I use Tasks.org android app on my phone's home screen that displays Appointments with 3-days before, 1-day before and 8-hours before reminders, unscheduled To-Do tasks and Shopping/Grocery needs.

All other notes are kept using Termux where I can sync my notes with my computer using rsync.

It took me at least a year to get into the habit of using my notes and reminders like that but it's worked great so far.

The only downside to my system is that if I lose my phone, all my appointments will disappear into the void. Win some, lose some. Fortunately I keep a simple life which reduces the chances of unwanted human contact appointments.

The author uses a lot of the same reasoning I do for using a bullet journal. (Some people like making theirs more elaborate or add more complexity - I keep mine very simple.)

Though I do like the idea of keeping the text document synced everywhere.

The thing I like my bullet journal for over a living document and using sticky notes, is that I can see very easily what I have accomplished. I started getting frustrated at never having everything done that I wanted. After starting the bullet journal, I could actually see what took up my time, and I was able to cut myself a lot more slack.

This is a great article, and matches my experiences.

But...

I'm not sure I want company in the "amazingly productive professional" club.

Let's not share this insight too far, okay?

I'll be quite content if everyone competing with me for money keeps investing their energy in AI tools.

Have tried ALL the same ones. Probably even more.

Square Post-it notes. One for what needs to be done that week. Another for that day. Cross each item as I go. When every item is crossed off, crumple into bin. End of day, whatever item is left gets scribbled on fresh one for next day. End of week for the weekly one. That's it.

Stuck on desk, to laptop, or carried in pocket. Works great. It's all about reducing friction and clutter. If too much effort to keep track, gets easy to drift into bike-shedding territory.

Keep going back to new, shiny apps every once in a while. Always end up back on damn sticky notes.

I use a Calendar App, as that is literally it's function.

Shameful behavior reading ð comments to 🧵

I do this with scratch.txt but instead of infinite list I delete old stuff.

Been meaning to set up some sort of automation to commit to a local git repo every 5 minutes so I can have history without it all being in my face.

Same, todo.txt + https://github.com/ransome1/sleek is the least shitty way to keep track of things.

My Todo app is a Markdown file because I can cross stuff out.

I feel like 90% of the functionality and reason I use a Todo app is the notifications and scheduling of tasks.

I'm using .md

KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
That's why i use Markor on, it saves on markdown (.md), text (.txt) files, and sync with Syncthing to other devices.

Without databases, or third party hosts, i can open any file on other devices using the apps of my choice, can use Markor on Android and nvim on PC.

No need to pay extra or use specific apps to work.

I also tried other not taking apps, but I needed to use some electron app that uses 1GB RAM to edit a markdown file, and decrypt some proprietary online storage. Why use some overcomplicated software when i can do the same Kwrite or nano

For me it's just .md files.

I find it even easier just not to do things in the first place.

I tried using org-mode, but eventually returned to simple plain text.

Color notation, or various enriching elements don't help. They actually distract.

There's the task. The task of having a TODO list. Its elements are free form by definition.

I swear, today's tech is 99% arrogant people showing themselves how they know everything, except they don't solve the actual task which is the only thing needed.

Like those over-engineered half-working arcane machines they portray in steampunk settings, except those at least feel cool.

It's like that anecdote about "what buzzes, spins and doesn't bite your ass? - a Soviet machine for biting your ass". 2025 machines for biting your ass do everything, including almost sexual gratification of their developers from using any of a hundred of hipster libraries, frameworks and build systems, and a server component using Firebase, AWS and what not, what they don't do is actually bite your ass. Well, they kinda scratch it.

Doing a lot is not the same as doing better.

Also I fucking hate modern UI\UX design and ergonomics (both lacking).

There's something about the Silicon Valley and everything looking up to it. A culture of authoritarian cheap bullshit, with pretty arrogant people not capable of having a civil discussion, and when they fail that, it's not themselves who they blame.

Honestly it sometimes feels as if all the visible things around were like that. Linux included. Also maybe BTRON for workstations not happening is a bigger tragedy than it would seem.

There's nothing wrong with using a good text editor. You can always use some markdown if you want basic formatting.

Obsidian just stores the data as TXT files. Only now you can have formatting, links, tags, lists, charts, images, etc.

My biggest issue with all these Markdown editors is that the format is text only, forcing other files to be stored independently. It does not support embedded pictures, formulas, etc.

