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I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

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Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#81

Post by smiley1437 »

One useful addition for text file users: on Windows, create hotkey\macro timestamps using something like Autohotkey (https://autohotkey.com/)

3 letter hotkeys seem to work well - long enough to be unique without overlapping real words.

for instance, when I type ddd it automatically stamps this:

20250811 10:57 AM

then I type my note and can look back at what time\date it was.

sometimes I just need the date so that is dds (date-date-short) which gives

20250811

occasionally I just want the time so that's ttt

11:02:02 AM

I have many other 3 letter codes using Autohotkey to bring in frequently typed things too, useful in emails and such.

Since I think through typing, autohotkey has been a QoL helper.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#83

Post by Barrin92 »

jasode wrote: post #25

I've had a plain TODO.txt file for over 20 years so I agree with all the benefits the author mentioned. However, I don't like it because without an app, there's no runtime loop to notify and alert me of what's coming up. This means I don't have "ambient awareness" of what's going on unless... I open the TODO.txt file ... manually scan it... then rescan it again and again multiple times per day. It's really tedious an…

It's a big upfront investment but it's one of the things that Org mode with its built in agenda view is fantastic for. I've really never needed anything else for note taking and scheduling.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#84

Post by ffsm8 »

jasode wrote: post #25

I've had a plain TODO.txt file for over 20 years so I agree with all the benefits the author mentioned. However, I don't like it because without an app, there's no runtime loop to notify and alert me of what's coming up. This means I don't have "ambient awareness" of what's going on unless... I open the TODO.txt file ... manually scan it... then rescan it again and again multiple times per day. It's really tedious an…

Fwiw, this is pretty much a slam dunk usecase for current LLMs.

Vibe code a script that parses your existing text file and creates events in your chosen calendar app. Then run this script on a schedule

Explicitly tell it to add a tag or anything else identifiable so it can Auto remove/update the events on changes etc.

You'll have a PoC in minutes and will likely be happy with the result within an hour, if you're using Claude Code

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#85

Post by powersurge360 »

hiq wrote: post #72
xz18r wrote: post #39

There is a format called todo.txt that works follows very readable syntax (like your own example) and has some minimal bells and whistles if you want it to: http://todotxt.org/ As an alternative: I started using org-mode 5 years ago and have never looked back. This is my workflow ( https://karelvo.com/blog/orgmode ) although I sync it via Git now, and have an iPhone where I use Plain Org ( https://xenodium.com/plain-…

Can you expand on which org-mode features you like for this use case? On the top of my head, among the useful features I'm familiar with, you can: * nest tasks * set deadlines * set priorities * filter ~arbitrarily * have as much content as you want per item (in comparison with todotxt with is one line per item), including non-text like images * have statuses other than todo and done (like waiting) What else do you u…

If you don't feel like you need the extra bells and whistles don't worry about it. The great thing about org-mode is it _is_ just plain text and all the magic is in the interpretation of the plain text. If you have yourself a table and one day ya want to do some spreadsheet magic on it or pipe it into a script easily, you can just check the manual for how to do it and KO it right there in the same place the data lives. Remembering how to do it afterwards is optional.

Personally, I use lazyvim in neovim and doom emacs in emacs and just kinda switch between the two based on what I feel like in a given day. NeoVim tends to have better treesitter/LSP stuff as well as marginally better performance, doom emacs has way better test running and org-mode and it is only a little behind neovim in that other stuff.

All the above is to suggest I think the question is flawed. BUT! To answer the question literally, my favorite thing in org mode that I've never seen anywhere else is the ability to dump babel blocks in my notes with code samples that are actually runnable and the output is able to be piped somewhere else.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#86

Post by godshatter »

I started using a text todo list at work just last February. I'd tried various things over the years and this has been the best so far. It's a combination of things to do, a record of what has been done since I started, in some cases a filling in of historical important things that have happened, and as a simple way of keeping track of different steps of individual processes, or individual items that need the same fix.

The top part is the todo list and the bottom portion is a list of days and what was done beneath each.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#88

Post by A-b-c-lgtm »

I had Claude Sonnet make me a text-based notes/todo app.

I write all of my notes in plain text, but I can add things like:

#Note: title

This is a note

--

And the text editor will highlight the note and show it in another window that shows all notes.

I can edit this in any standard text editor if I'm on a device without my custom app.

I can also convert them into sticky notes that are each "always on top" windows that can be dragged/dropped to set their position.

The notes also have tags for background color, border color, font color, due by, etc... that are all set in the text. When shown as sticky notes or in the note list, markdown content can be rendered.

Using text for the raw content and having a tool that will parse and display the content in a way that works for me has really made for a great note taking experience.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#89

Post by karmelapple »

titusjohnson wrote: post #41

For work I use Logseq, but I treat it like a .txt file. 90% of my use is the daily journal pages, adding NOW and LATER todos, notes, whatever. The ability to link nodes to other pages or nodes is just good enough to beat out a .txt. For my personal life I use Things 4. I bought the Mac and iOS versions. Despite the steep price for the Mac version, I think it's worth it. I appreciate how the app is organized. I like t…

Totally agreed - Things for Mac/iOS/iPad/Watch is a great ecosystem and Just Works™.

I started by reading the GTD book, and then tried lots of different apps, but Things for Mac by Cultured Code requires the least work and conforms roughly to the GTD approach. I don't use the strict GTD approach, but its approach to quickly writing down ideas and thoughts has shaped a lot of how I operate at work and even in my personal life.

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