You Need a Productivity Journal

Lifehacker ^ | July 15, 2024 | Lindsey Ellefson

[StAntKnee]

A huge benefit of listing, even if you don’t get to all tasks: You can stop wasting time trying to remember what you want do. Frees up the mind for more creative pursuits. Fact is, I will write a list of mundane tasks and set it aside just because I want to stop think about stuff I don’t want to feel guilty about.

[T.B. Yoits]

I've found the most productive thing is to run separate TO DO lists and separate LOGs. It's easy enough to keep them in bullet format in text files. (.txt extensions from WordPad or Notepad). You can move items up and down based on priority.

It's easy to copy from the text files into emails if necessary. Word with .docx extensions works fine too.

It helps to separate sections with characters such as [][][][][][][] or ++++++++ that can easily be searched up or down with Ctrl+F.

TO DO lists are those that actually require a task to be completed. As each task is done, it's moved the end of the text file in the DONE/GOTTEN section with the date completed.

Scroll down to the text you're looking for or type Ctrl+F to open the Find menu
If using Find, type in a word you're looking for. Hit Enter, and hit it again if necessary to continue the search through the file
If the text is found, press the Esc key to close the Find menu
Select text, (Shift plus Up or Down arrows selects entire lines)
Ctrl+C or Ctrl+X (to copy to the clipboard or copy to the clipboard and delete),
Ctrl+End (to move to the end of the file),
Ctrl+V (to paste).
Ctrl+Home brings you back to the top of the file.
Ctrl+S saves the file with the changes.
Alt+Spacebar calls up the window menu and clicking C then closes the window.

LOGs are for notes related to something but don't actually require a task to be completed. For example, a Log for Work could include something like "Jim's last day." or "Satellite office closed".

For Example:

To Do Car
To Do Computer
To Do Family/Friends
To Do Health
To Do Hobby (like donate to Free Republic)
To Do Household
To Do Job / Career

Log Computer
Log Finance
Log Family/Friends
Log Health
Log Hobby
Log Household
Log Town/Municipality
Log Work

Microsoft Outlook Tasks works well for some tasks, especially recurring ones. You can set a task to pop up on such recurring bases as "Every weekday", "Every Day", "Monthly", "The last weekday of every x months", etc. You can also set them to "create a new task x days after the last one is complete".

Microsoft OneNote is good for things that might require images or tables but it doesn't work as well with the Key Commands.

[FrozenAssets]

I used to do that but complication would always rear its ugly head. Can’t find the tool. Have to fix the tool. Need more beer. etc.

[Cloverfarm]

Writing things down has been a big help to me. In a journal, or notebook, and especially a wall calendar with BIG squares. Everything bought or sold on the farm goes on the wall calendar. So then at tax time I’ve got back up!

[Vermont Lt]

I used to when I was working.

I would spend time in the morning and at the end of the day updating activities and what the next day’s work needed to be.

I ran my own company with some contractors. Keeping the “plates spinning on the poles” took some work.