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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)

#151

Post by claviska »

I use a similar system, albeit organized through Bear for macOS/iOS. But organization aside, it’s just text in a couple key “files” that I can quickly and easily update. They sync from my laptop to my phone so I can jot ideas down any time without effort and have confidence knowing they’ll be there waiting for me when I need them.

The problem I’ve found with many note taking apps is that it takes too long to simply write something down and find it later. Having simple “files” reduces friction and gets out of the way. Sometimes simpler is better.

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

#152

Post by madphilosopher »

philmcp wrote: post #46

My productivity app has been pen + A5 paper pad Advantages: - Instant availability (no need to load up an app) - Works offline - I can't access it when I'm not at work (feature, not a bug) - I can draw as well as write - It's satisfying to tick items off

My choice is paper, too. For that, I really like the Pocketmod [0] system. I generate my own Pocketmod booklets using PostScript [1].

[0] https://pocketmod.com/

[1] https://gist.github.com/madphilosopher/c71dac84a096533d335bf...

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

#153

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

jiggunjer wrote: post #146
levmiseri wrote: post #81

For the fellow .txt filists — I made a minimal online notepad https://kvak.io that makes it easier to access your notes anywhere. (With my wife we are also using it as an always-up-to-date shopping list).

Is there a self hosted version. No offense :)

A simple no-frills note taking web app seems like it would be incredibly simple to make. Any professional web developer could probably make it in under an hour.

It'd only need two pages. A list of notes, and a single page for editing notes. Perhaps a login page, but you could simplify further and just use HTTP Basic Auth. You wouldn't even need any JavaScript if you don't mind having to click a button to save your note instead of having it constantly updated as you type.

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

#154

Post by thmorriss »

mwattsun wrote: post #31

I've always kept a text file or spreadsheet of things to do, priorities, etc... My biggest problem isn't keeping a list and getting organized, it's remembering to look at my list. I tend to space out for days working on a problem and forget to look at my list. I've experienced a big productivity boost by using the desktop background of my 43" monitor as a whiteboard (blackboard actually). I have an jpg the size of my…

That is a cool system, thanks for sharing.

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

#155

Post by b3morales »

egypturnash wrote: post #133
AlwaysRock wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inspiration often comes after starting any given creative process.

I am a professional artist and I have to disagree with this. Once creative work becomes the thing you spend a large part of your life doing, you cannot rely on just sitting around waiting for inspiration. Creative workers regularly discuss the ways to get ourselves to work when we feel a total lack of inspiration for something with a looming deadline, as well as ways to create conditions where some kind of creative i…

There's a pithy take on this that I like, usually attributed to William Faulkner:

> I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.

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

#157

Post by macintux »

pmontra wrote: post #122

I have a txt file open in emacs since 2012 formatted like YYYY-MM-DD Project 1. Daily notes. N.M hours TODO Project 2. Notes I use it to track what I'll have to invoice at the end of the month and why (some customers just pay others want to know what they are paying for) and to plan for the future. Plus a number of discarded A4 papers with a clean rear side filled with short term todo lists. Occasionally they become…

My experience introducing myself to Orgmode over the last couple of years has been that I can add new features/syntax as I need them, or not. I don’t care whether my one big notes file can be processed by any tooling other than Emacs itself, and Emacs seems to be forgiving of whatever I do with it.

All I really needed to get started was to understand the equivalent syntax to the basic features Markdown would offer.

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

#158

Post by LegitShady »

denton-scratch wrote: post #92

/me retired. When I worked, my daily todo list would have been: * Spend another day working on Project X. Now it's all domestic tasks, which fall into two categories: tasks that have to be done urgently, and those I can do "when I feel like it". Guess what? My todo list now consists of one or two things I must do urgently, and getting on for a coupla hundred blue-sky tasks that'll never be done. Task #1: weed the tod…

if you remove the weed from your todo list maybe you'll get more done

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

#159

Post by NorSoulx »

Since 2012 I've been keeping task files to document all the stuff I work on. Most are job related. This comes in handy when I need to re-visit something I've worked on previously, sometimes going several years back in time. The task files are plain text files which are quick to create and update, and I use Sublime Text or VIM to edit. I do both development and operational related tasks, and can work on many tasks during a day. The trick is documenting in the task files right away before the details are wiped from my memory. When looking things up, I usually search by file name, or content, or both. Having documented a task previously can save time when returning to a similar task at a later date.

I use a naming format for the task file, including the date and a short task description, e.g:

task.2021.12.23.short.task.description.txt

Number of task files created since 2012:

Task files: 18231 Total size: 350 MB

For each day I also create a worklog of the tasks I've been working on that day (including minutes spent). Since 2012 I've registered 2540 daily worklog files:

ls -l task.????.??.??.worklog.txt |wc -l

    2540
The worklog files are also used to estimate time necessary to complete similar or recurring tasks.

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

#160

Post by ___q »

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…

False dichotomy. The author mentions the use of tags and emails as a reason why this solution works better than others.

If you read it, TFA is more than just a folksy phrase like "make it a habit."

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