161–170 of 205 posts
So, it's not just a single .txt file. It's an email app, a calendar app, and Org Mode with more steps and no features?
Synced in Dropbox, only available on my laptops (on purpose), only ever opened with Sublime Text, and using my own syntax highlighting, keywords and autocompletions. A new block of text for every day. Nothing is ever deleted. Consistent writing style, lots of checkboxes, and an onthology of tags to categorise everything.
File size at time of writing: 3.5 MB.
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…
Agree. I made this realization when at the end of every month I needed to submit my daily work log along with my client invoices I would cobble together notes scattered in different apps, conversations, notebooks, etc. I ended up building an app that would text myself (at the same time every day) a reminder to log what I had done for the day. After a while I didn't need the reminder, I would open up my phone a few mi…
Edit: Just saw now, you've submitted this on showHN before, maybe tweak the timing for the post and the title for better results ?
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Isn't org mode less portable though? My understanding was that you need an editor plus appropriate tooling for it to really shine, which to me is similar to saying "productivity software" and less like text editing.
I'm working on making org more portable (at least bring parts to iOS), via https://plainorg.com and flathabits.com. Karl Voit is doing the hard work of rallying folks to promote org markup outside of Emacs and hopefully create a diverse ecosystem under the Orgdown proposal https://gitlab.com/publicvoit/orgdown
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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.
I used to have that quote posted on my bathroom mirror - now it's just ingrained. It applies to so many parts of life, whether it's exercise, productivity, starting a business or building relationships. Related is that motivation is fleeting and only leads to individual acts. Discipline on the other hand is what builds habits. It's what you do day and and day out that leads to success or failure.
Discipline is important, but without motivation you will end up doubting why you are working so hard on something you don't care about. In my mind, motivation is continually reminding yourself of what outcomes you're working towards, so you don't lose sight of why you're working so hard.
For example, motivating yourself to work out by thinking of that sporting hobby you'll be able to take up or thinking about how great you'll feel when you've reached your goal weight.
I also somehow feel that just listing down tasks on Tomboy in terms of achievable chunks helps my focus.
He uses pen and paper for notes and todos. Nothing else.
The other oddity is that he uses the internet read-only, except for email. Zero social media accounts, forums, no mobile apps other than the standard ones. He doesn't exist online.
I admire him. There's no need for productivity suites or "life hacks" when you keep things simple, focus, and remove all distractions.
Besides avoiding personal distractions, he's also my role model in avoiding work distractions. He commits to one or two projects and ignores everything else. He won't answer your email or chat and won't attend your meeting. He cuts through nonsense like a human laser.
At work I have a colleague that is basically a 10x software architect/engineer. You can throw anything at him and he masters it in record time. He's just in another league. He uses pen and paper for notes and todos. Nothing else. The other oddity is that he uses the internet read-only, except for email. Zero social media accounts, forums, no mobile apps other than the standard ones. He doesn't exist online. I admire…
I love that metaphor!
My productivity app for the past 12 years has been a single .txt file - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22276184 - Feb 2020 (402 comments)
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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.
Looks like the quote was from Will Durant, based on an Aristotle saying. >"Virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions," Aristotle said. The writer Will Durant interpreted it thusly: "We are what we repeatedly do… therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit." https://dailystoic.com/we-are-what-we-repeatedly-do/