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I think it's fair to say that there isn't a single tool that can satisfy all your needs. I'm meticulously organized but I doubt I can get anything done with jus
by nagarjun 10y ago
I think it's fair to say that there isn't a single tool that can satisfy all your needs. I'm meticulously organized but I doubt I can get anything done with just a Wiki or any other tool. You also have to remember that in many cases, staying organized also means collaborating with other people who may not share the same opinion as you about various tools.
It took me a long time to find the right mix of tools that are ideal for my specific workflow. These are the tools I mostly rely on now:
- Outlook.com (with custom domain) for my personal email. I find Outlook's 'Sweep' feature a lot more feature rich than Gmail's filters. I have rules that automatically move newsletters over 3 days old to archive and then delete unnecessary emails over 10 days old automatically.
- I've grown to like Wunderlist a lot for personal tasks. It has its limitations but it gets the job done well. I don't bother with many folders etc. I just throw everything in the inbox and add due dates to it. Inbox is sorted by due date. Works great for me. Also, it integrates well with Outlook.
- Evernote is where is store anything that's remotely relevant to me. Again, I don't bother with multiple notebooks. I have 2 main notebooks - Inbox and Cabinet. All notes start in Inbox. When they are no longer needed for my day to day work, they are moved to Cabinet. All notes are meticulously organized with tags. I am contemplating having a 3rd notebook called Library (offline notebook) with all my favorite online articles tagged by topic. This might work better than a Wiki to be honest. I also use their browser extensions a LOT.
- I use aText snippets inside Evernote to log call notes, meeting notes etc. using a standard format. I have quite a few other snippets that I use in other applications as well.
- All my favorite articles are in Pocket
- All my personal files are on OneDrive. Work files are on Google Drive (it's easier to collaborate on Google because everyone I know uses Gmail / Google Apps).
- Work tasks are on Trello
- Photos automatically organized on Google Photos
- My code editor (Visual Studio Code) settings are automatically backed up on GitHub Gist using https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Shan.code-settings-sync https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Shan.cod...
I also use a few other tools occasionally but mostly rely on these for everything. Like most people, I wanted one tool to fit all my needs but I came to accept that it's just not possible considering the complex needs of each function. You might not think about it but, task management in itself is more than just a simple list of to-dos that requires a lot of programming to be done right. Stop trying to find a one-size fits all tool. Leverage multiple tools and integrate them together. For instance, Evernote talks to Gmail through a browser extension so you can always save an important email easily. You can also create more complex workflows using IFTTT. That would be the best way to organize yourself.