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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

#121

Post by ramraj07 »

kabdib wrote: post #109

I use a single text file, have done this for decades. I dump everything into it and don't worry too much about structure, it's an incredible resource for "remembering" minutia, things like "what was that server that i thought might have had some issues last August?" Just a quick control-S and I'm there. My current 7+ year old notes file has about 100K lines in it right now. I can tell you what I was doing last year,…

That sounds quite elegant, but seems this is only possible if you work out of a single machine almost always. Perhaps it could be made into a service? As long as explicit effort is taken that there's absolute minimum extra effort as possible!

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

#122

Post by tnorthcutt »

darzu wrote: post #15
colinmegill wrote: post #12

Same, two Google docs (one for year, one for current month). I just switched to roamresearch.com. I like it a lot.

Seems similar to Workflowy which I've been using for 6 years and I'm very happy with.

It is similar, but has some unique characteristics that make it interesting (and to me, compelling). The primary one is easy, automatic, and fast bidirectional linking. The other that comes to mind is the lack of a hierarchical organizational structure; there’s no thinking about “what bullet does this new thing need to be indented under” when compared to WorkFlowy.

If you’re a fan of WorkFlowy I recommend checking it out; I suspect there’s a good chance it will resonate with you.

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

#123

Post by Swtrz »

mikestew wrote: post #62
Swtrz wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What brand?

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...

Ah, thats the exact model Leuchtturm I have.

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

#124

Post by fauigerzigerk »

ahnick wrote: post #53

I currently use Google Tasks for Todos and I honestly have never been happier. To make Google Tasks work you have to be using Gmail and Google Calendar (which may be a non-starter for some people), but if you are using those already then Google Tasks is worth taking a look. The beauty of Google Tasks is it lives alongside your email, integrates seamlessly with the calendar, and automatically synchronizes across devic…

My issue with Google Tasks is that notifications don't stay on the screen until I dismiss them. That kills it for me.

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

#126

Post by yoz-y »

ramraj07 wrote: post #121
kabdib wrote: post #109

I use a single text file, have done this for decades. I dump everything into it and don't worry too much about structure, it's an incredible resource for "remembering" minutia, things like "what was that server that i thought might have had some issues last August?" Just a quick control-S and I'm there. My current 7+ year old notes file has about 100K lines in it right now. I can tell you what I was doing last year,…

That sounds quite elegant, but seems this is only possible if you work out of a single machine almost always. Perhaps it could be made into a service? As long as explicit effort is taken that there's absolute minimum extra effort as possible!

Two options would be: 1. put that file on dropbox or another syncing service. 2. have it on a remote server and ssh there first

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

#127

Post by lostlogin »

endisukaj wrote: post #72
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.

I'd agree with you, but the killer feature digital notes have, for me, is the quick and effortless searching.

I’m in your camp. Apple Notes somehow fell into this gap for me. For me the ability to format, add images and screenshots and easily share gave it an edge over plain text.

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

#128

Post by lostlogin »

Operyl wrote: post #107
aloknnikhil wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I miss this too. I tried OCR for all my written notes, it just doesn't work.

I found that using an iPad with the Pencil has been a great middle ground. The OCR in the various Notes apps (including stock) is able to recognize my horrendous writing (it’s really bad).

What notes app have you settled on? Annotating images was a key for me.

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

#129

Post by adtac »

tempsy wrote: post #95

I'm amazed by how many productivity apps there are out there right now, many with tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in VC funding. This has to be a bubble, right?

VCs just need to be a bit more productive in their funding pattern. Maybe I should write an app to do that.

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

#130

Post by egypturnash »

marban wrote: post #103

I use one large mind-dump file (~15 years) in Apple Notes and keep todos for the next day on a single sheet of paper which I throw out in the evening — why would anyone archive their accomplished tasks? I love destroying the past every single day.

“Ugh this was such a weird week, I don’t feel like I got a damn thing done.”

looks back over a week full of lots of yak-shaving and distractions

“Oh! I feel better. I got a lot done! It just wasn’t on the stuff I think is really important.”

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