
Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do? - mezod
I keep categorizing ideas that I really want to execute into groups like work, personal life, projects etc, and then try to allocate time to them. But even when I try to focus and narrow the list of things I want to do, life still gets in between. So how do you go about it?<p>In the end I spend more time reorganizing my ideas than working on them &gt;.&lt;
======
lovelearning
4 text files that go from vague life goals down to concrete hourly tasks:

\- todo-year.txt : all goals for the year

\- todo-month.txt : track subset of annual goals to finish this month

\- todo-week.txt : track all monthly high-level tasks to finish this week

\- todo.txt : daily task plan based on weekly plan. Switch tasks every 1 hour.
In a day, I plan for about 4 tasks, so each task ends up getting about 2
hours.

Self-employed consultant here who has suffered from chronic procrastination
after my daily routine became disorganized and unsupervised for some years. If
I focus on only one thing for days on end, I feel I'm not doing much. The
system above has helped me reduce (but not eliminate) both procrastination and
distractions, and given me some satisfaction that I'm being relatively more
productive.

~~~
klenwell
I do something very similar but I use a Trello board with columns like these.
Specifically:

\- Daily

\- Weekly

\- Monthly

\- [YEAR] Completed

I like Trello because the cards support checklists, due dates, and comments
which are great features for promoting habits associated with getting stuff
done. Some cards are recurring (getting moved from monthly or weekly to daily
column), others are finishable. I take a small but real pleasure in moving
cards between columns and especially getting things over into the annual
completed column.

One note on the due dates: I don't use due dates as deadlines. I use them as
"check in on this no later than" dates. For me, the distinction is critical.

~~~
nextos
For any workflow, it is worth considering org-mode. It has certainly satisfied
me after trying many different alternatives.

It is plain text, so you are not locked into a proprietary object format.
Thus, you can edit it using any text editor in case Emacs is not around. In
fact, Vim is on its way towards implementing a decent subset of org-mode.
GitHub and GitLab also support org-mode syntax and can even render HTML from
it. There are also decent mobile clients, and even some bridges to things like
Trello.

Emacs has lots of org-mode primitives that can be used to deploy any workflow.
Moving items across sections or files can be efficiently done using org-
refile. Storing new items on the flight from many different places can be done
using org-capture and org-protocol. More importantly, you can easily create
alternative views of your files using org-agenda. org-mode also has
timestamps, so you can set schedules, deadlines or simply record events.

I've just scratched the surface. My favorite workflow is Ivy Lee's Method,
which is a very basic kanban with two states. Easy to implement in org-mode.
Just two trees: Today and Inbox. Every morning I refile 6 tasks from Inbox to
Today. I keep new thoughts and important items with deadlines, etc inside my
Inbox. I can use org-agenda to quickly see if there are any incoming deadlines
or events, which I store in a separate calendar file.

If you want to get fancy, you can use lots of trees, one per project. And
create lots of tasks to plan things ahead. Then use task states to schedule
things for today and get a clean view, again, using org-agenda or a sparse
tree. There are infinite possibilities.

~~~
dirtmerchant
I have enough in my todo list without adding “learn emacs” to it.

------
davidscolgan
I had an epiphany of sorts about this when working on a freelance project with
a client who was particularly organized. They had a kanban board split up into
Inbox (ideas and incoming features and bugs), Backlog (accepted tasks), In
Progress (doing right now), Review (for others to look at), and Complete
columns.

At the beginning of a sprint, the project manager sat down for about 10
minutes and looked at all the cards in the inbox and decided if any should be
moved to the backlog. He then rearranged the cards from most to least
important.

This prevented the need to think at all when working on the project - I just
took the top card from the backlog and put it into in progress until it was
done.

I realized, why don't I do this for my own projects too? Since my own projects
aren't paid, I for some reason think they should just be able to be done
without organization. I've implemented this same system in Trello for
arbitrary projects and it seems to work well when I use it. Also nice that it
makes it easy to collaborate if relevant but that isn't required.

It's a hard problem though - figuring out how to "Just Get Things DoneTM" is a
skill that requires trial and error to figure out what you'll actually stick
to, but in some ways is the most important thing to figure out.

I also highly recommend the book The One Thing - my coach recommended it to me
and though it started a little fluffy the second and third sections were
solid. In short, doing less helps a lot.

The Twelve Week Year is another book with some good ideas - instead of
planning long into the future, plan only on a quarterly basis, and have that
quarter align with your grand vision for the future.

Happy to chat more about this, as it's a problem I've wrasseled with a lot too
as a self-employed freelancer. My email's in my profile.

~~~
mezod
Thanks for this David.

Funnily, 5 years ago I developed my own personal kanban tool. It's still
running on [http://multikanban.com](http://multikanban.com) Of course Trello
is a thousand times more powerful and polished. I was just sharing to show
that I had my "personal kanban" phase in the past. It worked for some time...
but for some reason I stopped really benefiting from it. The idea was to have
multiple kanban boards easily accessible, where each board would be a project.
"Todos", "Money", "Family", "Refurbish motorcycle", "Code projext X", etc. Of
course it worked nicely for specific projects since it helps you be very
critical about what gets done and what doesn't. But I think the problem I
experienced there is that basically I ended up working on a single project,
two at best. Like they were top priority and they never got finished, so I
missed on everything else. I still have this problem now, that's why I try
something different like having specific times of the day/week allocated to
"main project", "sideproject", "money", etc. I just feel that the more thought
I put into it, the more complex the system becomes, the less likely is it for
me to follow it through.

I did [https://everyday.app](https://everyday.app) to sort of define a
schedule of habits I want to follow through every day, and so I feel progress
in all directions I want to work on.

Thanks for the book recommendations :)

~~~
gomangogo
The best way to sustain everyday.app is by making it open source and use
cloudstorage (with encryption) to sync it. You don't need to make people
paying $12. Great app.

~~~
mezod
Do you have any experience monetizing open source projects? Like, server costs
are definitely the most negligible of all costs of running a project!

~~~
gomangogo
I am assuming that you are doing something for the community and that you will
definitely get contributors. The project can have more impact if so. Look at
this open-source app to have an idea of what kind of project I am talking
about :
[https://github.com/laurent22/joplin](https://github.com/laurent22/joplin)

------
b_b
I would recommend for you to read and implement the organization/productivity
system from Getting Things Done by David Allen [0]. It discusses essentially
your main problems of dividing up your life into projects and timing yourself.
The system also includes sections for putting some of your ideas in an
'Incubate', basically putting it off for another day once you get through what
you have. Having a running list of all your commitments and projects like the
system does I think will help you to analyze your time usage and realistic
expectations for your productivity and stuff you want to engage in.

[0] = [https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-
Produ...](https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-
Productivity/dp/0143126563)

~~~
slsii
I second this recommendation with a suggestion that has hugely helped me. I
have more or less copied the approach to to-do lists described in that book
into a Trello board and then – importantly – made it my home page on Chrome.

This accomplishes two things for me: 1) any time I open a new tab, I get a
reminder of what needs to be done 2) adding an item or recording an idea to be
processed later is just a cmd-t away.

This approach (combined with the Trello mobile app) has made the list so easy
to maintain it's almost hard not to use it. YMMV, of course.

~~~
pqdbr
Could you provide a template for you trello board?

~~~
ff_
I'm also following a GTD-like approach (and I strongly second the
recommendation on the book)

My Trello board has the following columns:

\- MAYBE - for things that I'll maybe do

\- BACKLOG - for things that I decided I'll do at some point

\- WEEK - for things that I'll do this week (limit: 8 items)

\- TODAY - for things I'll do today (limit: 5 items)

\- DONE - move things here once done

Once a week I do a review session where I clean the "DONE" column and
reshuffle things in the other columns as needed

~~~
SlowRobotAhead
Hmm,I hadn’t thought of a week/day in Trello. It’s an interesting idea, but
having a les productive week seems like it really screws things up by forcing
moving back to Maybe and Backlog while you plan out your week. But i see a
possible benifit in that.

I wouldn’t do that to my collaborative work board, but for a personal board
that seems interesting.

------
organsnyder
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to have enough time in
life to do everything I want to do. And I'm okay with that—I always have
something on the list that I feel is worth doing, so it's hard to lose a sense
of purpose.

When I'm overwhelmed with must-dos (rather than just want-to-dos), I try to
remind myself that I just need to be doing _something_. It might not be the
perfectly optimal thing to be doing at that particular time (though often it
is), but it is indisputably better than paralysis.

~~~
ivanmaeder
"It might not be the perfectly optimal…"

Indeed.

I recently discovered Pomodoro helps me stop worrying about doing the most
optimal thing: it gives me an "excuse" to just do one thing for 25 minutes at
a time. What's the harm!

An interesting side effect of doing something/anything is that soon enough the
real priorities become clearer.

------
ArtWomb
Over organization can kill the spirit. Especially in creative endeavors. Let's
say you are working in independent game development. And you alone are
responsible for all design, tech, art, music and distribution. Allocating
hourly intervals for each task at a set time each day can breed monotony.
Rather, when you feel that inner fire to work on the music. Focus solely on
that one task for an uninterrupted period of 4 hours. And always with the
tools of reinforcement to show steady progress, such as documenting everything
and visualizing milestones.

I thought it was really interesting to hear about Ninja, the fabled Fortnite
streamer, talk about his work ethic. Which was basically to have two 4 hour
chunks of livestreaming per day. One in the morning, and one at night.
Separated by a 4 hour slot in the middle to spend with family and friends.
He's had the discipline to keep it up for a decade, even when few people were
watching. But having that accountability of an audience to livestream to,
provides the impetus for daily progress.

Best of luck ;)

~~~
taurath
I find that for tasks that I already know what to do with low ambiguity
scheduling works best, while tasks that have high ambiguity I might need to
find the right time to expend a bunch of energy.

------
burtonator
I've been working on a project for the last 4-6 months around managing your
books:

[https://getpolarized.io/](https://getpolarized.io/)

You guys loved it:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18219960](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18219960)

... but I'm sure not all of you have seen it yet.

Basically you can keep all your books and web pages in one central repository,
tag them, flag them or archive them and read them while keeping track of your
reading.

It also supports highlights, annotations, etc.

It's also Open Source and free so have at it!

~~~
darekkay
Thanks, this looks like something I've been looking for lately. I'd only
wished Polar would also support epub books. I couldn't find a reliable epub
reader with annotations support for Windows so far.

~~~
christiangenco
Why not just `ebook-convert book.epub book.pdf`?

~~~
darekkay
Yes, it's a workaround, but I like ePubs, as they allow me to change the font
size etc. at runtime.

------
Memosyne
Every couple of months I open a text file, insert headers denoting the coming
months, and write down things I have to accomplish under those headers.
Whenever I progress an objective, I jot down the task that helped me progress
in the past tense. For instance, under January I could add "Spend time with
family" and under that I would include "Went snow boarding with siblings".

