Comment by AstroBen | Hacker News Reader

Comment by AstroBen | Hacker News Reader

I strongly believe using just a plain text files or overly basic tools makes your life more complicated, not less. I get a tonne of value out of OmniFocus

> “But what about mobile?” - The file syncs through Dropbox

Yup now you have to handle conflicts, or keep in mind which device you last edited on

> I use my calendar for time-specific stuff

Cool, the app I use just has a due date field that reminds me. I don't want the thing spread out over multiple places. I don't need to check my calendar every night for due dates and then add them to my list because it's already.. in my list.. with due dates..

> It’s searchable

Kind of? For basic searches I guess.. and only on a computer. Searching plain text files on mobile is hell

They seem to be inventing problems and then implementing a solution that doesn't actually solve them. Kept forgetting to check Things? How does a plain text file solve that?

> Kept forgetting to check Things? How does a plain text file solve that?

This. It just doesn’t. My bet is that some people just need to change their tools from time to time. And tbh I think it’s totally fine, no need to explain yourself. Just buy another todo list app and don’t feel bad about it. Or this expensive paper notebook. Or this “dumb phone” that will make you productive. Maybe just don’t try to find a deeper meaning in it or try to convince everyone that you finally solved some big mistery

Probably. Whatever method I use, physical or digital, it tends to fade into the background after a while and I stop noticing it. My best bet might be to switch to a new method every few weeks, in which case it's probably best to keep them simple and cheap. Maybe a whiteboard for a while, then a notebook, then a text file, and so on looping through a few basic methods.

The best part about a new app is that you have to transfer (or update, if you oscillate between apps on regular basis) the tasks and projects and will inevitably do a deep review.

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