My perfect option uses some format that would allow text, pictures, audio and video, optional LaTeX formatting all in one file, and wouldn't be constrained to a single application that can run it all. At least some apps supporting it should be in a note-taking layout, not a standard office program.

Mobile support would be a banger, too, but is optional.

Essentially, I want a OneNote-like experience without walled garden, bundled in a way that would allow it to be painlessly exported into several other pieces of software, available on Linux.

Any ideas on that?

I also tried a bunch of things. Obsidian with journals plug-in is the perfect solution.

(Ok, journals + like 10 other plugins)

For a while I had been using the “To Do” list that’s built in through Hotmail and the iOS app.

But nowadays I’ve been using TickTick app for the to-do’s.

https://f-droid.org/packages/de.tnmgl.ntodotxt

I have used flat txt files and also ntoodotxt for other stuff. Sync them all with syncthing.

I've been using Quillpad for some time now. It's kind of a "glorified markdown editor" (like Joplin) but stripped down to the only things I need: bullet lists for todo and grocery, quick notes, audio notes. Recently version 1.5 came out which allows to sync local files so it can now work with Syncthing and that made it an instant favourite for me

So far the best for me is a mix of Google's Tasks and Notes.
Both hide ticked of tasks, have functional reminders and are accessible from any authenticated device (to be edited).

All others I've tried, lack the hiding of the ticked boxes requiring one to create new pages divided by months, weeks or some other divider.

I use it with CalDAV via Baikal. Apple reminders support it and other CalDAV supported applications like thunderbird and tasks.org with DAVx^5^.

I’m very happy with Things. Been using it for 7 years with an occasional dip into Todoist and Apple Reminders just out of interest, but always coming back to Things.

It fits exactly how my brain works. The only annoyance is that I cannot tick off recurring tasks before they are scheduled.

I concur with the article. I've tried various tools but I keep coming back to text files in vim. Recently I've been using a notes/ directory with a bash function to quickly create and edit a named text file for a new topic. That gives me the little bit of organization and separation for isolated tasks, while still having a main notes.txt file for miscellaneous notes and todos. I really like being able to stay in the terminal and using ripgrep for everything.

1list is my choice of todo app

LogSeq

I just use a physical bullet journal. I always dislike manufactured books/apps etc.

I did a search of simple todo.txt applications and basic habit trackers and came up with this list of options: https://lmemsm.dreamwidth.org/25452.html

I miss the days when all the best plans were hastily scribbled on a cocktail napkin for later reference.

I split my notes/todos into multiple files, but I wrote a small program which basically just creates a file with a randomized name in a flat directory and then opens it in my default editor.
I just want to be able to start typing right away without worrying where to put the note or what to title it or whatever. Like, I will put a title on it and include some keywords to help me find things again, but I can do that later when I don't need to noting things down...

The section entitled "The Secret Sauce" is the real magic of this article.

Apps aren't a problem, but they're also not a guaranteed solution. If you don't actually do what needs to be done, then it isn't working.

I use this one. Very handy http://todotxt.org/

@stabby_cicada so true. I have a physical note book for work, and all personal notes are in markdown, nextcloud server.

Basically, yeah.

Although I use a notebook for most of my todos, anything more technical goes in a text file -- though I made mine like:

# todo.md
- todos for website.one [here](./website.one.md)
- todos for website.two [here](./website.two.md)

# website.one.md
- [x] support mobile views
- [ ] migrate to self-hosted

Although my "todos" double as "ideas to try out" and "projects to spike" so I like this type of organization.

Actually speaking of pointless todo apps... I have this one I've been mulling over that basically takes a markdown list as input, does logical stuff to it, then outputs in the same format. I don't know if that's useful in any way, but I feel every nerd needs to reinvent the wheel at least once.

Logseq. Basically a .txt file on steroids.

I can agree and empathise with this a lot, a text file is what I generally use on a desktop, though for smaller tasks that I knock out on the go, I use p!n on android (fdroid)

I also do something like this. As I get older, I find that I work less and less with fancy software and more and more with .txt and (more recently) .md files.

He didn't try org-mode though. https://orgmode.org/

This is why I like neorg plugin on neovim

I just have a directory for todos, checklists, reference files, etc.

And I can peruse it easily with nvim-tree

And I just have a hotkey to toggle state of items (todo, done, paused, represented by empty box, checked box, clock, respectively)

But in the end it's just editting a raw text file.

Obsidian would solve most of the gripes in this article