I do this because I'm not prescient; I don't know how unforeseen circumstances
might affect my ability to complete my objectives. By only writing down things
that I have completed, I'm not discouraging myself if/when I can't finish
something.

Here is an example of what I mean:

# January

    
    
        # Work on personal projects
    
        # Study Graph Theory
    
            # Algorithms
    
                - Implemented Dijkstra's algorithm
    
            # Books
    
                - Read "Introduction to Graph Theory" by Richard J Trudeau
    

In short, I just organize my ideas into broad categories and then when I think
I've progressed, I further categorize it.

~~~
mezod
AS a matter of fact, I do something similar. I recommend you try dynalist.io
out. Much more powerful than a textfile :P

------
mondo9000
Realize that this behavior is just fancy procrastination. I can collect
recipes all day, but it won't make me a better cook.

~~~
davidscolgan
Procrastination is fun and complicated. "Just Do It" doesn't seem to help much
for me. After reading more I've found a number of reasons for procrastination
that may be helpful depending on the cause:

Is the task too vague? If so, making it more concrete helps. "Do taxes" is
impossibly vague and scary and the brain rebels. "Make a list of all expenses
this year" is better but still large. This is the most common actually helpful
advice I've found. But also

Do you not actually care about the task? Having a grand overarching goal for
your career/life can help you make sure the task is worth doing. Or for
something like taxes, you can say "this helps me achieve my goal because if I
don't pay my taxes I'll probably go to jail."

Do you not believe your project will succeed? This is a subtle one I only
recently discovered. If I'm working on an app or a business idea and I get to
the point where I don't believe it has a chance, I strongly lose motivation.
Some say this is a survival mechanism - if a hunter gatherer had a plan to
kill a wooley mammoth with a spear up close and that'd probably result in
death, a strong sense of "procrastination" could be a lifesaver.

Is it resistance to something that threatens your identity? This is a fun one
- maybe you've internalized that you don't finish projects (I've had some of
this I think). Finishing a project would threaten your "identity" of a non
finisher, and some part of the brain _hates_ things that threaten it's
identity. I think this one you just have to figure out a way to push through,
and give that part of the brain fodder to convince itself that it's identity
is not of "doesn't finish projects". The same can be true of earning money,
and other kinds of success.

~~~
matwood
The mind is great at rationalizing excuses. It is about executing. It is about
having the discipline to do the things you don't want to do, but know they
have to get done.

As soon as you start thinking about motivation, you have lost. Motivation is
fleeting. Even the most important task that is also fun will likely become a
grind before you are done. How do you get it finished? Have the discipline to
grind it out.

I'm not implying any of this easy. When the alarm goes off every morning to go
to the gym, it sucks. But I do it anyway. The first step is accepting it is
not easy and it will suck at times.

~~~
mezod
I agree that discipline > motivation. And thus, habit formation becomes
important. What I'd like to add here is what I call "learn to enjoy". I try to
"learn to enjoy" waking up in the morning to go to the gym. I think it's just
an euphemism to lowering the barrier between "what I want to do" and "what I
have to do". What makes waking up early suck at times? How can I make it suck
it less? How can I actually turn my mindset around so that I actually want to
wake up early and go to the gym?

~~~
matwood
Sure. I don't mind getting up many mornings at this point. What I wanted to
head off though is people thinking that it's somehow easy. That I'm a
'morning' person, or I am different than everyone else somehow. I'm not. I get
up early and workout because I chose to, and it's not always what I want to
do.

My goal, if there could be one, is to make waking up early and working out
just like breathing. It's not enjoyable, nor does it suck, it just is.

------
confounded
The advice on this thread is generally great.

Without explaining my whole process, here are some general tips from trying to
do this various ways over the last few years:

\- _Regularly review_ your TODOs, and keep them up-to-date. This is way more
important than the tool you pick. Pick a slot in your calendar, fight to
protect that time, and stick to it. Ultimately all these systems are just a UI
veneer on you regularly deciding what’s important. It’s easy to focus on tools
and not sticking to a regular process.

\- _Start small_ It’s very easy to barf everything you want to do into a
system and then be completely overwhelmed by it. If this is a problem, use the
review process so that you always have a list of what you actually expect to
do in the next day, week, and month. Be realistic.

\- _Have goals at different time horizons_ , and have reviews for them. The
GTD system of daily, weekly, monthly and annual reviews works well for me.

\- _Become comfortable with putting complex multidimensional things into
coarse little buckets_. E.g. this is a task, this is a goal; this is kinda for
project A and B, but I’ll put it here; this deadline is self-imposed, this one
is for a release, etc. etc. There’s no trick here apart from keep doing it,
realize that these are only abstractions which are supposed to be useful to
you. You’ll change them over time, but...

\- _Aggressively separate doing your review system, and improving it_. It can
be easy to sit down to review what you want to do in the next week/month/year,
and end up fiddling around with how your system works. Both are neccessary,
but the reviews must happen, and improving your system is a separate activity
which you can schedule when appropriate!

Finally...

\- _Dont sweat it_. It takes work, and everyone’s system is more of a mess
when you look at it vs. hear them explain it. The most important thing is
regularly dedicate time to thinking about how you want to spend time.

------
elorant
I have a rather meticulous program. For starters, I write everything down on a
daily log. Thoughts, notes, tasks, everything. I do it with pen and paper
because I like writing and it helps me thinking things more thoroughly. Then
at the end of the day I move actionable tasks to a different journal which has
to-do lists by project. At the beginning of each week I peruse the projects
lists and choose tasks to move to a weekly to-do list. This way I have a
planned-ahead weekly schedule which keeps me from procrastinating.

I suppose if you can focus on a single project you don't need to go into such
lengths of detailed logging. But for me it's imperative to keep detailed notes
because I work on multiple projects simultaneously, and I can also keep track
of older ideas that might get lost in the mayhem that goes around in my head.
The best way to stop procrastinating is to break down projects to single
tasks. Then I don't feel overwhelmed by the variety of tasks I have to
accomplish. I only need to do a single task each time. I've adopted this
system in the last couple of years and my productivity has increased at least
100%.

~~~
dhimes
This is quite similar to my approach. I use the same notebook for my
actionable tasks though (my daily to-do list is in this notebook), project-
related stuff is kept together in separate files if necessary. The layout of
the 'action-day' calendar comes closest to meeting my needs, so I use it

[https://www.amazon.com/Action-Day-
Planner-2019-Productivity/...](https://www.amazon.com/Action-Day-
Planner-2019-Productivity/dp/9935480577)

Something like this for keeping track of the project information (note: I
haven't actually listened to this podcast).

[https://www.steverrobbins.com/getitdoneguy/152-project-
statu...](https://www.steverrobbins.com/getitdoneguy/152-project-status-
cards/)

------
mourner
I love the Bullet Journal system [1], writing yearly/monthly/daily goals in an
old-fashioned paper notebook. Somehow it makes it much easier to reason about
compared to keeping digital to-do lists.

[1] [https://bulletjournal.com](https://bulletjournal.com)

~~~
rasengan0
Indeed I analog with fountain pen and handmade notebooks for X17 for mobile.
The physical act of writing shit down has made all the difference. If I need
to track or posterity, it goes in Tiddlywiki and/or VimWiki

------
crabl
I wrote my own task management application that I use to organize long-term
goals (and different aspects of my life) into high-level categories
(represented by sections on the page like “work” vs. “home” vs. “personal”),
and more granular categories (represented by cards of tasks) as they become
more well-defined, or if i want to group tasks into a “project”. I can break
cards into tasks and schedule them within the same UI. The important
distinction between this and most “GTD” systems is that I schedule at a much
less granular level (days) than most systems and I can very easily move tasks
around between “scheduled” and “unscheduled” states while maintaining a link
to their corresponding category. The system is extremely adaptable because
it’s not very prescriptive. I tweeted about it here:
[https://twitter.com/crabl/status/1073248575612542976?s=20](https://twitter.com/crabl/status/1073248575612542976?s=20)

~~~
tibu
This app look really useful. Is it possible to try it out?

------
runjake
I use a simplified form of GTD as a form of survival.

I don't know the ins and outs of GTD. I skimmed through the book enough to get
started. I periodically look things up when I have a question.

I literally have this flowchart [1] printed out and at my desks at home and
work to serve as a constant reminder when I feel overwhelmed.

I AVOID READING GTD-RELATED TOPICS AND TRYING NEW APPS AND TOOLS. This is
crucial, otherwise I will get sidetracked into new methodologies and
reinventions.

What I have now, works, and I want to avoid the productivity porn trap. Pick
something that works well enough and make _small_ iterations[2] to reduce
frictions.

Other important points:

\- Identify all of your inboxes and work to keep on them. And maintain a
single physical inbox at home and work. \- Perform a weekly review of your
tasks and make adjustments as necessary.

1\. [https://lifedev.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/gtd-
workflow....](https://lifedev.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/gtd-workflow.gif)

2\. This is critical. No major changes at once.

------
burnt_toast
I once read in an biography on the Beatles that they would often hold off on
writing down songs till the next day. Their theory was that if their song
truly was "that good" they would have no trouble recollecting it the next day.
And if they forgot it, then it clearly wasn't worth doing.

I like to apply this principle to a lot of the ideas I choose to work on. It's
easy to think that every idea is the cat's pajamas, but sometimes it's best to
let the concept cook for a bit. I find that after a few days or so the idea
will have either fizzled out, and I'll have forgotten about it, or I'll be
itching to really work on it.

This is just my 2 cents.

------
rcarmo
I use e-mail as a task list (only file threads when the work is done), and
OneNote checklists for the rest (it irks me a bit that not all platforms have
proper strikeout formatting for denoting cancelled tasks, but it works).

I also use my calendar for timekeeping (I’ll toggle over to it and move time
slots around to plan when I’ll get to the next task on my plate). My
priorities are fairly fluid, and I will often move a longer task later in the
week and fish out smaller things from my e-mail backlog or checklists to fill
that gap.

I just _do_ stuff, and focus on clearing out my inbox and checking out those
lists afterwards as part of the cleaning up/re-focusing in between tasks. I
also don’t worry too much about not getting something done, because if it
doesn’t happen at all, there were certainly more important things that got
done in the meantime.

For checklists, OneNote works mostly fine offline (it’s been years since I had
trouble with syncing, and was hesitant to move to it because of that) and on
all platforms I carry around with me.

I do think about going back to a pure text file set up now and then, but the
closest I get is using GitHub flavored Markdown for checklists and roadmaps
(most of my READMEs on GitHub have a checklist of what needs to be done, and
of late I’ve taken to adding similar lists to my Azure portal for projects).

Again, do stuff. Document it. Plan next steps. Iterate.

