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Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#131

Post by lovelearning »

baxtr wrote: post #112
lovelearning wrote: post #40

4 text files that go from vague life goals down to concrete hourly tasks: - todo-year.txt : all goals for the year - todo-month.txt : track subset of annual goals to finish this month - todo-week.txt : track all monthly high-level tasks to finish this week - todo.txt : daily task plan based on weekly plan. Switch tasks every 1 hour. In a day, I plan for about 4 tasks, so each task ends up getting about 2 hours. Self-…

4 columns in Trello wouldn’t do the job?

It's a subjective preference.

I have tried Trello in the past over an extended period, but it didn't motivate me to keep using it.

Elsewhere, I have talked about solving disorganization by knowing the quirks of one's own mind.

One of my quirks was internet distractions, and at one point, it got so bad that I'd simply keep my router switched off and use an inconvenient mobile for any research. No easy internet=less distractions, but also no trello.

Another quirk is that I like to write down my planning analyses and thoughts, sometimes in multiple paras. They help me to plan and correct plans. Trello or mind mapping interfaces are not convenient to satisfy that kind of quirk. TXT is ideal for it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#134

Post by runjake »

I use a simplified form of GTD as a form of survival.

I don't know the ins and outs of GTD. I skimmed through the book enough to get started. I periodically look things up when I have a question.

I literally have this flowchart [1] printed out and at my desks at home and work to serve as a constant reminder when I feel overwhelmed.

I AVOID READING GTD-RELATED TOPICS AND TRYING NEW APPS AND TOOLS. This is crucial, otherwise I will get sidetracked into new methodologies and reinventions.

What I have now, works, and I want to avoid the productivity porn trap. Pick something that works well enough and make small iterations[2] to reduce frictions.

Other important points:

- Identify all of your inboxes and work to keep on them. And maintain a single physical inbox at home and work. - Perform a weekly review of your tasks and make adjustments as necessary.

1. https://lifedev.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/gtd-workflow....

2. This is critical. No major changes at once.

Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#137

Post by rb808 »

You can't do everything you want to do. First thing is to realize if you are working a full time job, you can't really do much else. If you have a full time job and children, don't really expect to do anything more than that. if you want to do something else - you need to get rid of children for a while (parents/boarding school) or quit working.

One thing I've stopped doing is shopping around for the best possible price bargain. I spend hours and hours to get the best laptop I could get for a price. If I just paid a few hundred dollars more I would have a better model and saved myself a literally a week's worth of work.

Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#138

Post by pbreit »

lovelearning wrote: post #71
billfruit wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if you are traveling, and can't access your pc?

These are plain text files that I sync using a git repo on my private server. I don't need to travel much, but I do switch between 3 machines regularly, which means I have to sync them up often. I use git command line.

That seems _much_ more convoluted than a synced notes app. Worth the effort?

Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#139

Post by ff_ »

pqdbr wrote: post #91
slsii wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second this recommendation with a suggestion that has hugely helped me. I have more or less copied the approach to to-do lists described in that book into a Trello board and then – importantly – made it my home page on Chrome. This accomplishes two things for me: 1) any time I open a new tab, I get a reminder of what needs to be done 2) adding an item or recording an idea to be processed later is just a cmd-t away.…

Could you provide a template for you trello board?

I'm also following a GTD-like approach (and I strongly second the recommendation on the book)

My Trello board has the following columns:

- MAYBE - for things that I'll maybe do

- BACKLOG - for things that I decided I'll do at some point

- WEEK - for things that I'll do this week (limit: 8 items)

- TODAY - for things I'll do today (limit: 5 items)

- DONE - move things here once done

Once a week I do a review session where I clean the "DONE" column and reshuffle things in the other columns as needed

Re: Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?

#140

Post by henrikeh »

taurath wrote: post #95
TarpitCarnivore wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My one caution with this: It's pretty easy to OVER categorize your life and never get anything done either. I had a former co-worker who read GTD and began to impliment it for everything. It felt like he was perpetually planning and never actually doing. Additionally it became rather humorous to see how the most minute things became 'projects'. Sometimes it's worth just stepping back and observing what you're conside…

To defend GTD slightly, one of the core tenants is if it will take less than 15 minutes or so, do it now (maybe it’s 5 - I stretch it to however long it takes me to do dishes or mop the floor).

The text mentions 2 minutes as the time for “just do it now” tasks.

However, Allen recommends finding a thresholds which fits your situation.

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