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Comment by jxy | Hacker News Reader

The charm of pen and paper is simplicity and restriction. It is simple to implement this /bullet journal/ in a plain text file, but then... you want to add a timestamp; you want to add more markups; you want to add links; you want to add tags; you want to add code snippets; you start to move around your file aimelessly for an hour;... You whole text file life scheme blows up in front of you and you don't even know what hits you.

Think of why people like type writers? Simplicity and restriction! You are forced to focus on writing down what's on your mind.

Is there a solution on our over powered computers? Yes. Use ed, the text editor!

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I'm in love with todo.txt (http://todotxt.com/) as my preferred level of features vs. simplicity.

I have two desktop "clients" (one of them is an app with a Pomodoro client implemented, and the second one is GNOME extension), they cooperate with each other nicely using two files (one is called todo.txt and the second one is done.txt, where the tasks I have finished get archived), I sync those two files via ownCloud and I can access my to-do list on my phone.

I always have those files with me, and, since they're nothing more than text files, I can do whatever I want with them.

Interesting. But it seems as if there's only one official iOS app available. If we're using an open format like text files, wouldn't it be useful to be able to change apps/clients easily? Similar to a feed reader - I use Feedbin as the backend to collect and manage my feeds. However as a client I often switch between Reeder, Unread or Mr. Reader. I'd like to see something like Feedbin for Todos/GTD - how portable is the data if the official apps seem to be the only ones using the Todotxt data?

No such problem with Android. Several apps and some other apps support todo.txt for some features (pomodoros, for example). Maybe some kind of cultural difference?

An other todo.txt fan here ;)

What mobile client does support sync via OwnClown? I am stucked with DropBox that is pretty annoing piece of untrustworthy software so I must spend time snadboxing it :/

In many ways, pen & paper is less restricted. You can draw whatever shapes you want, use large & small print, annotate things, draw lines between items, circle/underline/callout however you like, mash stuff in the margins...

I have tried to use a dozen of 'digital' tools for tracking tasks and taking notes. Bullet journal is the first analog thing I tried and it remains in my daily routine for 3 months now.

I have problem understanding the efforts to reimplement the concept in various software systems (Evernote, org-mode, etc.). Why confine yourself in the limited computer system?

What do you use as your journal? I struggle with needing to carry a book around with me.

Much like the saying about cameras, the best journal system is the one you have with you.

I think my laptop's heaviness helps :P If I want to write something outdoors I remember to pick up my notebook if I remember how clumsy my laptop is. At home, it is always by my hand.

I use an A5 size notebook by a Japanese vendor, the brand is Stalogy. It has ~185 thin sheets and weighs only ~100g. The paper is quite good, light and sturdy. If you use a fountain pen or ball pen, the marks won't smear the other side of the page. Highlighters can be seen from the back but you won't mistaken the marks for those on this side. Haven't tried watercolor though.

The covers may become a bit wrinkled if they are wet, but inner pages are not much affected by water if you press them flat when drying. I find this out after I spilled some water in my bag. Luckily no electronic gadgets were in it then.

Since I use this system, I always have my notebook with me when I'm working (I always have a laptop backpack with me, too, and it goes in there). When I'm not working, I don't use this system.

After half a year I stopped doing most things he showed, except for the monthly review. That rocks. And checkboxes. And a few important pages that I keep referring to that can be found through the index. I track days that I took off on the calendar and otherwise never used that for anything.

The main benefits are

1. Writing things down means you are away for a few seconds from the machine full of distractions (made at great expense by powerful companies for the sole purpose of distracting you), and the physical act of writing helps concentration too.

2. Using this method, I actually keep a decent log of what I'm doing. I never did with any digital method, not for more than a couple of days.

Funny as it seems we arrived at the same "solution".

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