------
alfonsodev
I’ve created a Slack account with just one user, me. I have a private channel
for every project, every category of problem and every interest I have. It’s
not just about pasting links in the channel, you can leave messages in the
channel(obviously) create documents, threads, todo lists, the search and the
automations even sometimes I chat to myself in private to clarify my mind. All
this is registered and can be revised later.

It might seem a bit weird but it works for me, problably because the
familiarity with the tool and the versatility of Slack.

Also it helps to have this place to quickly dump ideas in the right channel
and move on so you are not distracted at work, you can come back to the
channel when you have the time for it.

------
tunesmith
I created a life goal of a happy and fulfilling life, and then attempted to
identify the 3-5 necessary subgoals that were sufficient for that, and
continued down the chain until I got to day-to-day activities.

I have a whole system for that, but the upshot is that if you find yourself
doing something that isn't on the graph, then you have a choice - either
update your graph to justify why it's necessary, or... consider not doing it
anymore.

Kind of an anti-todo list. Because when I had earlier only used todo lists, my
completist nature led me to get overwhelmed with list items. This other system
helps prevent that.

------
anujsharmax
As a tool, I use Org mode in Spacemacs (Emacs) with a variation of the
following setup.

[http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html](http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html)

This is the most comprehensive setup I found, and I have modified it to suit
my workflow.

I use dropbox to save all the Org files, which I can open (view/edit) on my
phone with Orgzly.

As a philosophy, I don't do everything I write in the task list. It is just
there to keep my mind empty to think clearly. I actively find tasks to take
off the list - by delegating it, by paying someone else to do it, or by just
saying no to those tasks.

~~~
griphook
This is freaking amazing!! Thanks for the share.

------
adrianvoica
I use my own system dubbed NL0 (N = Now, L = Later, 0 = Never). I keep a
Trello board online with these 3 columns, and once in a while I clean it up
(maybe once every month, but it's not a rule - whenever I feel like it). I
also write things and ideas on paper, but, eventually, I sync it all up in the
Trello board (I also have Trello on my phone, so, it's usually around when I
need it). The [Now] column is for things I need to do / learn now (highest
priority); the [Later] column is for things that I need or would like to do /
learn later, in the medium-term future; the [0 (never)] column is for things
that I am sure I won't do / need, or things that represent no meaningful value
(for me) anymore, including things from the other 2 columns. It's been working
for me for years now.

P.S.: I keep talking about things that you need to "learn" / "do". Actually
that sums up everything we do in our lives. We either learn something or we
use what we already learned. Keep learning, keep doing!

NL0 4ever! :)

~~~
rymohr
I recently started using a similar system but I went with now, soon, later,
maybe. Once the maybes become nevers they go in the trash.

I write everything down on note cards which sit in a shoebox on my desk (with
dividers for the categories above).

------
D4RKH0R53
I was in the same situation from the last 7-8 year, I read so many self-help
books, watched countless motivational videos and other activities to stop
procrastination. And the most important thing which I learned is 'Focus in one
thing at a time' I will recommend you to read this
[https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-
ab...](https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-about-frogs/)

Hope it will help you...

------
irb__
I use quire.io with four parent nodes titled:

\- _urgent important_

    
    
      - critical tasks that have high yield on goal productivity
    
      - usually work stuff and active projects
    

\- _important not urgent_

    
    
      - tasks that need to get done but are not time urgent
    
      - inactive projects, and other future tasks or projects
    
      - a backlog of soon to be "urgent important" items
    

\- _urgent not important_

    
    
      - peasant tasks
    
      - daily tasks to survive (food, bills, etc.)
    
      - personal life stuff
    

\- _not urgent not important_

    
    
      - tasks and projects that do not carry a high yield on goal productivity
    
      - home DIY projects, etc.
    
    

The _urgent important_ section is where you should be spending most of your
day time, but to live a stable life, one has to be able to balance out some
time to the other tasks...or delegate those lower nodes to somebody else!

------
numike
I use index cards and pen/pencil. i keep them around me car/home etc and I
write ideas, to do list, whatever on them and as I finish/archive what I wrote
on the card I toss it away. Please note I am an old person

~~~
qrbLPHiKpiux
^ Occam's razor.

------
Haul4ss
You're probably still trying to do too much.

Another user recommended The One Thing, and I'll second that. You have to
always be prioritizing. Figure out what you really, REALLY want to do, and you
will make time for it.

I definitely suffer from the "everything looks cool and fun" syndrome. There
are a thousand things I want to learn and only enough time to learn maybe
three of them.

You can do anything, but you can't do everything. So how do you decide what to
do?

I also use a Full Focus Planner and the corresponding method that goes with
it, to distill annual goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily habits. FFP
is definitely not for everybody, but when I commit to using it I do find I get
a lot more done. Then I invariably fall off the wagon.

We're all a work in progress.

~~~
matwood
The One Thing is good. It was free to read on Kindle for Prime members
recently. The OP should check if it's still there.

The hard part is figuring out the one thing. Tim Ferris talks about this a lot
- finding the one thing that makes other things you want to do either
irrelevant or so much easier. This concept has lots of names. Jocko Willinks
books Extreme Ownership puts it simply as "prioritize and execute".

Anytime I feel overwhelmed with the amount I have to do what I have really
done is not prioritize.

And yes, it is not easy and requires daily discipline.

------
superkarolis
I think your problem is not lack of organisation but either lack of action or
wanting to do too much at the same time, or both. There are only so many
things you can do in a given day/week/month. Hence it's much better to not
scatter that time across a wide variety of different activities and just focus
on a few key ones.

Having said that, there are always things that pop up that I would ideally
like to do at some point. I keep track of these in various lists on my notes
app (recently switched to Notion) and sometimes look at those lists when I am
at a point where I have the ability or feel ready to start something new.

Having said that also, I believe that good shit sticks anyway.

------
erikvann
By "life gets in between", do you mean that you have things you want to do but
other random things pop up and you do those instead? If so this is a
prioritization issue and maybe you need to start saying "no". If you can't
really say no, then you need to plan for these things instead of letting them
derail you.

Also as I am sure you know, you always think that you can get more done than
you actually can. Plan to do less. I like to keep a list of things I'm working
on this week and what I intend to finish today. I journal every morning about
what is still in the today list. It helps me think about why that happened and
what I can do about it.

------
scarface74
A little over 10 years ago, I realized my life was a total disorganized wreck.
My career as a software developer had stagnated, my side real estate venture
hit the same hard times that everyone else hit, I was teaching fitness classes
on the side as a “working hobby”, and I was still reeling from the effects of
a divorce.

I decided to simplify my life, decided what goals are important in the grand
scheme of things and refocus. It’s s lot easier to organize when you aren’t
trying to do so much.

1\. I got out of the dating scene and just started hanging out with friends,
freeing up my time to focus.

2\. I cut down on teaching to just enough to stay healthy. After I started
dating my now wife, I cut it out entirely.

3\. I did a lot of hard work to get my career on track.

Now my life is really simple to organize and it’s all about just having a
schedule.

1\. Health - I have a home gym and set aside 6 hours a week on my calendar to
work out.

2\. My wife and I have a shared calendar so we know what’s going on and we put
our date nights on it at least once every pay period.

My son and I have “hair cut days” every two weeks where we get our haircuts
and just hang out.

I also schedule time to hang out with friends once a month at least.

3\. Career. I choose jobs that will keep me current with technology so I’m not
required to do side projects to stay competitive. I also spend at least one
hour in the morning, studying toward my agenda items of new to me
technologies/frameworks I want to bring into work. I might also do a quick
proof of concept.

I do have a list of things I want to learn but no real schedule. Whenever it
gets done between personal studying and work it gets done.

Every one is at a different point in life, but I enjoy having a mostly care
free, check list free life, and coming home to my wife and just relaxing.

For work, I break my task down to measurable chunks and do the best I can. If
I worked as hard as I can and it’s still going to miss it’s deadline, it just
does and I tell them far in advance. I go home in a reasonable time and so
don’t answer emails after hours.

------
nemoniac
Org mode: [https://orgmode.org/](https://orgmode.org/)

~~~
ColinWright
That might be true, but Org Mode is phenomenally powerful, and you haven't
told us what you do or how you use it for this specific question.

~~~
bloopernova
Not the parent commenter, but here's my workflow:

Org mode files are stored on dropbox. One file per project, plus one for
Personal Stuff.

Android app "Orgzly" is the main editor for those files. I also use VS Code's
org mode extension to edit those files sometimes.

Square-dotted notebook is used for daily notes from meetings. + symbol means
TODO, bullet point symbol means Item To Remember. + symbols are swept into the
relevant org mode files at various times during the day or week. Different
colour pens are also used when different projects may get covered in the same
meetings.

Personal Stuff gets entered directly into Orgzly, which then forms the main
backbone of my Agenda display in the same app.

I don't attempt to sync tickets between the various different tracking systems
of different projects and my org mode files.

Longer notes and documentation are written in Markdown and converted as needed
using Pandoc.

------
tranchms
1\. Start with THE goal: what is the goal? Make sure it has a “why” that
energizes and excites and inspires you, that imbues you with a transcendent
vision of clarity.

2\. Assume maximum responsibility for achieving this vision— expand your mind
in a way that allows you to see the largest sphere of influence over your
desired outcome. Often we think too small, and get stuck in the weeds. We wait
for permission. Take responsibility. Act, and ask for forgiveness later. You
alone are responsible for your dreams.

3\. Practice daily meditative reflection— spend more time alone, in isolation,
with yourself. Be still for long periods of time, let your mind open, and
listen to what arrives, what presents itself to your mind. Pay attention to
pain— discomforting thoughts and feelings are teachers pointing us where we
need to go and what we need to do. Write down these thoughts. Write them all
down. List, connect, associate, outline. Let these thoughts illustrate that
vision, and materialize it with every connecting realization.

4\. Spend time organizing these thoughts. Prioritize. Distinguish the signal
from the noise. Always keep the goal in mind— each idea should connect and
justify the goal, the vision. Each of these ideas should produce clarity.
Create a plan, with goals, and steps for each goal.

5\. Execute. Make the vision manifest through intentional activity. You alone
are responsible. Do not depend on anyone. Learn what you need to learn.
Partner with like minded people, who share similar visions.

6\. Repeat this process daily.

------
juliend2
Lately, I've been using Trello like this:

* When I have a new "project" (boards are cheap, so everything can be a "project"), I run a ruby script that calls the Trello API to: 1) copy a template trello board that has "to do", "doing", "pending" and "done" columns. 2) name it with the argument I passed it to the script. 3) this new board is created into a specific team I created for those kinds of cheap boards.

* I have a PHP page that shows all those boards : [https://www.dropbox.com/s/x9oce22p6p6o74m/trello-boards-dash...](https://www.dropbox.com/s/x9oce22p6p6o74m/trello-boards-dashboard.png?dl=0) which is useful, since they all have the same columns in them, it's easy to visualize.

