Ask HN: Which is the best way to keep yourself organized
34 comments
I've been using everything from Things and The Hitlist to Remember the Milk and Ta-da list; used GMail to keep track of tasks; written two task list applications for the console; created three web-based (three different approaches) systems.
I went out and bought a Moleskine to use while doing some research on how I'd manage tasks using a notebook. I've been using the darn book since June now and all of my previous endeavors have been discontinued.
There are so many positives with using a notebook. I can disconnect from the computer while planning my day. I can draw stuff in it. It's a neat feeling to have a good-looking notepad with you into a meeting. You get to spend hours in the store looking for the perfect pen. You can really cross something off a list. Just flipping through the pages gives me a great sensation of accomplishment.
I'm getting the 12-month daily planner next year as I am already adding date and weekday to all pages. I'm so looking forward to that :)
EDIT: Sorry about all the typos. Really .. really tired :)
I went out and bought a Moleskine to use while doing some research on how I'd manage tasks using a notebook. I've been using the darn book since June now and all of my previous endeavors have been discontinued.
There are so many positives with using a notebook. I can disconnect from the computer while planning my day. I can draw stuff in it. It's a neat feeling to have a good-looking notepad with you into a meeting. You get to spend hours in the store looking for the perfect pen. You can really cross something off a list. Just flipping through the pages gives me a great sensation of accomplishment.
I'm getting the 12-month daily planner next year as I am already adding date and weekday to all pages. I'm so looking forward to that :)
EDIT: Sorry about all the typos. Really .. really tired :)
EDIT: Sorry about all the typos. Really .. really tired :)
Maybe if you were more organized.... (just kidding-- I couldn't resist)
I'm a notebook man myself. Haven't graduated to moleskine yet, just the composition books for "back-of-the-envelope" type notes, and spirals for meeting/strategy/etc. notes.
I use Daytimer for calendar, but am starting to migrate to Thunderbird/Lightning for the monthly planning and weekly meeting stuff. It's a bad method to have more than one calendar, so I haven't quite resolved that yet.
Daily to-do lists go in the Daytimer, numbered and prioritized.
Maybe if you were more organized.... (just kidding-- I couldn't resist)
I'm a notebook man myself. Haven't graduated to moleskine yet, just the composition books for "back-of-the-envelope" type notes, and spirals for meeting/strategy/etc. notes.
I use Daytimer for calendar, but am starting to migrate to Thunderbird/Lightning for the monthly planning and weekly meeting stuff. It's a bad method to have more than one calendar, so I haven't quite resolved that yet.
Daily to-do lists go in the Daytimer, numbered and prioritized.
I mostly use my email. Gmail provides several features to make this easy. I know a lot of people say "your inbox is not a todo list", but I say to hell with that. Email is a good aggregator of information for me, since I can add things to it easily from a wide variety of devices, and with the techniques below I'm able to use it effectively.
First, I have several labels ("giterdone", "lookatlater", etc) for emails that contain tasks for me to complete. Some of these come from other people, but several also are emails sent to myself with tasks. Filters automatically tag "to-do" emails from me. I also have labels for things like "ideas" and things "tothink" about.
I use the "multiple inboxes" feature of Gmail Labs to create separate message lists for the todo-type labels. At the top is my highest priority label, "giterdone", followed by lower priority labels. My general inbox is at the bottom. This forces me to see my tasks whenever I check my email, which for me is pretty much always open. FWIW, I keep my inbox at 0 pretty much whenever possible. Smart labels and filters, along with another labs feature, the "Send and Archive" button, help me a lot with this.
Also, I carry a notebook (legal pad, really) with me wherever I go. That is used to just jot down quick notes, but frankly I don't use it as much as the above.
First, I have several labels ("giterdone", "lookatlater", etc) for emails that contain tasks for me to complete. Some of these come from other people, but several also are emails sent to myself with tasks. Filters automatically tag "to-do" emails from me. I also have labels for things like "ideas" and things "tothink" about.
I use the "multiple inboxes" feature of Gmail Labs to create separate message lists for the todo-type labels. At the top is my highest priority label, "giterdone", followed by lower priority labels. My general inbox is at the bottom. This forces me to see my tasks whenever I check my email, which for me is pretty much always open. FWIW, I keep my inbox at 0 pretty much whenever possible. Smart labels and filters, along with another labs feature, the "Send and Archive" button, help me a lot with this.
Also, I carry a notebook (legal pad, really) with me wherever I go. That is used to just jot down quick notes, but frankly I don't use it as much as the above.
Several of my gmail labels have a corresponding labelname-to-reply label.
