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My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

jeffhuang.com

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Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#21

Post by lambic »

da-x wrote: post #15

I can see why a simple text file is working for many people. Anything that requires you to wait for a program to start, a window to appear, or a webpage to load is very detrimental to the mental mode of note taking because thoughts change even on the slightest of latency. It should be as immediate as picking up a notebook from the table that has a pen attached to it.

Yeah this is important for me. My work day is organised with Jira tickets, and we all know how klunky the Jira interface can be, so I installed one of the Jira cli clients[1] and it's invaluable. I can do all my ticket management from the terminal just as if I was working with text files. Editing or commenting on a ticket opens it in vim for me.

I have a few scripts on top of the client to make things even easier like sprint to see tickets in the current sprint, jv to view a ticket, take to grab a ticket, transition to transition a ticket and slackscrum to push the tickets I've worked on today to slack for my scrum update.

[1] https://github.com/go-jira/jira

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#22

Post by satysin »

This is pretty similar how I work also. I use iA Writer but could be any text editor obviously. However I keep this for things that are 'active'. I also use Things as it is a simple todo list but has a few nice feature and can remind me of stuff unlike a text file :)

I keep things very simple though. I never found modern "productivity apps" very helpful personally. They all require too much work to maintain like Notion, etc.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#23

Post by cableshaft »

superkuh wrote: post #14
rappatic wrote: post #2

The author makes some points about the benefits of doing this, but I really think he's making things more difficult for himself. Even a basic note-taking app would provide a much larger number of features and be equally easy to use. It's quirky idea but it's really not that practical.

Nope. A note-taking application would not work for 12 years. And it certainly wouldn't work for the 20+ years I've been using a single .txt file. The longevity and ease of longevity of simple plain text is the major benefit.

But what about an application wrapper around plain text files, like Obsidian or a Markdown editor? You get some benefits while the files are also saved in plain-text format.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#24

Post by superkuh »

cableshaft wrote: post #23
superkuh wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. A note-taking application would not work for 12 years. And it certainly wouldn't work for the 20+ years I've been using a single .txt file. The longevity and ease of longevity of simple plain text is the major benefit.

But what about an application wrapper around plain text files, like Obsidian or a Markdown editor? You get some benefits while the files are also saved in plain-text format.

What benefits? My notes are now full of someone elses arbitrary mark-up I get to see with my eyes? That's just clutter. I doubt those programs have existed for more than a handful of years and I doubt they'll exist longer than that into the future.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#25

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

The key to this solution isn’t really the .txt file or the formatting. It’s the ritual. Any productivity system can be made to work once it becomes a habit and therefore your default action. I think .txt files or Org mode are attractive to devs because they feel like something we’d be doing anyway during our day. the same system will work with a paper journal or even a fresh piece of paper every morning if, and only…

One of my favorite quotes, is one [incorrectly, probably] attributed to Aristotle:

    We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#26

Post by 4monthsaway »

I'd like to try a better version of using the default notes app on iphone. I keep attempting over the years to keep at it but end up never reviewing the notes. I have half the battle down...I use it for a crazy amount of ideas but yea, definitely need to adopt a more consistent routine. Interesting to see what others do like this article

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#28

Post by mFixman »

I create a new dated file every day and edit it on Vim.

I think this is the ideal middle point: I can easily go back and see old information, but I also don't feel that I'm "wasting" important space if I feel like writing down more things in a particular day.

Re: My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file (2020)

#30

Post by athenot »

bengale wrote: post #9

I do something similar but with apple notes. Still simple but I get a bit of formatting and some checkboxes, tags and decent search. I can also create reminders that link back to highlighted parts of a note.

Same here. The best part is that I spend zero brain cycles in thinking where to file a note before I write it; pretty much every note is in a generic Notes folder.

I have one exception: any 1:1 meeting with a person gets its own note and those go in a specific folder. One note per person and a bullet list under a date, with talking points. I also use this ahead of meetings; when I suddenly think of something I need to discuss with someone, I add it to their note. Then when I meet them, it's part of my agenda.

It's also searcheable so if I need to refresh my memory about an older discussion, whether it took place and when, it's a few keywords away.

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