that claims it will solve all my problems but has every chance of no longer existing or receiving updates once the VC money runs out. Even if I could still technically use the tool, I don’t want to leave myself open to one of the most common sources of malware.
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For all their hype, many knowledge management tools end up being more work than they’re worth.
Before I use any tool frequently, let alone productivity software, it has to have existed for at least 4-5 years. Ideally, I’d like it to already be profitable by the time I start using it. That way, I know it’s less likely to disappear when I start getting used to all the features.
Along with being unsure whether they’ll survive in the long run, all-in-one productivity apps have often been too unreliable when I use them. For example, I encounter crashes more often than with single-use apps. Moreover, I’ve had instances where my information either hasn’t synced or has been deleted.
Another annoyance I often encounter is that my account regularly gets logged out, and I need to sign in each time I open the app. If I’m trying to plan my day, constantly having to sign in is the last thing I want to do.
2
You’ll Feel Like You Need the Perfect System
All-in-one productivity apps have a tempting range of features that make it hard not to use some of them. Besides note-taking, calendars, and to-do lists, you can make your tasks look pretty with aesthetically pleasing Gantt charts or Kanban boards. While this may sound great in theory, you’ll often do less work than if you keep things simple.
When using these tools, you’ll often feel like you need the perfect system. Unless you’ve perfectly optimized your tasks and used the ideal color coordination, you may feel like working on the tasks you’ve listed is a waste of time.
You can create the perfect system a few times, but eventually, you’ll get tired of needing to maintain it. Sometimes, you’ll have tougher months, and at some point, you may ask if you even need so many bells and whistles. Keeping things simple and doing the work is one of the best productivity tactics; many alternatives are overrated.
1
You Can Get the Same Results With Simpler Apps
While you should try to avoid context-switching as much as possible, you can often get great productivity results with simple apps. Rather than using an all-in-one productivity tool, consider using:
- Todoist or Things 3 for to-do lists (or maybe even using paper to-do lists)
- Google Calendar or Apple Calendar for your time management
- Asana for long-term deadline planning
- Google Keep, Notion, or Apple Notes for note-taking
Unless you’re doing something seriously specialized, you don’t need too many other tools. You will often feel more relaxed after switching to an easier system, too, along with finding it easier to maintain. As a result, you’ll be more productive over the long run.
All-in-one productivity apps may work for some people, but they’re often too complicated for the average user. You don’t need a tool that does everything, and in fact, using one might make you overwhelmed. Instead, you need a simple system that you can stick to.
