I currently use a TODO text file in the root of each project I'm working on, which I update right before I stop working. The lists are hierarchical, so each task I'm focused on has a parent item, which helps me remind of the bigger picture.
Now, having said that, shoving jira down peoples throats with all kinds of rules around tagging and whatever wears people out.
So, yes, a text file, a google doc, linear or a few post-its on the wall.
Agree, though I advise folks that tooling matters tremendously, because a bad tool requires more discipline to continue using than a streamlined tool.
Toil and friction are killers.
In "Secrets of Productive People" Mark talks about building systems and that the lower level / background things should be reliable and without friction.
"Good systems for simple administration will free your mind for more productive work. Ideally you shouldn’t need to have to think about the lower-level stuff at all. Thinking needs to be kept for the high-level systems, which will be designed to fit each particular case. But even then the aim of designing a high-level system is to avoid eventually having to think about that system too."
Logseq is one of the only tools I feel different about.
The per item line entry combined with a basic plugin to auto tag based on the words you type and existing tags, has been a game changer. I can simultaneously tag one line to multiple things without having to go the point of filing or adding them to each.
Too many bells a whistles to tweak, and isn’t conducive to consistency.
I agree. The "tool" I have simply maintains text files and provides a streamlined way to display/edit the current one, switch to some previous one and switch back.
I made it to manage context switches. IOW, it's not to serve as a journal, it's to serve as a swap partition for my brain.
I share this in case there are others out there who work the same way. Let's band together to establish a tab-friendly Markdown variant!