* In the PHP page I created, everything is an html anchor to its corresponding trello URL (boards, card).

So it gives me a birds eye view, at a glance, of everything I need to do. I
still have specific trello boards for certain specific things, and I still use
a calendar and a todoist account to organize my weeks. But i've found this
hack to help me streamline all my non-time-sensitive tasks to do.

If you want, I can give you the code for those 2 scripts. Let me know if
someone is interested.

------
all_usernames
Covey's "7 Habits" taught me everything I needed to know.

I use the app Things to throw new items into an Inbox. This takes half a
second and doesn't distract me from whatever it is I'm working on at the time.

Later, when I have a free moment, I use the classic time management grid to
mentally map every item in the Inbox into one of four categories:

1\. Urgent & Important

2\. Not Urgent but Important

3\. Urgent but Not Important

4\. Not Urgent & Not Important

(Visualized as a 2x2 matrix)

This categorization step could be done once a day or once an hour depending on
how much incoming work there is.

Based on the outcome of that quick assessment, I move the item into one of the
categories 'Things' provides out-of-the-box: Today, Someday, Any time. And I
have tags for every project or area of responsibility I have. During this step
I usually take a few minutes to fill in some details about the task that I
don't want to forget. Sometimes I realize the task is an entire project in
itself, so it gets a new tag or Project item in Things.

Every day I start out by scanning my projects and moving items into the Today
list. The day is done when I've checked them all off (yeah, right!)

It's all derived, I believe, from the Getting Things Done methodology.

[1]
[https://www2.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementG...](https://www2.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementGrid.pdf)
[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done)

------
dageshi
I had this problem, the solution I've ended up is...

Wunderlist (Android Task App) for non computer related things todo, stuff like
shopping, meal prep, anything that doesn't involve sitting at a computer.

[https://dynalist.io](https://dynalist.io) \- Which was a revelation for me,
by far the best way of organising my thoughts & planning.

Google Calendar - Used for long term reminders, events and general scheduling.

[https://tiddlywiki.com/](https://tiddlywiki.com/) \- Ideal for long term
structured notes.

The most important thing I found was to offload everything into your head into
tools that you trust and can do the job. I trust google calendar to remind me
of stuff I've set it up to remind me, I trust wunderlist to remind me of the
weekly stuff I need to do when I need to do it. Tiddlywiki will get me any of
my old notes in seconds and dynalist let's me get thought processes out of my
head into the computer better than anything else I've used.

------
greenyouse
If you're lacking time to work on stuff you could keep track of your daily
tasks and see trends in how you spend your time. If you know what you're
doing, then you can re-organize your schedule to do things that are more
important for you.

If you have a large list of projects to do, you could try assigning value to
each and put them into a queue.

Take a spreadsheet, put the projects into rows, add columns for what's
important to you, weight the columns appropriately, compute a final importance
score, and rank the items in the queue. Column names for projects could be:
community value, work value, personal value, and maintenance cost (negative).
That at least datafies the tasks so you can objectively work with them.

Otherwise org-mode for taking notes and small daily tasks. Having random facts
on hand about systems at work and what you did 5 months ago to solve problem X
have been really helpful for me.

There is something to be said for just getting excited about something and
hacking it though. It's way more fun :D

------
stevenkovar
Keep a rotating list of 20 goals—5 big, 15 small.

Star the 3 most important to you.

Put in time on one of the three each day until you fatigue.

Work then on one of the smaller goals.

Cross one off? File it for future reference, then replace.

Don't be hesitant to edit out and replace outdated goals. Your perspective can
(and absolutely should) change quickly as you accomplish things you set out to
do.

~~~
davidscolgan
Similar Warren Buffet's methodology - consider your top 25 priorities. Then
pick the top 5. The next 20 are your "avoid at all costs" list, since they
will always try to distract you.

I really like the idea of working on large and also small projects, since just
sticking to one and only one thing is not always feasible.

------
acutesoftware
Writing down your ideas is a good thing - you may likely come back to them
later and expand / learn from them.

I think the trick is to work out what you "really want to execute" vs "what
you are willing to spend time to execute". If you have a lot of ideas, you
will not be able to execute them all, and that is a hard pill to swallow.

Like you, I have lots of ideas I'd love to complete but time is a factor -
pick the ones you want to finish first, and work through them. Write the
others down, so you can expand on them later if you want.

And don't forget to take time to relax - there is such a thing as idea burnout
[https://www.lifepim.com/blog/5737_Take_time_to_relax](https://www.lifepim.com/blog/5737_Take_time_to_relax)

~~~
geezerjay
> I think the trick is to work out what you "really want to execute" vs "what
> you are willing to spend time to execute". If you have a lot of ideas, you
> will not be able to execute them all, and that is a hard pill to swallow.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a very effective framework to decide which
tasks to execute and which goals to drop.

------
Drahflow
I had basically the same problem as OP some years back. Then I wrote down, for
each and every task, how much I'd value having already completed it (including
how much I'd value having experienced doing it), and how long I estimated it'd
take. This immediately gives value / hour. Add some categorization (e.g. to
only work on work tasks during the week), and voila: Auto-prioritization.
Helped a lot with getting the actually important things done and get reminded
to do useful long term stuff when idle time arose.

FWIW, I'm currently rebuilding it as a web-app, if you want to try:
[https://quuxtodo.com/](https://quuxtodo.com/)

------
bayindirh
I have a tiered storage for my to do lists.

The biggest storage (also the longest term) is Trello. I have a board with
many "lists" in Trello term. Some examples:

    
    
        - Learning
        - Software development
        - Home (repairs, improvements, etc.)
        - Physical organization*
        - Digital organization*
        etc. 
        *: Having lots of data and items create its own mess.
    
    

However, the most important four lists in my Trello board are

    
    
        - ToDo (what I've decided to do next, when task at hand finishes.)
        - In Progress (What I'm working on).
        - Done
        - Cancelled (Sometimes problem solves itself or you change your mind or else).
    

Using Trello effectively is the key. All the research about a task is under
that Task's card. All the documents, all the links, everything. When the task
gets rolling, all documentation is moved to its own Evernote notebook and
stored forever. The documentation evolves there and gets more useful over
time. Another useful tool for this task is Zim wiki. It's arguably more
useful, but running it on Mac is a problem for me (I don't like Homebrew).

Trello is updated weekly. New ideas are added, maybe some are cancelled.
Completed ones moved to appropriate places, etc. It takes 10 to 15 minutes.

For daily tasks, I have a notebook. I write every night the next day's tasks.
I have some implicit categories in it. Office, academic and personal.
Incomplete tasks repeated the next day. It's like a bullet journal, but it's
not.

This creates a big picture for me. I don't need to remember anything, can see
my backlogs, remember what I'm working on and see how far I progressed.
Writing daily tasks keep me motivated. Updating Trello also keeps me motivated
and on track.

For allocating time, I have two tools. Google calendar and Pomodoro technique
[0]. All my fixed tasks (like social stuff, meetings, etc.) are in my
calendar. I generally decide to work on some project the night before.

When I'm working on the task, I track time with Pomodoro, so it keeps me
motivated. 4-5 Pomodoros are sufficient for me to produce meaningful work. I
generally use the last one to update progress and documentation, and end the
day.

Hope this helps, please ask any questions you may have in your mind.

[0]: [https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-
technique](https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique)

~~~
mbohde
I also like the pomodoro technique but i have a hard time choosing a good
looking app. I came across mater from Jason Long [1] but it still need some
work under the hood. It is based on Electron.

[1] [https://github.com/jasonlong/mater](https://github.com/jasonlong/mater)

~~~
bayindirh
Which OS are you using? I'm using Be Focused Pro on iOS and macOS. It's a paid
application, but it's very refined and can hold nice statistics.

I tracked my progress when I was writing my Ph.D. dissertation, and it helped
me tremendously. I can even see the "end crunch" on the statistics, which is
very satisfying.

Last, but not the least, macOS and iOS version synchronizes, so when I use my
Linux workstation, use the iOS version to keep track of time.

About Electron, this is how I feel:
[https://twitter.com/iamdevloper/status/1072503943790497798](https://twitter.com/iamdevloper/status/1072503943790497798)

------
rb808
You can't do everything you want to do. First thing is to realize if you are
working a full time job, you can't really do much else. If you have a full
time job and children, don't really expect to do anything more than that. if
you want to do something else - you need to get rid of children for a while
(parents/boarding school) or quit working.

One thing I've stopped doing is shopping around for the best possible price
bargain. I spend hours and hours to get the best laptop I could get for a
price. If I just paid a few hundred dollars more I would have a better model
and saved myself a literally a week's worth of work.

------
FailMore
I chaotically stumble through life remembering things sometimes and doing what
I feel like doing most of the time. I am still alive.

------
dominotw
I've become so disorganised, lazy and demotivated that my only goal right now
in life is to do 8 pomodoros/day, doesn't really matter what i do in them.
just doing 8 of them per day is huge accomplishment.

------
dana321
I have to focus one one project, at the moment i'm writing a programming
language and i've pretty much got there by saying to myself "ok, i want to do
this.. what language features do i need?" and work from there.

I think this can apply for anything. Work out what you want to do, then the
steps that you need to do it.

It doesn't really matter whether you use trello, a text file or some other
notes system.

Don't try and do things in parallel, it doesn't work. If you want to do some
big project, save some money so you can focus on it. Work out the outer
logistics as well as the inner.

------
impostir
Okay, this won't be the clearest answer here because I didn't have a system I
am extremely happy about right now. However, I have tried alot of the other
suggestions here. I will try to offer my opinion on a few tools / systems.

1\. Getting Things Done: The flow chart he provides is the key feature of the
book. Most of the other advice is mediocre, in my opinion.
[https://lifedev.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/gtd-
workflow....](https://lifedev.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/gtd-workflow.gif)

2\. org-mode: It is incredibly powerful, honestly, the most powerful
productivity / todo app. However, I found that this power slowed down my
process, and I find that kills my productivity. If you love powerful, complex
tools, org-mode is for you.

3\. Todoist: it is an adequate list app; if thats all you need, it works well.
Also, it has an open api, but I never used it.

4\. Todo.txt / Markor: this is my current setup. Markor is a really nice
android app;
[https://github.com/gsantner/markor](https://github.com/gsantner/markor) . I
generally like the philosophy behind todo.txt. It forces you to simplify your
todos. My main problem is that notifications aren't a part of the programs at
all.

I hope this is useful to someone.

------
renierbotha
I've recently discovered Notion (www.notion.so) and it's changed A LOT for me.

The main selling point is that it's all the other tools - Trello, Kanban,
Asana, Google Sheets (to an extent) in one place, with a planned release of an
API.

