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Interesting tool. I currently use a TODO text file in the root of each project I'm working on, which I update right before I stop working. The lists are hierar

Interesting tool. I currently use a TODO text file in the root of each project I'm working on, which I update right before I stop working. The lists are hierarchical, so each task I'm focused on has a parent item, which helps me remind of the bigger picture.

slyfox125 2y ago
Usually, ths simplest solution is best and your approach exemplifies it: no need for a special application, simply open the text file and then go to work.
- leetrout 2y ago
  I have found, and advise teams I lead or work with, that the tool absolutely does not matter because it is the discipline to use the tool consistently that makes a difference. Now, having said that, shoving jira down peoples throats with all kinds of rules around tagging and whatever wears people out. So, yes, a text file, a google doc, linear or a few post-its on the wall.
  - rpdillon 2y ago
    > because it is the discipline to use the tool consistently that makes a difference. Agree, though I advise folks that tooling matters tremendously, because a bad tool requires more discipline to continue using than a streamlined tool.
    - leetrout 2y ago
      This is very true. I guess I was thinking about all the times new people join a team and want to make changes to the team to fit the tools they prefer (including when a "big org" person rolls in wanting JIRA). Toil and friction are killers. In "Secrets of Productive People" Mark talks about building systems and that the lower level / background things should be reliable and without friction. "Good systems for simple administration will free your mind for more productive work. Ideally you shouldn’t need to have to think about the lower-level stuff at all. Thinking needs to be kept for the high-level systems, which will be designed to fit each particular case. But even then the aim of designing a high-level system is to avoid eventually having to think about that system too."
  - greggsy 2y ago
    Obsidian in a nutshell. Too many bells a whistles to tweak, and isn’t conducive to consistency.
    - WJW 2y ago
      I run it without any modifications from the default and it has been working quite well tbh. I'm pretty far from being a "power user" of obsidian though, it's literally only a note taking tool for me.
  - j45 2y ago
    This is generally true. Logseq is one of the only tools I feel different about. The per item line entry combined with a basic plugin to auto tag based on the words you type and existing tags, has been a game changer. I can simultaneously tag one line to multiple things without having to go the point of filing or adding them to each.
- lelanthran 2y ago
  > Usually, ths simplest solution is best and your approach exemplifies it: no need for a special application, simply open the text file and then go to work. I agree. The "tool" I have simply maintains text files and provides a streamlined way to display/edit the current one, switch to some previous one and switch back. I made it to manage context switches. IOW, it's not to serve as a journal, it's to serve as a swap partition for my brain.
was8309 2y ago
and a tool to squash or expand the hierarchy helps alot. jEdit can fold/unfold based on indentation. along with simple prefixes : '-' for info, '>' for todo, '= {date}' for done, etc
hallman76 2y ago
Mineis called README.md or notes.txt I use a similar hierarchical format - I use tabs for the hierarchy. I use markdown for most notes, but I find it somewhat incompatible with the tab-based note-taking that I prefer. I share this in case there are others out there who work the same way. Let's band together to establish a tab-friendly Markdown variant!

slyfox125 2y ago

Usually, ths simplest solution is best and your approach exemplifies it: no need for a special application, simply open the text file and then go to work.

leetrout 2y ago
I have found, and advise teams I lead or work with, that the tool absolutely does not matter because it is the discipline to use the tool consistently that makes a difference. Now, having said that, shoving jira down peoples throats with all kinds of rules around tagging and whatever wears people out. So, yes, a text file, a google doc, linear or a few post-its on the wall.
- rpdillon 2y ago
  > because it is the discipline to use the tool consistently that makes a difference. Agree, though I advise folks that tooling matters tremendously, because a bad tool requires more discipline to continue using than a streamlined tool.
  - leetrout 2y ago
    This is very true. I guess I was thinking about all the times new people join a team and want to make changes to the team to fit the tools they prefer (including when a "big org" person rolls in wanting JIRA). Toil and friction are killers. In "Secrets of Productive People" Mark talks about building systems and that the lower level / background things should be reliable and without friction. "Good systems for simple administration will free your mind for more productive work. Ideally you shouldn’t need to have to think about the lower-level stuff at all. Thinking needs to be kept for the high-level systems, which will be designed to fit each particular case. But even then the aim of designing a high-level system is to avoid eventually having to think about that system too."
- greggsy 2y ago
  Obsidian in a nutshell. Too many bells a whistles to tweak, and isn’t conducive to consistency.
  - WJW 2y ago
    I run it without any modifications from the default and it has been working quite well tbh. I'm pretty far from being a "power user" of obsidian though, it's literally only a note taking tool for me.
- j45 2y ago
  This is generally true. Logseq is one of the only tools I feel different about. The per item line entry combined with a basic plugin to auto tag based on the words you type and existing tags, has been a game changer. I can simultaneously tag one line to multiple things without having to go the point of filing or adding them to each.
lelanthran 2y ago
> Usually, ths simplest solution is best and your approach exemplifies it: no need for a special application, simply open the text file and then go to work. I agree. The "tool" I have simply maintains text files and provides a streamlined way to display/edit the current one, switch to some previous one and switch back. I made it to manage context switches. IOW, it's not to serve as a journal, it's to serve as a swap partition for my brain.

was8309 2y ago

and a tool to squash or expand the hierarchy helps alot. jEdit can fold/unfold based on indentation. along with simple prefixes : '-' for info, '>' for todo, '= {date}' for done, etc

hallman76 2y ago

Mineis called README.md or notes.txt I use a similar hierarchical format - I use tabs for the hierarchy. I use markdown for most notes, but I find it somewhat incompatible with the tab-based note-taking that I prefer. I share this in case there are others out there who work the same way. Let's band together to establish a tab-friendly Markdown variant!