Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Feeling overwhelmed by all the productivity tools out there? Between task managers, AI assistants, note-taking apps, and “all-in-one” platforms, choosing the right tools to support your work and life has never been more confusing.
Tiago Forte sat down with Francesco D’Alessio, creator of Tool Finder and one of the most trusted voices in the world of productivity software, to unpack what actually matters when choosing tools in 2025.
They covered:
- What the current landscape of productivity tools looks like in 2025—and what’s changing fast
- The biggest trap most people fall into when picking a tool—and how to avoid it
- Francesco’s RTO Method (Research, Trial, Optimize)—and how to use it to finally choose the right app
- A simple “starter kit” of tools for beginners (with options for iOS and Android)
- Should you go all-in on one app or mix multiple specialized tools? Here’s our take
- What Francesco actually uses in his own stack—and why it’s smaller than you’d expect
- How to trial a tool without wasting time on huge migrations
- Where AI tools are actually delivering value—and what’s still mostly hype
- The rise of voice and visual tools—and what that means for how we interact with productivity software
- How to handle the messy overlap between digital and physical tools
- Tips for migrating your data the smart way—what to bring, what to leave behind
- What’s coming next in productivity: agentic workflows, smart scheduling, and energy-aware tools
🔎 Discover and evaluate new tools: toolfinder.co
📺 Watch tool reviews: youtube.com/keepproductive
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📚ORDER MY BEST-SELLING BOOKS
🧠 Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential buildingasecondbrain.com/book#order-now
📂The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/the-para-method
👩🎓 TAKE MY SELF-PACED COURSES
1️⃣ Pillars of Productivity
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/pillars-of-productivity
2️⃣ BASB Foundation
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/basb-foundation
🤓 TEST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL
If you had a Second Brain, how much more organized, effective, calm, and creative could you be?
Take our quiz & find out: fortelabs.com/productivity-potential
👋 CONNECT WITH ME
📬 My weekly newsletter: fortelabs.com/subscribe
👩💻 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiagoforte
🌐 My website: buildingasecondbrain.com
💌 My blog: fortelabs.com/blog
🐦⬛ X: http://x.com/fortelabs
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🤳Instagram: instagram.com/fortelabsco
Feeling overwhelmed by all the productivity tools out there? Between task managers, AI assistants, note-taking apps, and “all-in-one” platforms, choosing the right tools to support your work and life has never been more confusing.
Tiago Forte sat down with Francesco D’Alessio, creator of Tool Finder and one of the most trusted voices in the world of productivity software, to unpack what actually matters when choosing tools in 2025.
They covered:
- What the current landscape of productivity tools looks like in 2025—and what’s changing fast
- The biggest trap most people fall into when picking a tool—and how to avoid it
- Francesco’s RTO Method (Research, Trial, Optimize)—and how to use it to finally choose the right app
- A simple “starter kit” of tools for beginners (with options for iOS and Android)
- Should you go all-in on one app or mix multiple specialized tools? Here’s our take
- What Francesco actually uses in his own stack—and why it’s smaller than you’d expect
- How to trial a tool without wasting time on huge migrations
- Where AI tools are actually delivering value—and what’s still mostly hype
- The rise of voice and visual tools—and what that means for how we interact with productivity software
- How to handle the messy overlap between digital and physical tools
- Tips for migrating your data the smart way—what to bring, what to leave behind
- What’s coming next in productivity: agentic workflows, smart scheduling, and energy-aware tools
🔎 Discover and evaluate new tools: toolfinder.co
📺 Watch tool reviews: youtube.com/keepproductive
-----------------------
💌 Join our weekly newsletter for more tips and resources: optin.fortelabs.co/profile
📚ORDER MY BEST-SELLING BOOKS
🧠 Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential buildingasecondbrain.com/book#order-now
📂The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/the-para-method
👩🎓 TAKE MY SELF-PACED COURSES
1️⃣ Pillars of Productivity
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/pillars-of-productivity
2️⃣ BASB Foundation
shop.buildingasecondbrain.com/products/basb-foundation
🤓 TEST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY POTENTIAL
If you had a Second Brain, how much more organized, effective, calm, and creative could you be?
Take our quiz & find out: fortelabs.com/productivity-potential
👋 CONNECT WITH ME
📬 My weekly newsletter: fortelabs.com/subscribe
👩💻 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiagoforte
🌐 My website: buildingasecondbrain.com
💌 My blog: fortelabs.com/blog
🐦⬛ X: http://x.com/fortelabs
🟦 Facebook: facebook.com/fortelabs
🤳Instagram: instagram.com/fortelabsco
