|||

PTPL 060 · A New Circular 24-Hour Template Download for Hand Written Plans

Plus Gandhi’s Best Advice For Making Simple Notes That Mean Something


Productivity Inspiration

Gandhi encouraged the people around him to keep a diary. Or, you could say, he saw the value of note making. Seems like he was rocking interstitial journalling long before the phrase was coined!

You must keep an account of the yarn you have spun. Thoughts coming into your mind should also be noted down. You should keep a record of all that you have read. — Mahatma Gandhi

In this inspiring post on the notes of Gandhi by Jillian Hess, you can find her five takeaways:

  1. Keep it simple
  2. Record how you spend your time
  3. Be honest
  4. Make your own notebook

There’s more gems in the full article. I hope you’ll find a moment or two sometime soon to give it a read and glean your own takeaways.

Handwritten, hourly planning on the iPad

Continuing from last week, I’ve been using my iPad as a scratchpad most mornings before starting work. For me this is generally around 6–6:30am. Check out the circular newcomer to the collection of 24-hour planning templates available for free download —

Almost-black screen, with several circular donut-style grids, comprising 24 blocks each (one block = 1 hour). The date is handwritten in a blocky style within each circle. We can see 3, 4, 5, and 6. There are handwritten notes in and around the circles, but it’s too small to read. There’s a large, blocky, white number 7 in the bottom right hand corner, with tasks for that day written on and around it.

I love it! So much more of a sense of flow than with the rectangular version.

You know what I love more than this template for planning my day? The serene knowledge that I’m free to employ something else tomorrow, or to use nothing at all and just wing it.

Now, this scratchpad is not where I keep the record of my day Gandhi was talking about. That goes into my daily note — a Markdown flavoured plain text file that lives on all my devices — often via actions in the very very useful Drafts app.

It feels like I’ve traded my unlined skin and grey-free hair for this sense of peace. What a bargain! So many times in the past I felt harried, inadequate, and lost in the thicket of tasks and conflicting productivity advice. It’s wonderful to finally feel comfortable with my own ever-evolving style.

How do you plan your day? Freeform (the style, not the app), with a small list of tasks to be done by nightfall, matching every single hour to a task or area of responsibility, or some other way?

What might happen if you chose a different planning style for tomorrow’s plans?


💬 Comment on Mastodon · 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 PTPL 059 · Analog-Inspired Task Management in Obsidian—Does Your System Fit Your Needs? PTPL 061 · How to Leave Evernote and Become a Future-Proof Note Taker (Obsidian Optional)
Latest posts Inktober 2024 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 PTPL 112 · Organise Your Stuff— Alternatives to Bartender and Hazel PTPL 111 · You Only Need 2 Calendar Categories For Effective Time Management PTPL 110 · How to Easily Type  macOS ⌘ Modifier Keys PTPL 109 · Households With Written SOPs Are More Resilient Than Those Without PTPL 108 · Workflowy’s Plain Text Calendar Beats Obsidian’s PTPL 107 · Follow Along As I Learn the Command Line From Scratch PTPL 106 · Digital Freedom Requires Intentional Use of Paper, Plain Text, and Plugins PTPL 105 · Plain Text Budgeting Progress — Paper Made My Markdown Tables Better PTPL 104 · 6 Plain Text Task Management Options—an Overview PTPL 103 · 4 Practical, Fascinating Uses of Plain Text in the Wild PTPL 102 · No App Lasts Forever — Tips For Your Data Bug-Out Bag
... ... ... ...