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My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
61–70 of 272 posts
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#62Takeaway: if you're already highly organized and disciplined a simple tool is all you need
I'm not highly organized or disciplined and simple tools still work better, but a single txt file is too simple. I've had good luck using Things 3 as an easy and flexible to-do list for tasks I will forget and I've been using Obsidian as a tool for everything else.
My takeaway is that the effectiveness of organizational tools scales with discipline and the simplicity of the tool removes organizational friction.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#63> So my daily routine looks like > [...] > 5. copy the next day's calendar items to the bottom of the text file Interesting. For a file with 51,690 lines at the time this post was created, I'm curious why the file is not ordered with the most recent day at the top of the file.
All that text is heavy to push out of the way when you insert a new line break.
Also, the feeling of accomplishment as the job's entire history whizzes by when you press ctrl+end each morning.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#64I use https://joplinapp.org because it allows for pasting images and files.
Supports markdown.
Has easy sync and also mobile and desktop apps.
Free and open source.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#65I'm doing something similar with Obsidian daily notes[^1]. I also have a weekly note that I use to plan the next week. Similar to how the author talks about scheduling their next day the evening before, I've started planning the big tasks for next on Friday afternoon, as this gives me momentum on Monday morning. Related: I've found the 3/3/3 technique from Oliver Burkeman[^2] and the concept of open and closed lists…
I use Obsidian but it is unbearably slow upon when opening the app for me, to the point where I want to move away.
It’s also dare-I-say-it too customizable for me. I just want it to look nice and do standard notes stuff without having to spend hours tinkering.
The only thing keeping me is that it is just markdown. I don’t like the idea of being locked in with the proprietary formats of other apps
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#66I use a similar system, but I duplicate and rename the file at the start of each day. Then I remove stuff that got done the previous day. Or stuff that is old and not relevant anymore. The system has evolved over the years. The greatest thing about it is how flexible it is. When faced with new requirements (new projects, job change, etc) I can just start taking notes in a different way and see if it sticks. I also co…
I've landed on a similar process, but one file per sprint instead of one file per day.
I take the last sprint's file, save a copy for the new sprint, summarize what got done to report in sprint meeting, then add the tasks for the new sprint to present at the meeting as well.
Still have JIRA tickets to track tasks in a more formal way. But the text file is far more flexible and easier to quickly edit and view everything at a glance, as well as including things that don't fit cleanly in a ticket.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#67This matches my experience. Its all about ingestion speed. Ingestion of the thoughts in my head, that is. Most note taking systems require you to structure it. That’s basically the whole point. I find that this just gets in the way. I just need a sort of working-memory dump.
I have a note directory with a root level markdown file which I use for general stuff which i dont use much. I also have folders for each task # with a similar sort of markdown file. And sometimes (rarely) other useful assets.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#68Going on 5+ years using a single giant org file. It's the only system I've ever been able to stick with for more than a couple days.
I think of it as my labbook.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#69I use a similar system, but I duplicate and rename the file at the start of each day. Then I remove stuff that got done the previous day. Or stuff that is old and not relevant anymore. The system has evolved over the years. The greatest thing about it is how flexible it is. When faced with new requirements (new projects, job change, etc) I can just start taking notes in a different way and see if it sticks. I also co…
I don't usually take the time to write out a daily to-do list, but I do keep one for long-term projects that I tend to lose track of. Each line is a task and at the beginning of the line is the date it was initiated/requested. It's semi-structured but doesn't take any longer than typing out a note.
At the beginning of the month I duplicate the file and rename it for the new month, then I clean out just like you do.
I've tried apps, I've tried tracking systems, and this seems to work best for me for now. I can keep it open all the time in a tab of my text editor which I would have open anyway and it backs up with the rest of my files.
Re: My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)
#70I've been doing this long enough now (decades) that some of my .txt files (I have one per client/project) are in the size range of 20mb.
That's about 2.5-3 million words, 5 times the length of Lord of the rings.
Lots of code and data ends up in my .txt files. Also I just checked actual stats. Only three client/project files are over 10MB. Most are in the 2-4MB range.