I've been loving it so much that I've started helping my brother organize some
of his company's projects using Notion to showcase the value of having your
content organized in one place with the tools that make you feel like your
living in 2019.

~~~
renierbotha
PS - If anyone feels like notion is a vibe and want to try it out, I wouldn't
be against you signing up using this link:

[https://www.notion.so/?r=f5b9c5492da44f55bedb473d92a0bfb1](https://www.notion.so/?r=f5b9c5492da44f55bedb473d92a0bfb1)

The free tier is pretty extensive, and I'm most def gonna upgrade soon, but
every bit helps :)

------
lukevdp
I have tried GTD and but it didn’t feel quite right for me. I believe the best
system is the one that is tweaked to your life circumstances, and that changes
over time. I’ve settled on the following system for now

\- quarterly goals in a google doc. Every once in a while I review them and
mark it green if it’s done, yellow if I’m working on it and red if it’s not
going to happen. I do a new one for next quarter at the end of every quarter

\- day to day in google keep. Here I use labels to categorise. I have a “who”
label and a “what” label. Let’s say I’m working on a project with John. If I
have a meeting with John I’ll write notes if I have to remember anything and a
list of what needs to be done, then label it John and Project Name. Using this
system, I can go quickly review what needs to be done on a project across the
whole team, and also I can review what I’m doing with John for a 1 on 1.

Important notes or lists get Pinned, and I archive stuff once it’s no longer
relevant.

\- I use my calendar to prioritise. Every night before bed I take a look at my
calendar for the next day and have a look what my priorities are and plan my
day.

\- shopping list in the google assistant shopping list

\- things that need to be brought to my attention at a certain time or place
go in my phone reminders

------
ryanmarsh
Stephen Covey's system embodied by the Franklin Covey planners were the most
holistic system I've ever seen for managing the day to day, and keeping the
big picture in mind (the fulfilling part). It's sad the company has all but
died.

GTD is great for churning out done tasks. Though afterwards I felt less
fulfilled.

Since Franklin Covey failed to ever produce a software product of any use I
use an ugly mix of iPhone reminders, Things (by Cultured Code) and Microsoft
OneNote.

[http://weekplan.net](http://weekplan.net) is an attempt to mix Franklin Covey
and OKR (Objective & Key Results). It has some good features, but it's buggy
and confusing.

I've also gone without any planning system for a time. Only focusing on what
bubbled up in my mind. If you remain undistracted it's incredibly liberating
when you discover how _little_ you must accomplish to enjoy a healthy
productive life.

Most of the items on our todo lists are worthless to us anyway. Which is why
the Self Authoring program helped me immensely.
[https://selfauthoring.com/](https://selfauthoring.com/)

------
rasengan0
For rapid capture Using Joe's triage system
[https://joearms.github.io/#2018-12-26%20Fun%20with%20the%20T...](https://joearms.github.io/#2018-12-26%20Fun%20with%20the%20TiddlyWiki)

in TiddlyWiki [https://tiddlywiki.com](https://tiddlywiki.com)

archiving enduring stuff in

[https://github.com/vimwiki/vimwiki](https://github.com/vimwiki/vimwiki)

but it goes against reuse philosophy in tiddlywiki
[https://tiddlywiki.com/#Philosophy%20of%20Tiddlers](https://tiddlywiki.com/#Philosophy%20of%20Tiddlers)

but in VimWiki i have the power of :VimWikiGenerateLinks which adds all
entries into auto completion of any wiki entry invoked by C-n

But it is hard not to stay fully vested in TiddlyWiki when you have cool stuff
like this by Eric Shulman
[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tiddlywiki/yzVdb42TUBI/mWXIB...](https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tiddlywiki/yzVdb42TUBI/mWXIBI7ZCAAJ)

------
Bayart
Like many others it seems, I keep lists of things in places I'll have to see
them when I need to :

\- For work, things to study and technical things : a file I make my text
editor always open at launch.

\- For "consumption" : a list I keep in my browser's side bar. At this point
in time it's mostly made of shirts, displays and chairs I want to look into
when it's globally budgeted, and random domestic maintenance consumables.

\- For life goals _and_ life events I want to handle, I've got a sheet of
paper stuck on my desk lamp. You'd find things like calling some company which
billed me an extra 20€ it shouldn't have, getting some bad mole removed or
talking to friends that drifted away (having had periods of depression
withdrawal, it really hit me that if you keep in touch with people they won't
do it for you).

\- For entertainment, I've got a text file of things to watch and read on my
desktop. And an Amazon list for the more serious literature.

It's not very organized, but I do better when I have a few things to handle
within a day and keep me engaged rather than being tunnel-visioned on one
task.

------
desireco42
Sometimes in December last year, I started using Bullet Journal again. I got a
book and read it and applied it. What I discover, that along with other tools,
it does help me feel focused and less overwhelmed.

For projects, I kind of need Pivotal Tracker to be able to organize and do
things. I still write them down in my notebook also, otherwise I have two
different places for things (which I do). Hope this makes sense.

------
zackmorris
I have kind of an open question but: do we have a way to quantify what it
means to get something done?

For example, I feel in my heart that I can solve any problem, given enough
time and resources. Sometimes I don't get even 1 important thing done in a
day. Meanwhile I watch other people get what seems like 10-100 things done in
a single day. Then they do it again the next day, consistently, their entire
lives. Which of us accomplishes more in the grand scheme of things? Which of
us feels happier, or more fulfilled? Which of us makes more money? Is that
want accomplishment is, earning money? Or is it freeing oneself from
obligation? Or is it having been useful to others? A few thoughts:

* Is getting something done mostly about the feeling of accomplishment? Or is it a tangible, quantifiable thing like crossing an item off a todo list?

* I began using the calendar app in my phone a year ago. I feel a sense of relief not having to remember everything, and I stopped missing appointments. But my calendar is filling up fast, and it worries me. Is this good or bad?

* If (potentially) we're not after the things, but the sense of fulfillment from the things, then could it simply be about changing habits? Getting up early in the morning and accomplishing nothing in the 2 hours before work may feel more rewarding than deliberately wasting the hours between 11 PM and 1 AM over a beer and video streaming. But is the risk/reward worth it? Is it sustainable? Can life be improved by simply going through the motions until the improvements stick?

For what it's worth, my new year's resolution is to begin starting things,
finally. So I am working on improving motivation, building a new habit every
week or two, saying yes to the accessory gatherings and exercises that build
rapport, etc, feng shui'ing my life basically.

------
jbuerke
I have been struggling recently with this as well. Here is what I have come up
with:

For Personal Daily Goals: I bought a bound journal that I write down the
things I want to accomplish for the day. After I finish a task, I cross it off
(odd school satification). Anything I dont accomplish by the end of the day, I
assess its value and determine if I really want/need to get it done. If so,
then I move it to tomorrows.

Monthly personal goals follow the same procedure with the exception that the
goals arent assessed on a daily basis.

Professional/Projects: I really enjoy organizing my thoughts on Evernote. The
application syncs with my phone and desktop, so I never am without it. Tasks,
goals, resources, and works go into Evernote. If its more intensive, I will
use the google suite to process my ideas or layouts (spreadsheet projections,
complex docs, etc.)

After using this system for a while, I have found that it reduces my stress
surrounding the projects. However, my solution works for me... OR so I
believe... after reading some of the other comments.

------
trecorcorin
[https://ideatosafe.com/](https://ideatosafe.com/)

visual here: [https://imgur.com/17XxTmX](https://imgur.com/17XxTmX)

1\. mindmap that syncs all devices, type on your phone, see changes on TV
immediately

2\. super intuitive gamified keyboard shortcuts (no need for mouse); super
intuitive mobile gestures

3\. has node-level in-browser encryption via tweetnacl so if you provide a
crypt key, only you can see what you typed under a crypted node - crypted data
looks like gibberish in the db and there is NO way to recover it, except you
provide your crypt key. If you lose your key, you have lost the data under all
crypted nodes, forever

4\. copy/paste nodes to/from freeplane/freemind directly onto your map

5\. full disclosure - I am the developer and working on a second release,
sign-ups paused for now but I can open it up for signups if there is interest
in working on the beta - I use it to organize my entire life

join waiting list here: i2swaitinglist@sonkomail.com

------
j45
I have experienced a handful. Of book sheet together have given me some peace
and focus. Hopefully some of these might be interesting.

How to organize things is as important as balancing why the things are
important.

The core book to start with is Getting Things Done by David Allen. It gets
momentum going and allowed me to look up and around.

These books that have helpful to connect the productivity to trusting we're
doing the right things in terms of meaning and purpose.

Set the stage:

Book 1: Mindset by Carol Dweck (are you really open to possibilities and not a
fixed mindset?)

Book 2: The Power of Habit (how do you build small new skills, since are only
a sum of our habits, and those habits can change)

Getting prioritized:

Book 3: Focal Point by Bryan Tracy (find and set the priorities in all areas
of life)

Getting and staying organized and focused:

Book 4: Getting Things Done by David Allen (the how to get it done and stay
organized and keep it all out of your head, biggest productivity book of the
last 20 years)

Book 5: Deep Work by Cal Newport (regain the power of focus to get twice as
kuch done.. With the same effort and no distractions)

Book 6: So good they can't ignore you by Cal Newport (now that you're going,
how do you really make an impact in what you're putting your time into)

Book 7: The Miracle Morning. I'm a night owl. This book convinced me that the
late night is the same thing as the super early morning, except I'm rates and
have way more energy.

The order may vary for others, in hindsight I'd read them in this order, but
starting with Getting Things done and working through the rest as you like is
realistic too.

Happy to learn about any books you'd like to share.

------
blablabla123
Just the standard stuff: Calendar - I have a CalDav server running which
provides CardDav as well but there are plenty of commercial alternatives. In
addition I use the notes app - without sync - on my phone to plan days if
there is a need for it at that day.

Like many others here, I also tried this todo-$timeframe approach. It's better
than nothing. But honestly, since I have my own Redmine installation pursuing
any long term goal or complex personal project becomes actually doable and
isn't a pain anymore. (Trello etc. would probably work as well but I like that
it's open source and provides a lot of interoperability which I didn't set up
though yet)

What I especially like is the Gantt chart feature and that tasks can be split
(manually of course), set in dependency and to some degree stuff automatically
gets rearranged when it comes to the time frame.

My only recurring daily todo is somehow to actually use these tools.

------
crucialfelix
Google Keep with a combination of Labels (area in GTD), Colors (for different
status: urgent in-progress on-deck) and pinning.

It's super fast on desktop or mobile to navigate by label or color. Click
search, click label or color.

I can view cards in each area very quickly so I can refresh my sense of
context.

I limit the number of in progress projects and I focus on completing.

I can share web links to Keep from mobile. That's a good place to dump
interesting research that I probably won't ever find time to get to read.

I post ideas and mini Todo lists all the time, just to be it out of my brain.

Cards can have alarms and scheduled date and time. Shows up on mobile and
Gmail and gcal

I don't care if I never export or if keep gets sunsetted. Any idea of things
to work on are short term, and I would rather pivot to a new approach then get
stuck on a massive project list that just makes me feel helpless and unable to
complete.

Project lists are for me short term storage.

------
abootstrapper
You’re procrastinating. Your organization is probably not the problem.

My trick: my work laptop has all my favorite websites blocked in the host
file. I do my most productive work at coffee shops on that laptop. My todo
list is a page in my notebook. I suggest creating a place to work, and only do
work there, nothing else.

