Here’s all the productivity software, tools, and systems I’m using to run my life. My last tech stack post was 5 years ago. For all the energy I spent fretting about shiny new apps, very little has changed. There are a few tool swaps, but my baseline system is the same.
Are habits better than discipline? Is inspiration all you need? It’s easy to get stuck to arguments like this. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is too granular. Habits, discipline, and inspiration are just a few of 6 different Adherence Strategies.
“Captain’s Log. Stardate 2020 point 8. Today is our 6th day of interstitial journalling, a little under one week into our two week mission…” Captains of sailboats and spaceships alike keep Captain’s Logs 1. Even if you hate water or never plan to pilot a spacecraft, you too can keep a Captain’s Log.
Is the process of bolding and highlighting notes a waste of time? Would you be better off spending that time thinking instead of collecting? Progressive Summarization is a technique for processing notes. Invented in 2017 by Tiago Forte, the process looks something like this:
Building a Second Brain. How to Take Smart Notes. Two knowledge management systems, battling it out for the hearts of productivity nerds worldwide. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose a side. A fusion of the two is possible, producing a knowledge management system with the best of both worlds.
Earlier I wrote about my productivity tech stack, but I didn’t show you what that looks like. Many readers are asking how I use Notion, an organization app. Let’s dive into some implementation details. I’ll show you how I use Notion, how it fits into my productivity system, and what I don’t use Notion for.
By James Stuber and Tasshin Fogleman A good carpenter doesn’t use a swiss army knife; they have a toolbox. Each tool has a job to do, and each tool does that job well. In the digital realm, we all have a toolbox: we write in Word or Google Docs, check email in Outlook or Superhuman.
Here’s all the productivity software, tools, and–most importantly–the systems I’m using to run my life (as of March 2019). Call it my productivity tech stack. Table of Contents: Productivity Systems Productivity Software and Hardware Focus and Procrastination Fighting Tools Productivity Systems It’s tempting to spend a lot of time looking for the perfect app, the trick that will quadruple your productivity.
“I observe that some men, like bad runners in the stadium, abandon their purposes when close to the goal; while it is at that particular point, more than at any other, that others secure the victory over their rivals.” — Polybius
Update Jan 2020: I now use a tool called Sunsama instead of the workflow described below. The philosophy I outline in this article meshes well with Sunsama. I recommend giving it a try. Have you ever been in flow? Each action comes smoothly, step-by-step.
We all have to balance different areas of our lives: work, hobbies, learning, health, fitness, relationships. Within each of these areas, there’s an infinite number of tasks we could do. It’s overwhelming. Sometimes we try to do too much at once and end up getting nothing done.
When’s the last time you thought about running water? When’s the last time you worried about access to food? It’s probably been a while. Seeking necessities like food and water used to take a huge part of the average human’s day.
You read productivity blogs right? You must be a good productive citizen. Every day you: Wake up at 5am Meditate for 20 minutes Make Bullet Proof coffee Take your vitamins Read for an hour Journal about your ‘grand vision’ Write 3 things you’re grateful for Stretch for 20 minutes, on the porch, as naked as possible (get your vitamin D!
Mr. Hazel. The name invokes terror into every incoming freshman. They’ve all heard rumors about his insane demands and harsh grading. The Bell rings: class has started. Mr. Hazel paces up and down the room, hunting for the kids with guilt on their eyes.
Every year my university would send everyone a day-planner. Every year I would promptly toss it in the recycle bin. As that planner flew through the air, arcing towards the basket, my life was getting harder, more disorganized. How could I be so careless with such a powerful too?
If you’re a freelancer, student, or someone who has some freedom to arrange your day, you need a planner system. Without one it’s too easy to float along and forget about your priorities. I’m a fan of analog. Digital todo-lists and calendars are convenient, but I can never stick with them.