I realized I was using my inbox for several functions:
1. notice urgent or topical subject lines
2. store items to read later
3. store items to reply-to later
4. store important already-read items for later reference
5. store to-do items, often implicitly as 2-4 above.
Once I set up the appropriate labels, I was able to move functions 2-5 out of the inbox, leaving it just for function 1.
I realized I was using my inbox for several functions:
1. notice urgent or topical subject lines
2. store items to read later
3. store items to reply-to later
4. store important already-read items for later reference
5. store to-do items, often implicitly as 2-4 above.
Once I set up the appropriate labels, I was able to move functions 2-5 out of the inbox, leaving it just for function 1.
I couldn't find an organizer solution that provided exactly what I wanted in the format I needed, so I just hacked one up in a week with PHP/MySQL. For awhile I had been using a simple pad/pencil and an EXPO board at home, but I noticed I tended to "forget" my long-term goals when using a daily pad and ignore the EXPO board after awhile.
Mine is lightweight and my homepage on every computer/mobile device I have... My current sections are:
- daily to-do / scratch pad box, which get moved from...
- the monthly goals box, which get moved from...
- the bucket list box
- calendar with simple tagging (for searching)
- a mini journal so I can reflect on the positives of the day
Ultimately your best solution is to do a little personal "customer analysis" and write out exactly how you'd want to manage your life and just design something to that. You know yourself best so just mix and match until you find what's optimal for how you want to operate, whether that's a simple pad or a complete netbook.
Mine is lightweight and my homepage on every computer/mobile device I have... My current sections are:
- daily to-do / scratch pad box, which get moved from...
- the monthly goals box, which get moved from...
- the bucket list box
- calendar with simple tagging (for searching)
- a mini journal so I can reflect on the positives of the day
Ultimately your best solution is to do a little personal "customer analysis" and write out exactly how you'd want to manage your life and just design something to that. You know yourself best so just mix and match until you find what's optimal for how you want to operate, whether that's a simple pad or a complete netbook.
I use my grandfather's method: Legal pad to-do lists.
Each day he would write the list of the day's tasks on the top page, then use the rest of the page for notes throughout the day. The next morning, he would copy unfinished items to the next page, then tear off the top page and discard it.
Rinse and repeat.
He called this legal pad "his computer" and if it could work for him, it could work for me. I've been using this method since college (either with an actual legal pad or using a simple text file) with great success. Just the simple tactile act of writing to-do items down keeps them top-of-mind all day.
Each day he would write the list of the day's tasks on the top page, then use the rest of the page for notes throughout the day. The next morning, he would copy unfinished items to the next page, then tear off the top page and discard it.
Rinse and repeat.
He called this legal pad "his computer" and if it could work for him, it could work for me. I've been using this method since college (either with an actual legal pad or using a simple text file) with great success. Just the simple tactile act of writing to-do items down keeps them top-of-mind all day.
After trying many methods (as seems everyone on this thread has), this is what I do too.
I think that software for people who do this might approach a solutions by starting with a basic text-editor/word-processor and adding some features to it, slowly. Remember that you are making a list.
Apple mail notes/tasks gets that general idea right but it has so few features that it's not all that useful. Working with email (eg turning an email into a task) is important, so mail clients are in the best position to produce this stuff.
I think that software for people who do this might approach a solutions by starting with a basic text-editor/word-processor and adding some features to it, slowly. Remember that you are making a list.
Apple mail notes/tasks gets that general idea right but it has so few features that it's not all that useful. Working with email (eg turning an email into a task) is important, so mail clients are in the best position to produce this stuff.
I haven't moved completely to this new system that I am implementing, but I have a few moving pieces together, so take it with a grain of salt.
I started with David Allen's Getting Things Done (Another commentator also made a reference to this).
GTD involves the use of multiple lists - these could be "projects" you are working on, those that you don't have time for right now, action items from those projects (kinda like to-dos but with a definite objective in mind), lists for agendas (like a list of items you would like to talk about at your 5 min. standup) etc, lists of just about anything - movies to watch, artists to follow, books to read etc.
Naturally, like others, I started having too many lists, and was constantly moving items from one to another. So, not I am trying to manage all my activities using Org-Mode, GMail and Google Calendar (I do have some paper based files for certain things, mostly sketches or notes from stuff I am currently reading).
Org-mode is fantastic for organizing yourself. You can use it as a todo manager, a work-log, and if you are vested heavily into emacs, it can even link up with your calendar and email. There are several blog posts out there for Org-mode and GTD and its certainly a good start IMO.