~~~
Jaepa
> You’re procrastinating. Your organization is probably not the problem.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this. I have ADHD. I have a strong
guttural reaction to the summation of "Oh you're procrastinating, so stop it
and work instead". The number of times I've been told this, or that I was just
being lazy, or that I just needed to find something I truly cared about I've
lost track of.

Organization and structure is how I function.

* Task managers store all of my individual task, so I can stop having them flit into my head and distract me. I organize them once a day, with a full review once a week (Sunday). There are also a series of recurring events to help me maintain a routine. I cannot stress how important having a strict routine is for me personally.

* Timed work/break sessions. I use a pomodoro like system, by declaring break sessions it makes it easier to deal with all of the distractions or little things that I need to do so I'm not constantly switching between things. Anything no directly related to the item I'm currently working on goes into a list, which is reviewed during the break period.

* Calendars keep track of irregular events and serves as a event log, with varying degrees of importance (e.g. doctors visits, when I change my water filter, conferences, when family will be where).

* Long term goals are less of an issue for me. I will regularly flit back to them, or work in starts and fits on them, but I keep an orgmode notebook to keep notes and resources on it. Because of the irregular nature of my work on them, being able to return to something easily is important for me.

* Text to Speech reader. I use these to 1. read back what I've written, and 2. read me blocks of text. Generally I will read along as well, but because its external to my attention with a constant flow it is easier to follow.

All of these are what works for me. What works best you for may, and probably
will, be entirely different. To somewhat agree with the sentiment of your
post, experimenting with your system can often be counter-productive. Think of
it akin to your editor. There is a cost-benefit ratio for improving your
editor, and a point in which even if there is an improvement, the cost will
never be recouped.

The best suggestion I can possibly give is find a way, and do it continuously
and unapologetically.

------
ssss11
I use categories like you, and a combination of Trello for the list and
OneNote (could use any note app) for details. I have a 2y.o. and one on the
way and manage to find at least 2 hrs a week for a side project, sometimes up
to about 8hrs. Yes it’s slow going but I feel better for making some progress.

------
uglycoyote
It's Windows-only but I like AbstractSpoon's todo list
[https://abstractspoon.weebly.com/](https://abstractspoon.weebly.com/)

It's a basically like a tree-style notepad, which makes it easy to break
larger goals down in to subtasks or dependencies

For each tree node that you click on, you can add notes in the textbox on the
right.

I have a similar process to what some other people mentioned they do with text
files -- divide it up into several lists (top level tree nodes) to separate
short term goal (daily) from medium term or longer goals (stuff I might get to
next week or next month)

This software has been around a long time and the author has packed a ton of
features in there, so there are a lot of different ways it could be used, but
I really like it for just simple hierarchical notekeeping for tasks.

------
IloveHN84
I'm using the Bullet Journal method

~~~
davidscolgan
The thing I love the most about the Bullet Journal idea is how simple and
quick it is. Productivity systems that require a bunch of maintenance and
fiddling never seem to work for me.

------
timmahoney
I have a 24” x 18” whiteboard that has a Kanban layout on it. Smaller postit
notes let me put a lot of things up and I follow the simple “Todo, In
Progress, Done” column model. It’s on the wall at home where I have to look at
it every day at least a few times.

------
ThomPete
I decided to put everything on it's head.

I have one app which i made myself and which allow me to add "sticky notes' to
specific files, folders, applications urls and documents open in applications.

That way i only add notes to the context i need them in.

I stopped collecting notes for any other things as I don't want to deal with
structuring my notes and have all this stuff that I might or might not do
anything about anyway.

That way I have completely decluttered my life from notes and the stress and
time of keeping it up to date. If it's important I will remember it otherwise
it will just linger in my subconsciousness and if it was something important
it will resurface on my computer when i open a document or go to a website.

------
HenryBemis
I am using Scrivener. It is a software used by writers. Imagine a Microsoft
OneNote, but simpler. I create Folders-Chapters-Texts and I use standard name
sorting for my entried. E.g. for journaling my texts are titled "2019-01-12"
so they are sorted automatically.

I keep separate Folders for Work-Personal-etc, and sub-folders for Work: GRC,
Coding, App Ideas, etc

It has the ability to paste screen clippings in there and URLs, and it backups
up everything on a My Documents subfolder (which MyDoc is automatically synced
to my Carbonite)

I also keep there my To-Watch, and my To-Read where I keep listing of movies,
and books.

I also have a Books folder where I make entries/notes for each book I read (I
got this idea from a HN comment)

------
clockwork_189
I found bullet
journaling([https://bulletjournal.com](https://bulletjournal.com)) to help me
the best as it requires me to stay engaged with it everyday. Also love the
flexibility that comes with the system.

------
Gonzih
I have a trello board with all personal ideas/projects. New idea? Write it
down. Have some spare time? Do some work on one of the ideas/project. Trick is
to optimize setup on anything you do in the way that it takes seconds to start
working. For that you have to know an overview of what needs to be done and
setup process should be as painless as possible.

Hardest for me in that regard are hardware projects. I don't really have any
dedicated hardware workbench. So every time I have to get all my boxes out,
all my equipment (soldering station, meeters, etc) and then pack it back.
Which usually means I don't have enough time to do actual work.

------
lcall
I'm late to this but: After trying many different things over the years, I
wrote this: [http://onemodel.org](http://onemodel.org) (AGPL; and yes I plan
to move to https sometime). In it I organize things in a variety of ways,
depending on the topics: for periodic/calendar things, I just write a date and
have a (relatively) few memorized keystrokes to move it forward a certain
amount. For other things I prioritize and have lists by "role" in life (job,
health, husband, father, etc). Each entry can link to as much detail on that
topics, including from other areas, as I want. Like a todolist for where I
left off so I know what is pending, and what is already done, when I have to
come back to something. For topics, I have hierarchies based on what it
relates to, and sometimes the same thing is in multiple hierarchies, but it
seems to evolve well within the system to meet ongoing needs. It is keyboard
oriented and efficient, but you have to slightly configure postgres to
install: there are clear instructions and a tutorial. On the web site are some
tips for organizing info (in a somewhat raw form), but many more available
upon request.

You can think of it something like a personal wiki + emacs org-mode, very
efficient, keyboard-oriented, using postgres, but with a much larger vision
than today's features, including sharing (linking/copying securely) between
instances, and computability of the info for things like anki-like features.
Self-hosted now but open to hosting for others. The most current code is in
github (AGPL). Comments/questions very welcome, preferably via the mailing
list; be patient if my answers are slow. The lists are currently low-volume,
and the announcements list should always be.

(It can store files, but isn't especially smooth about it yet. For personal
notes of all kinds, it is the most efficient, effective, flexible thing I know
of. The FAQs link to a discussion comparing it with emacs org-mode and others.
It has fulltext search, some finicky but very functional import/export, a nice
numbered-outline export to text, and a journal/activity log.)

If someone checks the web site first, I am happy to answer questions per the
email address (or preferably, list) indicated there.

------
dsalaj
You simply need to sacrifice something in order to do the other thing. It's a
question of priorities and realization that you simply can not do all of the
things you want to do. This is really hard to accept.

------
everdev
Are you doing these projects for fun, future profit, knowledge?

Whatever your answer is right now doesn't seem to be sufficient motivation. We
all get the same time during the day but we all prioritize our day
differently. You're prioritizing other activities over these projects (maybe
for very valid reasons).

If you try and fail to create a habit, then you need a better reason for doing
it.

Sometimes stoic philosophy can help find out why you want to do something:
[https://youtube.com/watch?v=A0XxceO4qX0](https://youtube.com/watch?v=A0XxceO4qX0)

------
sudofail
I used to do this too, but I think it results in too much scattered focus.
What I've done for the last 8 years or so has been really effective, and has
reduced my stress quite a bit.

Each year, I pick one larger goal that I want to achieve. It can be learning a
new language, completing some Coursera courses, getting fit, traveling, etc.
But I find if I just focus on one thing, I'm much more likely to achieve it.

It also reduces the stress to get all these other little things done. I still
wind up doing a lot of them, but I don't feel any pressure or compulsion to
get them done.

------
rijoja
One of the highest forms of procrastination, but it seems it's much easier to
come up with ideas than to execute them.

The best system I ever had consisted of papers that I just hammered up on a
wall using nails. Such a good system it has a spatial element to it that is
just fantastic. Might want to check with your landlord first though.

Other than that I do trello, notes that I have in a directory and keep track
of with git and tomboy. I have to say that tomboy is a gem for sure, does a
lot of sense in many ways sad to see that it's not more polished.

~~~
adhesavista
You could use tape adhesive, no need for nails doctor Jones.Landlord is such
happy.

~~~
rijoja
I happened to have a room with messed up walls. The nail and hammer had a nice
feel to it, a nice contrast to the tidy rationality that coding requires.

------
taurath
I use trello for idea and known todo ingestion, and also daily todo lists so
that I’m still using it each day. I have a problem of not realizing how much I
actually do in a day so I put literally everything big and small into a “live”
completed tab.

For managing, I use a chrome plugin on desktop that lets you tile the sections
which is easier to deal with. I have a separate instance for work stuff since
I don’t want to be thinking about it when I get home. It’s nice because it’ll
work offline and syncs between devices for free.

------
iamgopal
This new year, I decided to allocate time on the habbit forming basis. Some
are daily habbit, monthly habbit and weekly habits. Once a week I will make
something with my children, daily early morning I will program for a 3-4 hours
( only if I have predefined end goal, else I will just sleep ). 15 minutes
meditate, 15 minutes burpy like excercise. I am adding more as I thought it to
be useful and required. It's just 13 days in, but till date it's successful.
Let's see how it goes ahead...

------
amanzi
I use Trello boards for various aspects of my life (personal, tech, etc), each
with five lists:

* Ideas - stuff that I might want to do in the future(lots of random items on here).

* To-Do - things that I actually want to do soon.

* In progress - things actually being worked on.

* Review - things that are mostly finished but need final tidy up.

* Completed - done and dusted!

I arrange the order of the cards from highest priority to lowest priority. And
I don't start working on anything new without making sure it's on the board
and prioritised accordingly.

------
acconrad
For things I need to do that have a date and time: I put them in Google
calendar. Even for the most mundane of activities.

For things that don't have a specific date and time but I know I need to do
them: I put them in Asana. And I have them organized by day, so my main Asana
page has subsections labeled "Monday:" "Tuesday:" etc and I just put all of my
todos and spread them out throughout the week.

These two things have done _enormous_ things for my productivity.

------
makecheck
I use a text file to hold only the top few items, with just a couple groups
like “problems”, “ideas”, or general tasks.

I also don’t try to enumerate every possible thing that could ever be needed
because in my experience anything that’s really _necessary_ will eventually
pop into my head again (and make the list later).

I also prune the list if it gets too long. I don’t store the pruned items
anywhere; as above, if they’re really important I will eventually think of
them again.

------
krmbzds
These are the tools I use:

\- Tasks: OmniFocus
([https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/](https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/))

\- Notes: Quiver ([http://happenapps.com](http://happenapps.com))

\- Journal: A custom bash script I wrote for myself
([https://github.com/krmbzds/journal](https://github.com/krmbzds/journal))

------
jamieson-becker
Here's mine. I just use vim for this in a single file. Everything is designed
to be rapidly searchable and make navigation just a few keystrokes.

[https://github.com/jamiesonbecker/organization-
system](https://github.com/jamiesonbecker/organization-system)

Vim is powerful.. if you don't know how to copy/paste blocks, vertical blocks,
search backwards/forwards, etc, learn that first.

------
lostgame
I have an iMac G4 on my desk that I use solely for design and keeping ideas
together.

I find the computer’s design to be extremely inspirational, and it keeps me
active.

