12 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2024
    1. I built the system out of necessity–because after trying my hand at the big names in personal productivity systems for years, I couldn’t quite get them to work for me. Out of that frustration, The Today System was born.

      Mike Sturm ostensible created the Today System for his own use.

      Is the system productized? Is he charging something for it or just proselytizing it?

  2. Dec 2023
    1. If I had a dollar for every organizational system I have tried, I could treat myself to a steak dinner in a fancy restaurant. (Hey! That’s not a bad ideal!) I’ve tried notebook organizers, card files, flip charts, a stop watch, and numerous labeling gadgets. I’ve tried refrigerator magnets, the buddy system, lots of books, and a bunch of classes and seminars. All of these were good tools and some of them had great ideas, but none of them worked for me. (p27)

    2. I accomplished a couple of other things on that first day back into reality. First, with an evil Grinch-like smile | uprooted every household management system | had ever tried, and tore up every single 3x5 card in them. Then one by one, | roasted and toasted them in the fireplace until they were gone, gone, gone. Next, with equally fiendish delight, | speared my $35 namebrand notebook organizer with a marshmallow fork, and | roasted it too. It melted into oblivion, all but it’s ugly metal spine. Next, | prayed for my attitude and for help. And finally, | marched myself into Wal-mart and bought my first clear plastic bin, a two pound sack of M&M's, and a loaf of white bread. For better or worse, we have been pretty happy campers at my house ever since. (p6)

  3. Nov 2023
  4. everbookforever.com everbookforever.com
    1. https://everbookforever.com/

      Everbook appears to be a variation on some of the GTD, PKM, and productivity traditions done on larger loose slips of paper (instead of notebook style) with an incredibly lovely leather folder. There's a lot to like here for those stuck between love of slips and notebooks. Its reminiscent of project planning and to do methods using ring binders or FiloFaxes.

  5. Oct 2023
  6. May 2023
  7. Aug 2022
    1. Tools are instruments to achieve something, and systems are the organization of such.

      Feels like there's more here if we delve a bit deeper...

    2. Sometimes, I find digital apps urging me to integrate with another application or extension: connect to calendar, install this, install that (and sure, it may also be my own damn fault). They force me to get into a “system” rather than focus on what the tool provides. It’s overwhelming. Over-optimization leads to empty work, giving me a feeling of productivity in the absence of output, like quicksand. It hampers me from doing actual work.
  8. Mar 2022
    1. As James Clear said in Atomic Habits: ​

      You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems —James Clear, Atomic Habits

  9. Aug 2020
    1. See it as an experiment where failure yields valuable insights 🔬.

      Try and figure out when you actually are the most productive. When your usage of tools actually works. The insight you gain there could help you figure out what your ideal "productivity situation" is.

      Side note, just realized this is a perfect application of cybernetics (at least as far as I understand it so far).

      1. Apply a system
      2. Observe myself within that system
      3. Gain feedback by observing how I behave in that system
      4. Use that feedback to tweak that system until I've achieved my desired goal
    2. Time management is more about a system that works and less about a tool or just a method

      I've been focusing on the wrong things. To do lists aren't going to help me manage my time more effectively. It's a tool through which a system needs to be applied. If I don't have the right system, no tool is going to work.