I always found powerful organizational tools appealing but overwhelming. They optimize for information complexity. They're visually striking (good job, designers!). They're alluring, selling you the idea of a better you.
Know what doesn't sell you on anything? A pen and notebook. Your phone. Basic things. Things that are always with you.
The things I use the most are the things that don't make me think. They put the fewest steps between having the thought and writing it down.
If I'm at my desk, I always have a pen and open notebook.
- Step one: Pick up the pen
- Step two: Write it down
If I'm on my computer, I have a browser extension so a new tab opens my to-do list.
- Step one:
Cmd-tto open a tab - Step two: Write it down
If I'm out (and nobody is around, because I'm self-conscious) I'll use Siri.
- Step one: "Hey Siri, remind me about that thing when I get home."
If I'm out and someone is around, I use Trello. It takes three steps, sometimes four (gasp) but it's simple and my lists are all in one place.
- Step one: Take out my phone
- Step two: Tap on Trello
- Step three: Tap on a card (to-read, to-write, to-build, etc.)
- Step four: Write it down
Slack has a great feature where you type /remind me something in 20 minutes
(or tomorrow or every Thursday morning or whatever). I use this all the
time because it's so easy to add things, and the reminders are hard to miss.
The common thread is these things all optimize for adding.
My to-do lists aren't all in one place. That's fine! I use whichever one is easiest in the moment, and combine them when it's convenient. Very rarely, things fall off. Oh well. It's not a perfect system, and I can see how it would drive some people crazy, but it's the one that continues to keep me moving forward.
Maybe someday I'll find a great use case for a more powerful tool. I still get starry-eyed whenever I see a power user showing off their setup, but in my experience the complexity gets in the way of adding things. I know it works for people, but so far it hasn't worked great for me.
I should try again, what works for us can always change. I'll just add it to my "someday/maybe" list real quick...