One more thing - MobileOrg just got released for the iPhone (its an application that lets you view, edit and manage your Org files), so I have access to my lists no matter where I am.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
I started with David Allen's Getting Things Done (Another commentator also made a reference to this).
GTD involves the use of multiple lists - these could be "projects" you are working on, those that you don't have time for right now, action items from those projects (kinda like to-dos but with a definite objective in mind), lists for agendas (like a list of items you would like to talk about at your 5 min. standup) etc, lists of just about anything - movies to watch, artists to follow, books to read etc.
Naturally, like others, I started having too many lists, and was constantly moving items from one to another. So, not I am trying to manage all my activities using Org-Mode, GMail and Google Calendar (I do have some paper based files for certain things, mostly sketches or notes from stuff I am currently reading).
Org-mode is fantastic for organizing yourself. You can use it as a todo manager, a work-log, and if you are vested heavily into emacs, it can even link up with your calendar and email. There are several blog posts out there for Org-mode and GTD and its certainly a good start IMO.
One more thing - MobileOrg just got released for the iPhone (its an application that lets you view, edit and manage your Org files), so I have access to my lists no matter where I am.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
The Hit List for Mac, a Moleskine, 37signals Backpack (and its Journal function) and my Work Progress Journal http://markbao.com/wpj.pdf
Redmine (redmine.org) is a free, open source alternative to basecamp/trac written in rails. It's great for tracking issues for your own projects, but especially useful to small teams. There are numerous plugins available to meet individual needs (scheduling, time tracking, etc).
Redmine is nice, though I think I prefer the little things that Backpack gives you that's tailored towards personal/team use and the better UX. It's only $7 a month if you use the (unadvertised) "solo" plan, which you can upgrade to after you sign up for a free account. (I hope jasonfried doesn't mind.)
Substitute Things for The Hit List and I agree.
I actually don't use anything. I find it's easier to follow your instinct and do what you want rather than sort out your life. Then, whatever you've been doing that's not productive, you force yourself to stop doing.
I actually don't use anything. I find it's easier to follow your instinct and do what you want rather than sort out your life. Then, whatever you've been doing that's not productive, you force yourself to stop doing.
Things.app + Things for iPhone for most of the tasks I need to get done. If I get actionable email I just organize them into the appropriate labels without transferring the associated task to Things.
This is what I've settled with after trying to get into GTD, Zen to Done, ActionMethod, etc.
This is what I've settled with after trying to get into GTD, Zen to Done, ActionMethod, etc.
another vote for things!
I have messed around with Emacs org-mode in the past, but never quite climbed the learning curve to the point of effortlessness.
Many people justifiably are promoting Moleskines, but these days I prefer http://riteintherain.com/ waterproof notebooks. http://www.tadgear.com/ has a good selection (if a horrible website). Much better if you're in the habit of jamming a notebook in your pocket, and paired with a solid waterproof/space pen you're pretty well guaranteed that your ink won't run.
Many people justifiably are promoting Moleskines, but these days I prefer http://riteintherain.com/ waterproof notebooks. http://www.tadgear.com/ has a good selection (if a horrible website). Much better if you're in the habit of jamming a notebook in your pocket, and paired with a solid waterproof/space pen you're pretty well guaranteed that your ink won't run.
I use lots and lots of loose leaf 8.5x11 printer paper and different colored pens. I keep a stack of this with me all the time. The top page is a to-do list and notes to myself. The other pages are other notes on things I've been working on recently. I continually add new items and cross them out as they get done and when a page is full and has all the items finished I toss it out. Same with my other notes.
So how swamped I am or how on top of things I am varies with the stack of paper I carry in my bag.
Doing things on paper also gives me time to focus hard on a problem away from the distraction of a computer.
So how swamped I am or how on top of things I am varies with the stack of paper I carry in my bag.
Doing things on paper also gives me time to focus hard on a problem away from the distraction of a computer.
Stop fetishizing moleskines.
Meditate.
Get off the Internet.
Do what you're doing now.
Meditate.
Get off the Internet.
Do what you're doing now.
I've tried a bunch of computer based solutions, software designed to help with doing GTD, to-do lists, Remember The Milk, a fancy, small leather bound notebook, all sorts of things.
These days I carry around a small, cheap 50c notebook that fits easily in my pocket and a small pen, and use it to jot down thoughts. I write down everything, from to-do lists, to business/application ideas, to what to have for dinner tonight. Whenever I feel like I've forgotten anything, I just flick through the notebook. It's low-tech and always available.
I have recently gotten an iPhone and started using Evernote for things like voice notes and photos that would take too many pages to write down in my notebook, and sync them to my laptops, but that's more of a secondary solution.
