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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

#671

Post by mxuribe »

raldu wrote: post #608

I have came to the understanding that the things that we'd like to keep track of as "todos" are more like "issues," than specific and physical actions. The "tasks" are only meant for the day, maybe drafted daily and be disposed of and forgotten in a post-it notes fashion. The issues, then are more like a backlog of requirements, a call to duty, like "briefs on the mission." The "issues" are the question; and neither…

Your approach on "issues" is fascinating! It certainly sounds like you're talking about almost tracking tickets...you know like for a dev or tech support team...Because my experience is that often tickets are not a one-and-done thing. Often enough, they require a little more folow-up, and i myself like to add comments along way towards the progress of completion...so, yeah, your approach sounds alot like tracking tickets...which in itself is NOT bad at all. The only concern is that tracking tickets often requires some pretty robust software/tool...so unless we're talking a kanban, the fear i would have is that the software/tool to use for tracking tickets might be too unwieldy for quick, let's say mobile tracking of progress...though i admit that may wrong on all thre above.

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

#673

Post by lemonberry »

paulmooreparks wrote: post #605

The funny thing is, the answer to: > Why This Actually Works isn't anything the author lists under that heading. It's actually what he says above: > Every night, I check tomorrow’s calendar. I dump everything into the next day’s section. Scheduled items get times in front. Sub-bullets hold notes or reminders. Finished tasks? I delete them or add what happened. Still on the list? Not done yet. That’s it. That's why it…

One of the biggest insights of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" is the daily review. If you're not reviewing your system isn't working. Build a habit/ritual around that and you're in great shape. Cal Newport also talks about this.

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

#675

Post by mxuribe »

kadrian12 wrote: post #611

My professor once said: the only thing that we'll still have in 80 years is the file system. Always bet on the file system.

Funny enough, not exactly this, but when i review new apps - either desktop or mobile (but especially mobile!) - besides ensuring that the desired features are present and will do the trick...i try to see if i can understand where/how the files are saved...This started years ago when i was interested in exporting stuff from proprietary apps...and now i've biased myself...so whenever i can not view/access/understand how or where files are stored for an app, then i almost immediately have a negative sentiment towards said app. Sadly, for mobile apps, the obfuscation of files and how/where they're stored is too much of a prevalent thing and for me so annoying.

This started out in my quest to be sure that i can not trapped by an app, and so i can safely export my data...but, nowadays, it has extended a little into the tinfoil hat thinking - fairly or not - where i ask myself: "why does this app not disclose where its files are stored, *what do they have to hide!?!*" ...which feels like the universe is nudging me more and more towards either text-centric methods, or the simplest, open source style apps, etc. :-)

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

#676

Post by major505 »

I used a lot of Todo and Note taking APP over the years.

My last and the one that ended up working more for me was Microsoft TODO because it was simple and synced with my phone, and actually worked seamless with IOs Reminder app. I sticked with it for a lot of time, but in the end, after a hell week, most my tasks where red with due dates long passed. It just added to my stress seeing all that red.

Today I just carry a small notebook and a pen I like in my back pocket. If I have to do something I start with a task like

- do something.

After done

+ do something

Every start of day, I just grab some coffee, sit for 5 min and go through the last day, what I done, what I could not finish, and create a new todo list for the day.

I also now just carry the notebook for quick notes. Notebook for temporary stuff. If is something more permanent stuff that I need to remember, I just add an entry in my OneNote. If is a event, in goes to my outlook Calendar.

OneNote is hardly ideal, I used to run my life on Notion, but it works well enough, but there where some problems.

* Too much cluter. I did not use 1/3 of what it could do

* I run out of space, and I did not wanted another monthly payment to get premium stuff

* The search in One is reasonable, and does the job

* I can draw in my tablet, for simple diagrams

* Tt syncs with my phone independent if I'm using Android of IOs without me have to think much about it

* is already included in my Office 365 family plan.

* works offline, different from Notion.

My only grip is OneNote don't have a Linux desktop app, just wrappers for the web app, and pasting code on it is a fucking disaster. Other than that, it does the job.

The only thing now that would make me switch is Obsidian, but the IOs app is a fucking disaster. you cannot open vaults outside the Obsidian folder, and I was using git to sync it, but IOs dont have a good free Git app that can sync folders anywhere I want it.

Also, having to sync manually and solving merge conflits for my notes is kinda a pain in the ass.

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

#678

Post by arendtio »

The author might enjoy my todo app:

https://github.com/arendtio/witfocus

Ultimately, it is simply a folder containing text files. The witfocus script helps manage those files.

I don't think it is for everybody, but if you enjoy having your todos in a text file, it might be for you.

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

#680

Post by treetalker »

smiley1437 wrote: post #81

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 i…

On MacOS, TextExpander or Keyboard Maestro are great for this.
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