I’m a huge fan of productivity. At least in theory; in practice, I struggle with implementation. So far, I’ve been blaming it on the fact that I haven’t found a process that suits me yet.
This is also my excuse for trying out all sorts of tools and processes. I already wrote about my last attempt with Obsidian in the blog post I Thought I Loved Obsidian. But even before that, I tried pretty much all the well-known tools, like Evernote, Notion, OneNote, or a physical notebook. Without success.
And now? I have no idea. In this post, I’ll describe my current setup and process for various areas, as well as my difficulties. Maybe this will help you, or maybe you have some good ideas for me.
Appointments and Tasks
How much is too much?
I’m still using Google Apps for now. This is mainly due to other family members, but that will change eventually. Although I have to say, Google Mail works wonderfully for me. My goal for my inbox: Inbox Zero. Emails are either dealt with immediately or snoozed until they become relevant.
Calendar
And that’s where the functioning part of my process already ends. I use Google Calendar for appointments, which I share with my girlfriend. That still works reasonably well. I diligently enter appointments: when and where I’m working, but also things like doctor’s appointments or events. That works. But I also add things I intend to do: exercise in the morning and evening, read before bed. Those… are in there. But they don’t actually get done, since they’re just resolutions. So, they’re getting tossed.
Tasks
My task list, for which I use Todoist, is in a similar state. The tool isn’t the problem, but rather how I use it. Following the “Getting Things Done” method, I enter all my tasks there, including recurring ones. Taking out the trash, cleaning, … Great resolutions that I rarely follow through on. At least not with the planned regularity I’d like and that I schedule. I’m just not a person of regular routines, which is why I can’t seem to get the hang of it. So that’s getting tossed too, and my to-do list will only contain specific, one-off tasks.
Let’s see if I can at least implement a sensible way of dealing with it then. We’ll see.
Documents and Notes
All smoke and mirrors?
Lists and appointments are relatively simple. Organizing them is still fairly straightforward. But now we come to the master discipline: documents and notes. Here, too, we’re dealing with two separate but related topics.
Documents
These days, you receive various documents from different sources: emails, customer portals, and physical mail. Ideally, these should all be filed together systematically. Until now, I’ve been using the modern-day ring binder for this. Or rather, several for different subject areas. But you had to punch holes in them, put them in the right binder, in the right place. Or you just throw them on a pile that then has to be painstakingly sorted for your tax return. This makes searching difficult and, even when filed, annoying.
With my new job, I’m lucky enough to get good employee discounts, so I immediately ordered a document scanner (Brother ADS-2700W). There will be a separate post about this device. The advantage: no matter the format, you put the papers in the feeder, press two buttons, and the stack of documents is scanned through. I scan directly to a network folder on my Synology NAS. Afterwards, either on my PC or laptop, I run text recognition over the documents and name them properly (YYYYMMDD-Description-Source-Tax.pdf). The date is the document date, not the scan date, the description clarifies what it’s about, and the source is the sender. Optionally, I add a “-Tax” so I can quickly find all the documents for my tax return.
This has been working great for a few months now, and I’m extremely satisfied. Digitize documents, sort them, and then put the physical part in the shredder. Purely digital documents are downloaded and filed away as well. Everything in one place, everything quick to find—thanks to OCR.
Notes
I’ve tried a lot of things for notes and jottings. By now, I’m realizing that the tool of choice isn’t the problem at all. This realization is already helping me move forward. The tool isn’t important; on the contrary, it’s more of a distraction. What’s more important is that I’m simply not used to capturing my thoughts. Until now, I’ve kept all my knowledge in my head, which has worked out pretty well for the most part. But that also ties up mental capacity and prevents me from reflecting on my knowledge. I’m actually hoping to gain many benefits from capturing my thoughts.
Now I just need to somehow integrate this into my daily routine without being limited by tools. When I’m at a computer, it’s relatively easy for me. I rely on future-proof and searchable Markdown files. The editor doesn’t matter here; I’m still wavering between Typora and Sublime Text. The latter is more flexible and can be used for other tasks as well.
Now I just need to get into the habit of always having a document open to jot down notes. These need to be regularly cleaned up and sorted, preferably on the NAS. It feels like more effort, but it’s sure to be a win in the long run.
And on the go? That’s precisely when I get a lot of ideas that I’d like to capture. I’m considering two options: voice memos and quick notes—both on my smartphone. You forget to bring paper, and it’s just a hassle. I’ll probably just try out an app that lets you record short notes and voice memos. Of course, these will have to be transferred later, but I don’t have a better idea at the moment. Not yet.
Not perfect,
but it’s a good path
It’s not perfect yet. I’m not entirely happy with the mobile notes situation, but I want to test it out with the app first. Maybe I’ll switch to something compatible with the NAS here as well.
Until then, I’ll try to get used to the system and actually use it. It will be interesting to see what happens. Do you have a productivity system that works for you?