|||

PTPL 050 · More on the Supremely Awesome TaskPaper Syntax in Obsidian, and 4 Other Apps

Plus folders in Photos, and allowing your own set of values to steer your notes


This week —

  • A new-to-me way of organising albums in Photos: folders!
  • TaskPaper syntax in Obsidian, how I name my projects, and the 4 additional apps that work with my tasks file
  • How the plain text journey is leading me to root everything in my core values, and why/how you should identify your own set of values if you haven’t already

Productivity Tips and Inspiration

Process always wins

Here’s an important quote from Curtis McHale :

The tools you use matter so much less than the process you have built around using them. The latest note app won’t suddenly make you a great thinker, if you never spend the time needed on thinking.

FYI this quote was shared by Curtis on Mastodon, but also appears on his website. An important lesson right there.

Apple Has Hidden Away the Best Way to Organise Your Photos | by Will J Murphy | Mac O’Clock | Apr, 2023 | Medium

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this! Well, better late than never. Collections of albums in folders will go a long way toward taming the crazy number of photos on my iPhone.

Adventures in Plain Text (and a little paper)

TaskPaper syntax in Obsidian — I love it!

This week I considered (not for the first time) pulling my vault out of iCloud in favour of Dropbox, but eventually decided against it; in no small degree because iA Writer is iCloud only. The TaskPaper syntax is flexible, and there are enough apps around that can read it, I’ll be sticking with it for the next few months to see how it goes in the heat of battle.

TaskPaper app window with a Mac-esque shadow behind it. There’s a narrow column on the left with a grey background, listing all projects and saved searches. On the right is a wider column with a white background showing a list of projects and tasks following the TaskPaper syntax. Projects are preceded by a number, and include an emoji related to the topic.

So far I can say that switching from atomising to unifying my tasks (i.e. one task per file, to all tasks on one page) is giving me a better sense of the big picture. I very much like being able to scroll the list and feel the depth and breadth of what I’ve accepted onto my plate.

Inspiration for the naming of projects comes from todo.txt; each begins with a number that starts with +. Referring loosely to my version of the Johnny Decimal system, I’m using the +200s for Home (personal), and +500s for Work (business).


2023-05-01 PTPL 050 - More on the Supremely Awesome TaskPaper Syntax in Obsidian, and 4 Other Apps


I’m currently using several apps to interact with my Projects and Tasks 2023.md file. This is to make sure the format I use is broadly compatible with most plain text apps, while still conforming to the TaskPaper syntax.

Mac:

  • TaskPaper
  • Obsidian (with a nice set of saved searches)
  • Sublime Text (+ PlainTask package)

iPad and iPhone:

  • iA Writer
  • Taskmator (with extreme caution because of iCloud sync issues)

I’m pleased to have worked out how to get Hazel to back up my task file to Dropbox each time it’s modified in iCloud! Keeping everything in one potentially losable/corruptible file doesn’t feel so dangerous now.

Waxing philosophical, keeping it real

It’s interesting, where the plain text path is taking me. At the beginning I was all in on Obsidian; couldn’t get enough of plugins and complexity and endlessly tweaking every part of the system. The more I wrote about the ins and out of what was fast becoming the Markdown flavour of the month, the more reads I got on my articles, and the more money I made.

In many ways it was an awesome time, supplementing my income while writing about my obsession.

But things have changed; I’m following a simpler path now. One that steers away from focusing on features unique to single apps, and instead prioritises broad spectrum compatibility on the plain text level. I’m theorising that this (along with more tech-minded players in the Obsidian-is-awesome market) is why reads have gone down, and income is less than half what it was at its peak, but I’m more determined than ever to pursue an app and platform agnostic system for project and task management, as well as note taking. It’s freeing, I tell you! I’m focused on the path, not the reward. On what I’m blessed to have, not what I wish I had.

This article helped to clarify the bigger picture:

Areas of Focus: The Foundation Of All Solid Productivity Systems. — Carl Pullein

The concept is an old one, but I suppose it stood out to me now because I’m ready for it. It’s an idea whose time has come!

This week I’ll be making a list of my values in — I was going to say Obsidian, because that’s where I do most of my writing, but I don’t want to highlight an app over the process. So, yes, I will almost certainly write up my values in Obsidian, on my Mac, but I could just as easily do them in any plain text app.

Even before completing the exercise myself, I can say that identifying and quantifying our values is vital! Without this kind of self-awareness, this sense of where our daily actions are rooted, any tech journey is just a shallow, directionless obsession.

Wishing you a week of mindful productivity, rooted in your own deeply held values.


💬 Comment on Mastodon · Medium · or by email


Follow my RSS feed, or sign up to receive posts in your inbox

If the things I post bring you value, please consider contributing to the support jar

Up next All Your Questions on This Surprisingly Creative Notebook Practice, Answered Writing Daily in a Scrap Paper Notebook Has Made Me More Creative
Latest posts Classifying Notes in an OBTF, Inspired By the Dash-Plus System 2025 Markdown Calendars If You’re Keeping Tasks in Your Calendar, I Hope You Know What You’re Doing No and Low-Clutter Gifts for Apple, PKM, and Analog Enthusiasts PTPL 129 · Live Out of Your Notes the Way Tom Lives Out of His Car Inktober 2024 PTPL 128 · Keep Your Content Separate From the Container in Which It Lives PTPL 127 · On Backing Up Paper, and Static Websites for Tiny Archives Efficient App Agnostic Tasks in a Single Plain Text File (Obsidian Optional) PTPL 126 · What the Dash-Plus System Looks Like in My OBTF and Analog Notes Word Puzzles (that aren’t Wordle) PTPL 125 · Choosing Between Digital and Analog, and a Plain Text Accounting Update How to Keep Your Wheels Turning Smoothly Despite the Automation Paradox PTPL 124 · Saving Safari tabs as Markdown links, and Mono Fonts in Obsidian Looking Through Windows (From the Outside In) PTPL 123 · ‘Analog Office’ Blog and Tomoe River Planner Recommendations Mastodon and the Fediverse — Social Media’s Brighter Future Celebrating Independent Indie Blogs PTPL 122 · Aligning Your Task List with Your (Changing) Values PTPL 121 · Getting Focused With a 4-Quadrant Weekly Planning Matrix PTPL 120 · Quick Add vs Text Expansion in Obsidian Touch Typing For Classic Book Fans Your Name in Landsat Psst — They Don't Know What You're Talking About PTPL 119 · Yes, You Can Be Plain-Text Enlightened and Still Use Apple’s Reminders! PTPL 118 · My Simple, Sensible Plain Text to Proprietary App Workflow PTPL 117 · Oh, You Like Making Notes! Why Not Use… ? PTPL 116 · Plain Text Accounting Level 1, Complete! PTPL 115 · There’s Something New at the Top of My One Big Text File PTPL 114 · Obsidian, Silver Bullet, and Org-Mode—3 Different Approaches to Working With Notes PTPL 113 · Some Free Tools Cost Too Much
... ... ... ...