ADHD Productivity Fundamentals
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0xff.nu
I'll have a day doing the tasks using one sort of tech, and another doing something else - a python day, a sysadmin day, a writing day. I can't tell when a thing will get done, but by working this way as long as it's on a list I know I'll get to it. If I try to schedule it, my productivity plummets.
Now a while ago, I saw on HN a system of 7 folders, each containing 7 folders,.... It seemed to make sense. The person named it after himself, something like JeffFolder. But I can't seem to find it. Does someone remember the name?
What is helping me is the "bidirectional links" plugin (so I'm linked to the the first version of the notes and don't forget it exists and keep starting again), and the "home note" plugin (so there is a hub for all those spokes).
It's a lot of work "curating" stuff, but I haven't found a better way for the way my mind works.
Digital vs Paper
Large vs small notebooks vs notecards, etc.
Anyone else have this issue who was finally able to settle on just one method of note-taking?
Everywhere I exist, I keep a legal pad - but any notebook will do. Near the couch, at my desk at home, at my desk at work, etc. the notebook is a list of facts/todos/whatever - each one its own line, and it gets crossed out when not relevant either because it’s done or I’ve decided I don’t care anymore. Literally like “don’t forget taxes” or “email John” or “bug at library X file Y line Z”. If enough items on a page are crossed out, I rewrite the items on a new page and rip that page out. Throw it away. Paper is ephemeral, and temporal. I typically go through at least page a day when working at my desk. Whenever I’m bored and procrastinating, I’ll read through the notes. They remind me important things I’m thinking about that I can’t keep top of mind. Anything particularly important I’ll cross out and write up digitally in my digital notes.
Importantly this lets me meet the information where it is. Work notebook is mostly work notes. Home notebook is mostly home stuff etc. there is no timeline or formal system to copy things over. If something was deadly important, I might take the time to digitize it immediately but generally a pen and pad favor speed of capture with minimal opportunity for distraction.
Some points from my experience that have stuck out for me:
- Timestamp. Every. Single. Page. ISO8601 works nicely here. You can now link to other notes. You can also use the context provided by the timestamp to corelate your note with emails and call history around that time. Huge leap in QoL here.
- Being flexible and adaptable is important. As long as your note is timestamped, it can be anything. Your notes should be able to adapt to the task at hand, if you're trying to fit the task into your note taking system you're just creating overhead. Think of your notes as capturing raw analog output. You can do all sorts of post processing later, but your task notes should basically just be a raw dump of what happened at that time.
- One thing under "write everything down" is to take notes on all of your business related phone calls. I even do a preamble before each call, where I write down the number I'm calling, any information I might need for that call, links to other relevant notes, etc. During the phone call I write down the person's name, the gist of the call and and any information they give me. This has saved my ass more than once.
- Just use a paper notepad. There's no batteries to run out, no software to go wrong, and by writing everything by hand with pen and paper, you'll be more likely to remember it. Legal pads work nicely, they lay flat and the binding rings dont get hung up when you remove it from your backpack.
I tear them off and put them in a filing box in hanging folders labeled by month. The nice thing about tearing them off is that you can pull out the sheets that you might need while you're working on something. Sometimes I just spread out everything I need on the floor so I can see it all at once. I've got a keeper clipboard that usually just has my legal pad and pen in it with a calendar sheet and all the task sheets that it links to, but sometimes I have to refer to things from years ago so I may have a few sheets from 2016 or whenever when I'm working away from home.
If you do use this method, I should add that when you link to a note, you only need to add the significant digits to the link. For instance, say you're making a list which has the timestamp 202403261200. One of the list items has a link to another note, say, 202403251123. Instead of writing out the full link, you just write [251123] since the only difference between the links of the paper you're writing on and the paper you're linking to is the day and time fields. Later, when you read the shortened link, you know it must share the same year and month as the sheet it's written on.
Another thing. Try using a calendar sheet for each month. I carry around the current month and at least the next three as well. Each event on the calendar links to a sheet that has all the info I need for that event. This has been enormously helpful for me. It helps if you use graph paper legal pads for this so you can draw the calendar easily.
Use good old paper and pen to keep track of stuff (where reasonable).
For me, it had a strong positive psychological impact.