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My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

jeffhuang.com

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Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#91

Post by _emacsomancer_ »

Finnucane wrote: post #82
_emacsomancer_ wrote: post #35

Greenspun's 11th Law: "Any sufficiently complicated note-taking/productivity/GTD system contains an ad-hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of Org-Mode."

So Org-Mode is a more complicated note-taking, etc., system that does twice as much as you actually need it to?

No, it's a note-taking &c. system that offers the capability of doing lots of other things, but nothing compels you to make use of any features you don't need, and in the end the files are plain text files that are perfectly readable in any arbitrary text-editor.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#92

Post by j7ake »

randomstring wrote: post #16

This is very close to what I do, with a few modifications. Biggest difference is that I use Emacs Org-mode ( https://orgmode.org/ ) which automates things like date strings, building a daily agenda, adding due dates, and the monotony of getting your itemized lists properly indented. (and a whole lot more) Everything lives in my TODO.org file that's mirrored via dropbox between all my devices and on my phone where I u…

I do this and it is extremely powerful and extensible.

On top of this, I also track how much time I spend on different projects and then run a script that generates graphs to summarize my weekly and monthly usage of time.

However, I still use a physical daily agenda to take from my TODO list one or two concrete tasks I will focus on each day.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#93

Post by problemtypora »

mysterydip wrote: post #66
mikestew wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not OP, but these are quite popular with the bullet journal crowd. ToC, better paper than the likes of Moleskine, takes me right about a year to fill one up. https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/notebook-medium-a5-hardcover-2...

That's the one! Found it by accident and love it.

Moleskine is a piece of ass. I love the moleskine notebooks on one hand but lot's of inks tend to smear and shit.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#96

Post by kuon »

Beside email and calendar, I use the filesystem extensively and I create "project folders" for everything from software(git) to personal things like (2020-02-08_DaughterRoomBlinds) for the "project" of changing blinds in my daughter's room. Except git repo I sync everything using syncthing on my android and laptop. I also have a set of scripts to generate nice PDF using pandoc (for regular mail letters).

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#97

Post by aeontech »

numbers wrote: post #77
foobarian wrote: post #44

My text file just turned 21 :) I tried various automation things, org mode, scripts, markup for time spent (so I can automate timesheets, ugh) but none of it stuck. org mode in particular is like a straitjacket with the indentation rules. So text file it is. I do keep command lines in it occasionally but ever since I started using eternal bash history that I version control I stopped recording those separately very m…

When you say “eternal bash history” how long is that? I thought after some large number it becomes very slow. I’d like to try this if you don’t mind sharing how you did that?

Not parent poster, but I use zsh-histdb [0] to keep my history in an SQLite database.

There is also Historian [1] for bash, and a bunch of other suggestions in the discussion thread on it on HN [2]

[0]: https://github.com/larkery/zsh-histdb

[1]: https://undertitled.com/2017/04/12/historian-because-please-...

[2]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14103688

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#98

Post by mark_l_watson »

monting wrote: post #67
mark_l_watson wrote: post #50

I used org mode at my last job, lots of management data, deep learning research, and patent application notes. Org worked great for me. Now except for occasional DL related consulting, I am retired and my tech world activities are centered around writing. I have four book ideas that I will get to in the next few years, and updating my older books to new editions takes time. Keeping notes and research is vital for aut…

Seems that Apple encrypts Notes data in transit and on server https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303 Is it IMAP that's the concern?

I read somewhere that IMAP was a concern, but I see that almost everything is encrypted (Apple has description keys) in transit and on their servers. Some data is also end to end encrypted so Apple can not decrypt it (like passwords, health data, etc.).

I don’t remember everything at least being encrypted in transit and on their servers, perhaps that is relatively new?

I wonder why they don’t go all the way and have every5ing encrypted end to end.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#99

Post by Insanity »

beejiu wrote: post #58

My favourite "productivity app" is not an app at all. It's a plain old notebook. I write down any notes and actions I need to take, and strike through them once finished. It has a nice benefit that I can scribble notes, draw lines between ideas, sketch out diagrams, etc.

It's great, I tried replacing it a few times with apps but it just did not feel right, sometimes pen and paper is just faster

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file

#100

Post by dylanz »

hopia wrote: post #57
dylanz wrote: post #43

I just started writing key metrics of mine in a small physical notebook every day. I write tally marks for each glass of water I drink, jot down any supplements I take, and also track the weight of dumbbells/plates I lift that day. I also use it to track any big TODO's. I've tried all of these things digitally but I've never had the follow-through as with paper.

How do you analyze the data afterwards? Or for what reason are you keeping such detailed records of your life of?

I don't care about analyzing the data afterwards. When I open the notebook and see that I've only had one glass of water, it motivates me to drink another, until I get around 8 in one day.

I've read https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2012/03/the-personal-ana..., have used Seinfeld calendar apps, and bought productivity tools... all with no luck.

I have an addictive personality so I could easily sit in front of the computer and write code for days on end and not take care of myself. This little physical book and pen is the only thing that's brought me back to reality and kept me on track!

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