My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file • Hacker News Board

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

#201

Post by ken » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:29 PM UTC

I wonder if there's any correlation between static/dynamic typing fans of programming languages, and people who organize their lives with highly structured apps versus a big text file.

I've tried to use various to-do apps and calendars and email organizing systems (and some of them look really cool!), and they're all way too structured for me to use for even my most boring week. They're too complex, but not in useful ways, because I don't get the flexibility I want out of that complexity. I end up putting most of my information in the big "NOTES" field, or in giant email drafts to myself, where it's not really usable for anything.

Sadly, while I see many effective programmers who prefer static or dynamic languages, and many effective organizers who use structured or unstructured task systems, essentially 100% of the new software I see are new highly structured systems. Were Emacs and Hypercard unique events in all of computing history, with a power and flexibility that is never to be repeated, for fear of crossing the streams?

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

#202

Post by jwtorres » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:30 PM UTC

zgit wrote: post #186

jwtorres wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny that we all resort to the same things. I have an almost identical bash script that appends and timestamps each note, but I push it to my Dropbox account using their REST APIs instead of my local file system.

Can you expand on your system a little bit? Do you use it from the phone too?

The bash script I was talking about simply curls the .txt file from Dropbox, edits/appends it, then curls it back up to Dropbox (overwriting the old copy).

Dropbox iOS app allows you to create .txt files if you absolutely need to take a note from your phone. I’m never far from my computer personally.

I also wrote a Chrome extension that does essentially the same thing as my bash script (as well as save bookmarks to Dropbox). Its caching mechanism is very convenient for writing long notes that will be edited over hours or days—if the machine goes down, they’re all stored in Chrome’s local memory the next time I boot.

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

#203

Post by rodolphoarruda » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:35 PM UTC

rct42 wrote: post #169

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.

Same for me. My note book is A4 sized (lots of space), has a hard cover (easy to write with while out "in the field") and the pages are not easily removed (so I don't loose notes). While I do write a lot of notes in it, I also like to draw block diagrams and high level designs of systems. While some of this could be done on a tablet, I also try to reduce the amount of screen time on my eyes. I started this habit sinc…

Me too. A4 sized grid notebook, and I use it in the landscape position. My notes are a mix of schemas and written text. When I'm happy with my work I take a picture of it using the Evernote app and upload it to its cloud. Curiously enough, the app applies some sort of "filter" to the picture that removes the original grid lines, making the drawings cleaner, which is convenient sometimes.

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

#204

Post by senderista » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:36 PM UTC

I just use Simplenote for everything: shopping lists, vacation plans, research notes, work meeting notes and todos, etc. Anything that requires collaboration can easily be shared, and I can view and edit notes from any device. There's no structure at all, so I can impose whatever structure is appropriate for the context and works for me.

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

#205

Post by kmstout » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:39 PM UTC

pariahHN wrote: post #19

I do exactly this, but with the sticky notes application. I find it easier to shuffle and tweak the raw text than moving around and editing discrete todo items, and I have it covering the next 2-3 weeks at any given moment with longer term stuff noted at the bottom. I've also started carrying around a small notepad that acts sort of like a buffer for the todo list, both incoming items that occur when I'm not at the k…

For awhile at work I used Windows' sticky notes extensively. My wallpaper at the time was an image of old fence boards, so the two combined to make a little kanban on my desktop.

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

#206

Post by ajlburke » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:41 PM UTC

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…

Thanks for the beorg link - I've been trying to find a way to make my org-mode files mobile-accessible.

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

#207

Post by reidjs » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:41 PM UTC

spectramax wrote: post #75

Why do people feel a strong need to organize their day, spend tremendous amount of time(ironically) and energy in exactly what they need to do that day and how many calories they eat? I feel the complete opposite. I structure projects , not my time. I want a loose schedule. You could stop worry about time, try a free schedule, enjoy life a little, and get work done. This whole "productivity" bullshit is an urban conc…

For me it’s laziness and forgetfulness. I don’t like thinking about all the things I have to do everyday so I outsource that to apps/documents. Also helps when coordinating with others and when new opportunities/issues arise I can confidently assume I’m not going to miss that dentist appt/event/whatever I agreed to attend a while ago. There’s so many things going on all the time I don’t know how people survive without some Sort of productivity process/tooling. Unless like you said you’re a farmer or something and you just sort of hang out around your property and tackle things as they arise.

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

#208

Post by dylanz » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:42 PM UTC

hopia wrote: post #194

dylanz wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Would seeing any kind of analysis benefit you or boost your motivation? Like something that would clearly show based on your own data that, say there is a strong correlation between feeling ill and drinking less than 4 cups of water throughout the day? The reason I ask is because I'm building something like this. And not many people track their habits as systematically as you do.

Yes! I think this would be definitely boost motivation. It would also help me to look at things "before" any positive outcome and remind me not to go... back to there.

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

#209

Post by gist » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:43 PM UTC

Same here. Except time period longer and it's a few text files and text routines.

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

#210

Post by einpoklum » Sat, Feb 08, 2020, 9:49 PM UTC

> The one outside tool I use is an online calendar, and I put everything on this calendar

So, the title is totally wrong then? It's really "My productivity suite has been Ultraedit with a single text file and an online calendar"? Ok, reading on.

... oh, what's that?

> Email is obviously a part of my workflow.

Indeed, seems reasonable.

But now it's: "My productivity suite is Ultraedit with a text file, an email client on an always-on remotely accessible machine, and an online calendar."

Ok, fine, but not as impressive as the title suggests.