~~~
tonyedgecombe
It's an interesting idea, I've been thinking about using a separate device for
anything online to try and remove the temptation of the internet.

Funnily enough I just gave away my iMac G4 today.

~~~
lostgame
Oh, I still use the internet. WebKitLeopard is up-to-date and not a RAM whore
like TenFourFox.

------
oldboyFX
Just focus on executing and getting things done instead of planning. I have a
flexible work/social schedule and just do things when it's most convenient.

Forget about things you're kind of interested in and just execute on high-
priority stuff.

Calendars and meticulous planning are a necessity for ultra-productive people
with insane schedules, but for most folks, they often end up as nothing more
than extra busy-work.

------
suzil
I use complice.co to track goals with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly
reviews. It has a to-do list format that you review at the end of each day.

------
icodemuch
I've also gone through several iterations including text files, excel and
google sheets. My latest approach (and personal favorite) has been the GTD
approach with Trello detailed here: [https://blog.trello.com/gtd-getting-
things-done-maximizing-p...](https://blog.trello.com/gtd-getting-things-done-
maximizing-productivity-trello)

------
vikingcaffiene
It's funny, I was just talking about this very thing yesterday and got what I
feel is some pretty good advice.

The long and short of it is that you are having a hard time organizing the
things you want to do because you aren't _finishing_ anything and the backlog
is building up. So rather than focusing your energy on organizing all the
things you want to do, pick one, maybe two max and finish them. Rinse, repeat.
Don't start anything new until you've cleared out the backlog.

Once you've picked, its imperative that you then schedule time in your week to
focus on it. Like literally block out time in your calendar and defend it like
you would any other appointment.

tldr; finish something and schedule time to do it.

------
guigar
I use a pen and a cheap notebook (A7, squared). I organize different topics
(e.g. work, personal, etc) in different pages. For tasks I follow the basic
bulletjournal ideas.

I tried to use technology before (particularly a smartphone), but the UX still
sucks compared to the pen and paper. For long texts, typing on a screen is too
slow. For small texts, the unlock-open the app-type cycle is annoying.

------
PascLeRasc
Every Sunday evening I spend a few minutes writing a "todo" list in my
notebook for the week. Items can be anything from "get coffee beans" to
"record one song" or "take GRE practice test" but it works for me.

I love using my Rhodia Dot Pad and Lamy Safari fountain pen and I'm not
convinced any notetaking software will ever be as enjoyable.

------
higherpayusa
After plenty of trial and error I ended up using 3-item mini todo lists and a
bare minimum of "action" categories. The system worked well so I felt
comfortable writing it up as
[https://easyproductivity.com](https://easyproductivity.com) \- it's free and
open right now so please forgive the self promo.

------
creativityland
The tools I use:

\- Notes: Workflowy ([https://www.workflowy.com](https://www.workflowy.com))

\- Tasks: Taskade ([https://www.taskade.com](https://www.taskade.com))

\- Journal: Daylio ([https://daylio.webflow.io](https://daylio.webflow.io))

------
djohnston
I have 3 Google sheets that I've kept for about 4 years. Finance, health, and
things to read, the latter of which is basically a semi organized dumping
ground of links and book titles color coded by completion state. I've found it
to be valuable, though as of late I haven't been using it as much.

------
lordnacho
Trello, with voice commands via IFTTT. That way there's no loss in jotting
down ideas or shopping list items.

This Trello board is also connected to my family Slack, so that events and
such are coordinated with my wife. Also any comments on the Trello cards cause
a Slack notification. Kids are currently too young to use it.

------
steelframe
Life getting "in between" is what "The 4 Disciplines of Execution" would call
"the whirlwind." Tracking/organizing your tasks is only one tool to combat the
whirlwind, but I'd recommend reading the book to consider a more comprehensive
set of tools to fight that fight.

------
chasd00
I make a spreadsheet with columns task, LOE ( 1-5, 1 = highest LOE ), Priority
( 1-5, 5 = highest priority ). Then sum the LOE and Priority columns, sort the
sum desc, there's your task list.

This makes highest priority but lowest level of effort tasks come to the top
which maximizes productivity (in my case anyway)

~~~
unityByFreedom
I do something similar,

Priority = Benefit / (Time to complete)

------
nikivi
I use Trello and one private board named 'Focus'. I set
weekly/monthly/quarterly and year goals there and select projects I want to
focus right now on in life.

[https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/focusing](https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/focusing)

------
adriancristi
Dynalist.io is one of those rare things that I don't know how I lived my life
without before its creation.

------
kingkool68
Now that GitHub has private repos for free accounts I use issues + ZenHub as a
kanban board to organize things. This helps me get the ideas out of my head
and organized in one place that I can search and filter and group into
milestones.

I use the same tools at the day job so why not my personal stuff too!

~~~
raybb
Huh so before GitHub had the free private repos what did you do? I take it you
don't collaborate on these at all?

------
eranation
Best: pen and paper todo lists, there is something magical about them.

Nice: iPhone native reminders

Pen and paper works if you put it in a place you see often.

Any system more complex gets to the point I don’t continue to use it. There
may be many better methods but the best method is the one you actually end up
doing on a regular basis.

------
deeteecee
At the very least, I have a list of priorities that i HAVE to get done in one
place. Anything else I have to do, I do categorize but I'm not worried about
getting to them. If I make this any more of a system, I'm worried I turn my
life into work so this is good enough for me.

------
nathan_f77
I use Evernote for personal project ideas. I was using Trello for my company,
but I've recently migrated everything into Airtable, and I really like the
grid view instead of Kanban cards. It's nice to see all of my tasks in a
spreadsheet with groups and labels.

------
vkaku
I try to focus on doing a few things and few things right. IMO it is better
than taking up too many things and having to maintain all of them.

I believe in zero interference. I schedule things with a good gap between them
so they can all take place.

I do not try hard to do the next coolest thing.

------
afaq404alam
Wunderlist works really great for me. It helps me coordinate my list of todos
between my laptop and phone. It has many advantageous features like setting a
reminder for a task which helps me focus on other stuff without worrying about
remembering my todo list.

------
ulisesrmzroche
Reorganizing is cool, just make sure you put some actual steps you can take
forward to advance a project or goal/task, etcetera. You are putting some
thought into your actions.

Most people think its time wasted but most also never think before they act.

------
osrec
I dog food the project management module of an app we built (it's a glorified
list with time and completion tracking) -
[https://usebx.com/app](https://usebx.com/app)

------
b3b0p
iCloud with a txt file in/on my Desktop and/or Notes.app. Everything is
seamlessly, effortlessly, nearly instantly synced. You can even share notes
using Notes.app easily.

It's simple enough and easy enough to access that it's the only way I can
stick with this setup unlike every other setup and app I have tried.

My only negative is that it is yet another variable that has me entrenched in
the Apple ecosystem. So, despite not exactly the most impressed with the
current MacBook Pro (2017) I own the time and convenience it provides I feel
has made up for it.

------
harryf
Simple. Keep it to three things max. Always. Having N things you want to do is
a sure fire way get nothing done.

Edit: and I say that as a 45 year old that’s done a “lot” of things

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13415
I use a calendar called _Action Day Planner_ that is loosely inspired by the
GTD method and _Leuchtturm 1917_ notebooks with numbered pages and ToC.

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k__
I'm trying Github projects this year. Maybe it helps.

~~~
davidscolgan
If you are building something software related, just using Github like you
might on any paid gig or employment project is a solid idea.

------
mcqueenjordan
Book — Getting Things Done

Emacs org-node with org-todo.

inbox.org: captured items that need to be processed

gtd.org: processed items being tracked

someday.org: processed items not actively being worked on or towards

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agumonkey
I feel there a gap between task planning, prototyping/exploration, versionning
.. I can't articulate more than that. Just a feeling

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dawnerd
I use notion.io and set due dates where needed. It’s kind of like Evernote but
with databases / calendars / todo support baked in.

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otikik
Mental Palace.

Maybe more a mansion than a palace. A villa, really. Well, it's got a roof.
Mostly.

Ok Mental Caravan if you really want to be pedantic about it.

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bigmit37
What are you guys using to sync mobile and pc? I think I may just try this
with a notebook and try carrying it around with me.

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hannob
I know it has a bit of a cultish vibe around it, but the "getting things done"
method has worked really well for me.

~~~
ljf
I love GTD - I carry an index card with my latest lists on and a couple of
spares for notes. I love having it physical, easy and disposable - I like
throwing them out each week and starting fresh.

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rufius
Things 3 app shared with my wife.

Group things by category and most things end up there. This is also
supplemented by copious use of notepads.

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luisrudge
I don’t. My life is a mess, but that’s ok haha

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dawhizkid
Marie Kondo style -> you would be surprised how much clearer your mind is once
you take the time to declutter your home.

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paolgiacometti
my 2 cents for my personal planning I use pen and paper for monitor teamwork
(10 people) I found great help with
[https://abstractspoon.weebly.com/](https://abstractspoon.weebly.com/)
todolist (win based) it store everything into an xml but unfortunately only
windows based.

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dgudkov
I don't think anything would be better than Trello for this. Trello is perfect
for prioritizing and planning tasks.

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cascom
Things for task oriented todo

Airtable for things is like to do (trips/movies/restaurants etc)

Note/text file for more existential goals

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cyberjunkie
I've started using Notepad++ texts in a folder (as a workspace), synced across
devices using Syncthing.

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motiw
I think this is more a question about prioritizing and time management than a
question about organizing

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eluttner
[https://teuxdeux.com](https://teuxdeux.com)

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3KQgt0Cl
I use Google Keep. The tool doesn't matter much. You can even use a pen and
paper.

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lball
Todoist, Fantastical, and Bear note apps. Available anywhere phone, tablet,
laptop.

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edna314
I can recommend Taskwarrior.

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swerveonem
I run a gitlab instance and use issues and milestones.

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goatherders
1.List in order if priority. 2\. Delete everything #6 or higher.

Done

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zengr
Things3's projects and areas all the way.

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fuzzfactor
Everything I want to do can not be organized.

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ohiovr
Work is more valuable than ideas.

------
rorykoehler
Time boxing

------
edna314
I can recommend taskwarrior.

