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This article reads like someone stumbled onto something they liked, then reasoned backwards to why everyone should use it.

Like all productivity things - if it works for you, great. But maybe don't assume your thing is the magic thing that will fix everyone else's problems just like it might have your own. Likewise, there's a pretty big difference between something that feels productive and something that is productive - something that constantly grates the back of my brain whenever I look at some of these over-elaborate bullet journal examples.




The other thing to remember is that these systems change over time. I'm a productivity nerd - I constantly change what I do and what works for me, because at different times in my life (say every ~2 years) I stumble across a system that works better for the next period. There is no magic bullet.


What are you using right now, and what did you use before that? (Main day to day system)


Not parent, but I can chime in with my current system: Simple logs that I can search and copy.

The key for me is that it's not about the format. The format changes with the context: I have a different logging strategy for fitness(Fitnotes app, and since I was just gifted one this past week, a Fitbit) from the logging used for programming notes(repetitive short block comments with date, time, and sometimes title). I have a generic diary text file that contains catch-all musings, but I am increasingly using different logs for different tasks since I don't currently face a lot of time contention that would necessitate a detailed calendar.

My logs are not just what happened but also what I wanted to happen on that date. I'll often copy-paste the same to-do list when I didn't finish it that day, or "redraft" the same thought an hour after I first logged it, with some elaborations. Keeping it around, I learn what is or isn't working at a glance by skimming over these repeats hours to months later.

Having the date and time is essential to this because it makes the log a progression: my recent activity is my most important, most of the time, and so in the case of the programming logs, I can gradually edit and eliminate them as the code changes and the momentary thoughts of "I need to do this next" grow irrelevant, while if it's something like a log of weight/reps/sets, I just want to copy, increment the numbers a little higher, and add a note about anything weird that day that may have made me change plans.

When I really need freeform notes I will turn to paper, and I can see bullet journaling techniques being worth trying in the future for adding some structure to those. As long as I have dates I can usually recreate the context of any particular note, though.

Something I just thought of: is there a browser extension that would automate logging my history when I want to research something? That's a pretty common task that I currently address manually with a lot of right clicks and ctrl+C's.


I use Trello to stay on task, easy to manage daily to-do lists while being able to just push everything to the next day and also managing long-term lists. It lets you comment, add files or links, create internal check-lists for each card, has the option for due dates, even integrations for stuff like Slack. It's great for keeping track of stuff in general. Plus it has a really friendly UI and it's free for the base package.

Asana is what we used at my last company and it's pretty much the same (at least from what I remember) with a different UI.

Another neat productivity thing I use is the Sketchpad app in the Windows Ink Workspace. My laptop has a touch screen that works with an active stylus. The app basically turns my laptop into a whiteboard on the fly (really handy for when I need to work out some complex math) and I can save a snapshot to then stick into Trello or wherever. Only gripe - Microsoft should add two-finger drag support (like in art programs like Krita) so you're not limited by you monitor size when using it.




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