About this class

Productivity Tools & Software is a survey course in modern personal productivity systems — the apps, calendars, task managers, note systems, and underlying methods that adults use to organize their time, projects, and information. The course is built around a defined principle: it is a survey of the landscape, not a course built around a single system.

Instruction follows a comparative pedagogy. Each session introduces a category of tool or a productivity method — digital calendars, task-management apps, note systems, and methods like time-blocking, Pomodoro, and Getting Things Done — and learners practice with the tool on their own devices or on paper. Cross-comparison between tools is structured into the course, and learners run multi-week trials of selected tools to develop personal judgment about what fits how they actually think.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

Describe the major categories of personal productivity tools and their respective strengths and weaknesses
Set up and operate a digital calendar, task manager, and note system at a basic level
Explain the principles behind named productivity methods including time-blocking, Pomodoro, and Getting Things Done
Run a structured trial of a productivity tool over multiple weeks and report on what worked
Compare tools side-by-side using consistent criteria
Build a personal productivity setup that fits the learner's thinking style and life context

Methodology

The course adopts a comparative, hands-on pedagogy: each tool or method is introduced briefly and then practiced in context. The course explicitly avoids promoting any single system, treating personal fit as the central pedagogical principle.

Topics we cover

The landscape of productivity tools: paper planners, digital calendars, task apps, and hybrid setups
Digital calendar software: how scheduling apps work and what they do well
Task and to-do apps: a side-by-side look at popular options
Note and project tools: from notebooks to digital workspaces
The ideas behind the tools: where methods like time-blocking and Getting Things Done came from
Setting up a tool and adjusting it to fit how you think
Trying a tool over several weeks and comparing notes
How to tell whether a tool is working, and how to switch

Who it's for

For adults who want to understand the landscape of modern productivity tools — paper planners, digital calendars, task and to-do apps, note systems, and the methods behind them — and to develop a working sense of which tools fit how they think. This is a survey course, not a course built around one system. No prior experience required.

Who teaches it

Nicolette-Marie Tsialas

Transition Specialist with a B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology from George Washington University, working at the intersection of applied psychology and adult skill development.

Read full bio

Schedule

Loading upcoming sessions…

Pricing

$75 per session · 90 min per class. Bundle discounts apply when you register for multiple sessions: 10% off for 4 or more, 20% off for 8 or more, across any combination of classes at The Grove.

Registration is handled on our secure registration site.

Classes at The Grove are non-credit, personal-enrichment programs offered by Big Apple Coaching LLC. Participation does not confer academic credit, professional certification, or licensure.