~~~
bitwave
best thing for GTD.

~~~
j45
Datebk6 was also incredible

------
tel
I've been struggling with GTD for years. It's obviously a thoughtful system,
but it's hard to implement the advice of not getting nerdy about it. It's easy
to fall in love with tools.

But lately I've been having more success and I like the story I've generated
around it. I'd suggest you implement GTD slowly, in stages, to combat
anxieties that you have. In combating an anxiety you need to recognize it,
implement a solution, and recognize how that anxiety is relaxed... and
replaced with a new layer of them!

Anxiety 1: lack of trust in yourself to do what needs to be done.

This was for me the baseline ambient anxiety. I had originally solved it by
abandoning most todo list systems and even calendars so that I could
organically ask myself regularly: "what is the most important thing right
now". That was a good practice, but many things "slipped through the cracks".

The first practice of GTD is to have a single, "global unified inbox". As I
decided to implement this I realized I had collections of half-measure
"inboxes" all throughout my life: email, partial todo lists, memory cues,
people I relied upon to remind me of things.

So I cleaned that all up as much as I could and funneled it into a single todo
list and kept uncovering more of these secret reminders I was keeping for
myself. The result was a relaxation of this anxiety through building trust
that I was at least adequately in control of _finding_ and _capturing_ the
things to do. From that you can build trust that you won't let things slip
because you forgot.

Anxiety 2: there's too much to do and I can't handle it

This anxiety was often hiding underneath the first. In times of emergency I
could get things done, but without that focusing my needs and furnishing
energy... I'd just let things slip and lie to myself that it was "ok, because
important things will come up again". This was true, but a half-measure and
one that stole from me conscious control of my life.

So the second practice is "organize" and in particular the compelling notion
of the "next action". Organize says "regularly look at your commitments and
think about how best to think about them" and the practice of next actions
says "for any commitment, know exactly what the next, simple, tangible,
visible step you could take is".

For instance, I need to get my car emissions inspection updated. I'd sat on
that for months because it was both buried in a listing of "car stuff" and was
also sort of a big, mildly important thing that was easy to defer. I chose to
reorganize it to my "weekly chores" list which I respect as something to
review regularly, especially on the weekends, as a mechanism to keep my life
healthily managed.

I also chipped off a next action: "research locations for emissions
inspections and their times". With this step I located one nearer to me that I
had never known before—reducing the activation energy. I got stuck again with
my next action "drive there and do the inspection" because I don't drive that
frequently. It felt like it was still a "next action" as I saw it as
immediately doable with the closer location, but I reorganized it to be on my
"list of things to do next time I get in my car" list it became very natural.
I also made a note to bring a book so I could resolve the anxiety of sitting
there bored waiting.

So organization helps you create systems to manage and encounter your
commitments and the design of next actions helps you tactically erode
anxieties which keep you from moving forward. It all boils down to
"intentional planning" in a lightweight way.

Anxiety 3: this all takes too much time and I'm slipping

This is something close to where I am now. Relaxing the first two anxieties
has already been a big step, though. Here, I am realizing that I have to
reconnect with the notion of "letting go". If my system is too big for me to
handle it then I'm either (a) not investing enough time in what's truly
important in my life or (b) trying to have my cake and eat it too.

Automation and schedule can help. I collect regularly, organize daily, and
review lists on weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedules. Omnifocus helps with
this by making the schedules something I can forget about and rely on the
system to handle.

But what also helps is recognizing things that are just aspirational projects
and launching them off into the future as opposed to hanging on to them and
feeling a little regular guilt as I choose to do something else instead. My
attention and energy are limited—I need to be thoughtful about what projects I
am truly engaged with.

"Snoozing" big ideas is another practice to eliminate this anxiety, but the
latter one seems more important. With limited bandwidth, I have to be
conscious about what I really want to achieve and, finally, choose actively to
focus my energy there.

To some degree I feel this is the ultimate aim of any "system".

------
wpietri
I'm a firm kanban person, and I think it might help you. I happen to use the
tool KanbanFlow for this. [1] But I also have done it with index cards on a
wall [2], and Trello's ok, too.

Boiling it down, Kanban approaches require you to 1) break big things down
into small deliverables, 2) describe your workflow in columns, placing the
units of work in the correct columns, and 3) setting strong work-in-process
limits on the columns.

For example, my main board has these columns and WIP limits: backlog (∞), soon
(12), today (5), pending (3), in progress (3), and done (∞). Work normally
flows from left to right, with the exception of the pending column, which is
used when something in progress gets stuck because I'm waiting on some
external event.

If I've finished working on something, I try to look first in the in progress
column, so that I can finish off something on going. Next, I'll check the
pending column, to see if I can unstick anything. Only if those two are solid
will I look at the today column. Last thing at night or first thing in the
morning, I'll look everything, load up the today column, and make sure it
reflects my current priorities.

I should note that the WIP limits are integral to this. There are two basic
ways you can run a workflow. One is a pull system, where running out of things
to do means I pull something forward. I'm mentally standing at the "done" end
of the board and pulling things through one at a time. This is very different
than a push system, where I mentally stand at the backlog end and stuff things
in, hoping useful work gets squeeze out the other end. WIP limits help keep me
honest, in that the board is not about what I _want_ to accomplish; it's what
I _am_ accomplishing.

I think the Kanban approach will be helpful to you in two ways. One, because
it's a pull system, the amount of time one spends reorganizing is limited. At
worse, I reorganize every time I finish something. But hopefully, because I
already have small numbers of top priorities in the today and soon columns,
it'll be easy for me to pull without working about everything I have to do.

Two, it sounds like you're trying to do more than you can. Executive you has
made a grand annual plan, but worker you is struggling to juggle priorities
and allocate time. This is not just stressful; as you say, it's inefficient.
Optimize for worker you, because that's where things actually happen.

In addition to the Kanban board, I also use Evernote to keep a "projects"
notebook. It's one page per project idea, and for active projects that page
turns into a journal. I'll often describe future plans there, which I will
mine for to-do entries as I pull things in. But those future visions aren't
consistent or complete; they're just top-of-head notions. That much more
efficient than trying to express my ever-changing vision in work-management
tools.

I hope that helps!

[1] [https://kanbanflow.com/](https://kanbanflow.com/)

[2] [http://williampietri.com/writing/2015/the-big-
board/](http://williampietri.com/writing/2015/the-big-board/)

------
jonbaer
Moleskin + Pen

------
mkio
Just do it.

------
adriancristi
Dynalist.io

------
rdiddly
I've never had a lot of luck with categorizing and allocating either. Which is
actually fine, because what category (or, God help us, categorIES) a task fits
into is ultimately not a terribly valuable piece of information. It's costly
to obtain, in terms of time spent categorizing, but yields no particular
insights, other than maybe the frustrating realization that a surprising
number of tasks fit plausibly into multiple categories. (Which is as it should
be, if you're productive and your life is reasonably well integrated.)

The only question your system needs to answer is what to do NEXT. And the only
categories as far as I'm concerned are "work" and "home." Keep it simple.
Therefore I have a spreadsheet for each. Within each one, here's what I have:

I have a list of things that repeat every day, called "dailies." I do those
first.

Then I have a list of small one-off tasks that can be taken care of relatively
quickly. This list is called, inspiringly enough, "uncategorized." I do these
right after the dailies.

"Uncategorized" is also the default landing place for any new task. Sometimes
you just want to write something down without thinking about it much. Next
time I go through the list, any tasks that need to be moved to another list,
I'll do it then.

Finally there's the "projects" list, which consists of bigger tasks with sub-
tasks under them, in order, and with deadlines noted, and the whole bit.

Using macros, key bindings and event triggers I can re-order all these lists
with one keystroke. Each item has an integer next to it for sorting. I usually
use 0 through 4:

0 - waiting for something or someone else

1 - doing right now

2 - next

3 - later

4 - tomorrow

You'll notice that by doing "dailies" and "uncategorized" first, I'm doiog the
opposite of what some advice suggests: I sweat the small stuff first. That's
because I'm a night person, so I save the morning hours, when my mind is dull,
for small, routine and easy things. By the time I get to my projects list, I'm
fully alert and ready for it.

But if you're not a night person you could certainly do projects first, then
one-offs, then dailies, or something. Also there's nothing stopping me from
putting something demanding (that happens to be repetitive) on the "dailies"
list for example. Something like studying a new technology for a couple hours
a day would go on there. But I would probably tend to postpone it until the
evening, i.e. put it in the "dailies" portion of the "home" spreadsheet, and
start it when I get home from work. (Or if I'm working at home, start it when
I _declare_ that I'm home from work.)

By the way (back to "projects"), I try like hell to have only one project
active at one time. Unless fucked-with by someone else, I will endeavor to
finish each one that I start, before moving on. There are many reasons why
focusing resources on fewer projects sequentially (rather than more projects
simultaneously) is the best way to do things.

Therefore my day consists of, go to work, get a bunch of small ducks in a row,
focus on a project for the mid-morning and afternoon, go home, do daily chores
or studying, get small home-ducks in a row (things like "order underwear" or
whatnot), and if there's time (usually not until the weekend) work on a home-
project. I like sleep.

Things that recur at intervals other than a day, those go in the calendar, and
I get a reminder, every n months or n weeks or whatever. From there I use
automation to transfer it into the "uncategorized" area. (Home or work,
depending on whether it came from my home or work calendar.)

If I ever think up a big over-arching life goal, I will make it a project or
split it up into projects. Projects are things that you do. Goals are things
you just think about, that I don't really believe in. Or rather, if it's
important enough as a goal, I don't need to write it down, I just let it
influence all my decisions in that direction. It's best not to have too many
goals; just a few high-quality ones. Kind of like how it's best to have just a
few high-quality friends. Life is not a shopping expedition; or actually maybe
it is, but I say that as someone who thinks the fewer things you "buy" (into),
the better. Also it's not good to try to plan out your entire life; give
yourself some freedom to steer the ship in real time. Rely a little on your
wits and creativity instead of on a script.

------
diminoten
Todo lists are doomed to fail.

Schedule everything.