When it comes to more in depth and organised research and note taking, I carry around an A4 size spiral bound sketch book with a low tooth, and I write with a Micron or something similar. This lets me take notes and not feel constrained by lines. I'm free to write as big or small as I want, put diagrams and tables and formulae wherever it makes sense. I've started to do one notebook per subject, and now have 2 notebooks - one that I'm filling with math research and working, and one that I'm getting ready to start filling with research and notes for the Starcraft AI competition.
All up, through out the week, I carry the small notebook, one A4 notebook and my small pencil case and Sony ebook reader. If I'm going out to dinner or a movie or something, I'll just take the small notebook, and my iPhone and transfer notes when I get home.
These days I carry around a small, cheap 50c notebook that fits easily in my pocket and a small pen, and use it to jot down thoughts. I write down everything, from to-do lists, to business/application ideas, to what to have for dinner tonight. Whenever I feel like I've forgotten anything, I just flick through the notebook. It's low-tech and always available.
I have recently gotten an iPhone and started using Evernote for things like voice notes and photos that would take too many pages to write down in my notebook, and sync them to my laptops, but that's more of a secondary solution.
When it comes to more in depth and organised research and note taking, I carry around an A4 size spiral bound sketch book with a low tooth, and I write with a Micron or something similar. This lets me take notes and not feel constrained by lines. I'm free to write as big or small as I want, put diagrams and tables and formulae wherever it makes sense. I've started to do one notebook per subject, and now have 2 notebooks - one that I'm filling with math research and working, and one that I'm getting ready to start filling with research and notes for the Starcraft AI competition.
All up, through out the week, I carry the small notebook, one A4 notebook and my small pencil case and Sony ebook reader. If I'm going out to dinner or a movie or something, I'll just take the small notebook, and my iPhone and transfer notes when I get home.
Personally I find a single text file + Dropbox both simple and all I need. I always know where to look and I can reorganize however I want. If I'm looking for a registration code or a favorite quote or a handy command line snippet, I can just use Spotlight or open the file and search. This has worked well for me for years (even pre-Dropbox). I realize this doesn't work for everyone.
This is one of the reasons I voted for browser-based text editing on Dropbox.
Google Calendar plus Google Tasks in the sidebar that have tasks to do with dates so I can check them off when I'm done.
Do the smaller, easy things first and fast, so you'll be motivated to get others done.
Check out the GTD philosophy: http://www.davidco.com/what_is_gtd.php
Do the smaller, easy things first and fast, so you'll be motivated to get others done.
Check out the GTD philosophy: http://www.davidco.com/what_is_gtd.php
If you code (or even if you don't) check out the eclipse plug-in Myln (http://www.eclipse.org/mylyn/) and using Trac (http://trac.edgewall.org/) as a task repository (there are plenty of good cheap hosts like projectlocker.com). There is a great extension to it called Tasktop Pro that lets you use a gmail label as a task repository too.
The great thing about Myln is that it is "context based" - ie it filters tasks to the work you're doing at the time, and looks after opening all the related resources needed for it.
Google each of trac, myln, tasktop pro and projectlocker to see examples and how other people use them.
I use omnifocus for task tracking. I used rememberthemilk for awhile, but the lack of projects/taskgroups pushed me over the edge. Omnifocus has enough features to make me want to poke my eye out, but they've done a decent job at keeping the interface clean. I've even been using it for issue tracking lately.
For actual stuff organization, I throw things in random bins and photograph/track them in Evernote (i.e. your scissors are in Bin J). I've tried the whole "keep related things in related bins" thing, but the space/time complexity to resize the various bins when they get full is way beyond polynomial time. Whereas sorting and tracking randomly has O(1) lookup and O(n) resize (and resizes are rarely necessary).
For actual stuff organization, I throw things in random bins and photograph/track them in Evernote (i.e. your scissors are in Bin J). I've tried the whole "keep related things in related bins" thing, but the space/time complexity to resize the various bins when they get full is way beyond polynomial time. Whereas sorting and tracking randomly has O(1) lookup and O(n) resize (and resizes are rarely necessary).
I wrote (and use) http://voo2do.com/ . I'm currently working on turning it from a popular side project into a business, so I'd love any feedback on it. My email is on every page.
I use gmail. I have a label for storing tasks, and I can access it anywhere...
I have tried so many things - notebooks, moleskins, PDAs when they came out, web and desktop to do lists and organizers... nothing has ever worked more than a week.
I am seriously retarded in the organization debt. I own two businesses and have equity in two others and its all going well, I'm just handicapped with time management. I think about the only thing that would work would be to hire someone to stab me with a bayonet everytime I get off track from a list we made in the morning... hmmm, maybe this could be a business - Boot Camp Assistants™.
