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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

#241

Post by mockingloris »

codazoda wrote: post #199
nosianu wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - having your computer alert you to things that come up If my own experience is a valid example, alerts are overrated. They don't work for long. I hate getting interrupted by something that actually does not need my attention at that precise moment. I would disable those alerts in no time. I prefer leaving physical cues in the real world. I think screens are bad UI unless you already spend way too much time in fron…

I geeked out a bit, after reading another blog post, and used my thermal printer for this. I've been using it for a few weeks now. The little sticky notes it makes are great. https://joeldare.com/trying-to-stop-procrastination-with-my-... I am starting to collect too many of them though. I kinda like the idea of ops text-file because it is renewed from day to day. I'm still not quite sure how to deal with the items I…

I came across a similar post on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg45b8UXoZI - it's titled "I Fixed My ADHD with a Receipt Printer".

I should build one that sends me an SMS message instead. So I stumbled on AT+ plus code for programing GSM devices. I have a MTN HUAWEI E303 modem from back in 2016 and I wrote a server using the npm serialport module.

I just need to write a dmenu script that pipes from every 3 git commits.

  ```txt SMS from :mtn-E303-sms-server
  -------------------------
    PROJECT: ppc-v.1.0
  -------------------------
     Commits: 3
     New Features Added!
     Bugs Squashed
     Code Cleaned Up
  -------------------------
    Total XP: +150
    Keep it up! 
  -------------------------
  ```
That should keep my monkey brain hooked for a while he he.

└── Dey well

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

#242

Post by k4rnaj1k »

ChromaticPanic wrote: post #171
Igrom wrote: post #92

Reading through the comments under this thread, there are many users who swear by a plain text file, but who then build quite a lot of snowflake software to regain functionality offered by more structured TODO applications. That includes: - having your computer alert you to things that come up - being able to tag notes - being able to add events to a calendar - being able to set priority of tasks - expecting prioriti…

Too many programmers think they have a unique use case without considering that maybe the existing projects are bloated for a reason. Then they end up just recreating the same bloat.

[dead]

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

#243

Post by treetalker »

not_kurt_godel wrote: post #105
Igrom wrote: post #92

Reading through the comments under this thread, there are many users who swear by a plain text file, but who then build quite a lot of snowflake software to regain functionality offered by more structured TODO applications. That includes: - having your computer alert you to things that come up - being able to tag notes - being able to add events to a calendar - being able to set priority of tasks - expecting prioriti…

Apple's Reminders app does all of those things and many more without having to learn emacs

Reminders.app does a great job when I want create lists and inventories! I use it for groceries and webpages too. For example, I've sent many of the Emacs-related links to my Emacs list in Reminders, where I know I'll be able to find them the next time I forget Gall's Law and look for a more-complex system to replace my current one: writing things down; thinking about what I've written; redrafting; and repeating.

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

#245

Post by zahirbmirza »

I find it most interesting that despite Notions appeal and fanbase, it continues to lead to failure of this function. I am one of those who has built not just one, but two two apps for this! But, for todo management, I still use a Notes file (.txt on iOS is hard). I suspect that the upcoming integration with AI/calendar in iOS 26 will make it less appealing to me however, because it will take away the control and simplicity of managing things myself manually.

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

#246

Post by atothayu »

you are forgetting the most goat/clutch better than .txt - pen on back of hand :) (being completely serious/earnest here. great article, read thru the whole thing. same experience, tho i do love things), but ultimately back to my tried true high school days, timeless, eternal: WRITE IT ON THE BACK OF YOUR HAND THEN WASH IT OFF

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

#247

Post by slackpad »

A few years back a friend approached me with an idea to track todos in Google Calendar directly by adding #todo to event titles. If you don't mark them as done they will roll forward to the next day. We ended up shutting it down as a product, but I recently vibe coded it back as a Google Apps Script so it's free to run on your own. It works super well for people who live off of their calendar - https://github.com/slackpad/hashtagtodo-redux.

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

#248

Post by atothayu »

atothayu wrote: post #246

you are forgetting the most goat/clutch better than .txt - pen on back of hand :) (being completely serious/earnest here. great article, read thru the whole thing. same experience, tho i do love things), but ultimately back to my tried true high school days, timeless, eternal: WRITE IT ON THE BACK OF YOUR HAND THEN WASH IT OFF

BONUS - take a PHOTO as soon as you write it (so you can check later if needed, 99% never. just cognitive safety). but BODY as POST-IT is FASTEST, TIMELESS

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

#249

Post by mnw21cam »

I totally wrote my own TODO system. It's actually quite featureful, and it works as a command-line program that stores its data in a human-readable text file. And can produce graphs. Admittedly, it's more of a time-tracking system with an attached TODO list than anything else, and it doesn't pop up reminders for anything - I have an annoying calendar for that instead. Maybe one day I'll pop it on github and see if anyone else likes it.

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

#250

Post by adastra22 »

pydry wrote: post #188
skydhash wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taks tracking is different from reminders. There’s actually few things that I want to be reminded of, and they either belongs to a calendar (collaborative items) or a reminder app. The separation is blurry and they can all fits within the agenda concept. As for tasks tracking, it’s all lists. And a daily/weekly/monthly review is enough for me.

They blur into each other enough that it's good to use one app/text file that can do all three.

Blurring into each other is exactly the problem.. you become numb to both.
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