I use a pile of paper and pen next to my desk. It’s my TODO and also my random idea dump. Sometimes all of the tasks get finished and the ideas executed and che

I use a pile of paper and pen next to my desk. It’s my TODO and also my random idea dump. Sometimes all of the tasks get finished and the ideas executed and checked off. Other times they languish. Eventually I crumple up the ones that have been collecting dust too long and toss them in the recycling bin. If it sat around forgotten for that long it wasn’t important. My goal is to augment the information filtering and prioritization neural network that sits behind my forehead, not fight against it by imposing artificial constraints, categories or rigidity on it. Just as important as retaining and acquiring information is letting go of useless info. To a great extent I feel the same about working in a team. I’ve found that a team of 3-8 people with a well aligned vision doesn’t need to track tasks or assign priorities. Especially when there is good guidance from above on the longer term vision. I’ve seen these tools used as duck tape for the wrong team, team size, product vision, etc.