Curiously, anyone else on this thread ENTP?
I am seriously retarded in the organization debt. I own two businesses and have equity in two others and its all going well, I'm just handicapped with time management. I think about the only thing that would work would be to hire someone to stab me with a bayonet everytime I get off track from a list we made in the morning... hmmm, maybe this could be a business - Boot Camp Assistants™.
Curiously, anyone else on this thread ENTP?
Paper notebook and Remember The Milk (mostly accessed via Gmail gadget).
Ive found task lists without a firm start and end date does not work which is why I add tasks into Google Calendar.
For the 'gadget' I dont think there should be a specific gadget as Google (docs/email/calendar/tasks/talk) has solved the problem of being tied down to a single device.
In saying that I have several netbooks, PCs and iPhones all accessing shared data within the google 'cloud' and I feel effective and productive on each device I use.
For the 'gadget' I dont think there should be a specific gadget as Google (docs/email/calendar/tasks/talk) has solved the problem of being tied down to a single device.
In saying that I have several netbooks, PCs and iPhones all accessing shared data within the google 'cloud' and I feel effective and productive on each device I use.
GTD suggests using anything that can manage lots of lists quickly. I'm currently using a Nokia N800 for managing my lists, and it works well. There's a basic To Do app that's easy to use. I'm upgrading to an N900 once it ships. I had tried using a physical paper notepad, but it kept getting stale. Lots of pages of half-crossed-out to-do items was annoying and not easy to sort through.
Organizational issues often are a proxy war with procrastination. So as a cousin to other tools that have been offered up:
1. Uninstall IE and chrome and use only firefox.
2. D/L leechblock plugin, start your bad-site list (HN is in my list).
3. Set a random password, write it down, hand it to your wife and say "don't let me see this ever again"
1. Uninstall IE and chrome and use only firefox.
2. D/L leechblock plugin, start your bad-site list (HN is in my list).
3. Set a random password, write it down, hand it to your wife and say "don't let me see this ever again"
I have been loving http://www.actionmethod.com by the Behance crew... It is what I wished basecamp was. Lightweight but can manage a ton of projects, has an iPhone app and even gasp paper.
Why does everyone fetishize Moleskine notebooks? I went through a couple, and they all have terrible paper. I hate seeing ink bleed through to the next page. Clairefontaine and Rhodia notebooks have significantly higher quality paper.
If you'd like a lesson in brand management, Moleskine is right up there. It's the macbook of paper.
I like to Use ToodleDo and Evernote on my iPhone.
Both apps sync with the web, and offer offline modes. This makes it easy to use no matter where I am. I used to use my blackberry and outlook, but really wanted web integration.
Both apps sync with the web, and offer offline modes. This makes it easy to use no matter where I am. I used to use my blackberry and outlook, but really wanted web integration.
I've been using "Tasks" for many years now, and it works really well:
http://crowdfavorite.com/tasks/
http://crowdfavorite.com/tasks/
I use three tools postits(quick idea), notebook(Meetings, todo, discussions,work,thoughts) and Evernote(everything on-line,ideas,bookmarks...).
pivotal tracker for project management
http://pivotaltracker
combined with mac's ical program for my daily scheduling (i not only add future events, but i also log how i spend every hour of the day. i log using different calendars. i wrote a python script to aggregate the data into graphs and compute useful analysis.)
http://pivotaltracker
combined with mac's ical program for my daily scheduling (i not only add future events, but i also log how i spend every hour of the day. i log using different calendars. i wrote a python script to aggregate the data into graphs and compute useful analysis.)
would you mind sharing that python script?
A notebook. I have a 8.5 x 11 notebook that suits my big handwriting. I use 1 page a day.
EDIT: Moleskines are too expensive for me.
EDIT: Moleskines are too expensive for me.
microsoft onenote. if you havent played around with it i strongly encourage you to. imagine word with tabbed documents contained in dozens of precategorized folders of your making with a seamless interface to engage in free form note taking (clipping, drawing etc).
i just send myself emails. since so many tasks are email based anyway, it keeps everything in one place. i.e. "follow up with John Smith about X". when i complete the task i delete the email from my inbox
Things on the mac and iphone works for me! Small notepad also.
using my iphone right now. I would love an app that is able to sync with microsoft project. Anyone have something for this?
But I am wondering what are the other options I have given that I am constantly on move?
Should an electronic gadget, a small netboo, PDA is helpful or just a notebook will suffice?
What are all Hackers at HN are using?