Eventually Consistent: a PKM Allegory on Taking Imperfect Action Now December 2, 2024 ptpl PKM is about processes rather than apps. Sort out your thoughts from other people's, and let everything else become consistent over time. Just start! PTPL 132 · Happy To Do Lists · Better Queries in Obsidian · Trip Template · Avoiding App Lock-in November 25, 2024 ptpl My simple template for trips away makes each day easier to plan. Better queries for my Master Task List that work in Obsidian, but don't require it. Classifying Notes in an OBTF, Inspired By the Dash-Plus System November 18, 2024 ptpl Don't be dogmatic about the tools you use, but do insist on protecting your work. Dash-Plus works best on paper; letters work better when classifying daily notes. If You’re Keeping Tasks in Your Calendar, I Hope You Know What You’re Doing November 11, 2024 ptpl Tracking tasks in plain text also requires judicious use of a calendar. Dash-Plus doesn't look like Dash-Plus in my One Big Text File, and that's okay. PTPL 129 · Live Out of Your Notes the Way Tom Lives Out of His Car November 4, 2024 ptpl Are your essentials (notes, possessions) at your fingertips? Could you live out of your car? One way to handle dot-point notes in the Dash-Plus system. PTPL 128 · Keep Your Content Separate From the Container in Which It Lives October 28, 2024 ptpl Content, containers, files, and apps. Don't limit the choices your future self can make. Metadata changes are making my text-based flashcards more useful. PTPL 127 · On Backing Up Paper, and Static Websites for Tiny Archives October 21, 2024 ptpl Backing up paper journals and digital files, low-tech static websites for managing personal files, and tracking tasks effectively in a single text file. PTPL 126 · What the Dash-Plus System Looks Like in My OBTF and Analog Notes October 14, 2024 ptpl & obtf Writing daily notes in both digital and analog formats that are useful to your future self takes some doing! I'm experimenting with the Dash-Plus system, and loving it. PTPL 125 · Choosing Between Digital and Analog, and a Plain Text Accounting Update October 7, 2024 ptpl & life-hacks You are in the driver's seat of your own life-vehicle, so welcome departures from your regular routes. Also, I'm very glad I stuck with plain text accounting. PTPL 124 · Saving Safari tabs as Markdown links, and Mono Fonts in Obsidian September 30, 2024 ptpl & obsidian Saving Safari tabs as a list of Markdown links augments an interstitial journaling practice. I’m enjoying the uniformity of a mono font in Obsidian. PTPL 123 · ‘Analog Office’ Blog and Tomoe River Planner Recommendations September 23, 2024 ptpl Feedle lets you search RSS feeds by topic. Anna Havron's Analog Office blog perfectly compliments my own work. The Wonderland222 planner looks amazing! PTPL 122 · Aligning Your Task List with Your (Changing) Values September 16, 2024 ptpl The things that you value can change priority depending on your stage of life. Time management becomes easier when your tasks and projects are values driven. PTPL 121 · Getting Focused With a 4-Quadrant Weekly Planning Matrix September 9, 2024 ptpl Managing our personal knowledge should evolve to fit our changing needs. See the 4-quadrant weekly planning matrix I use to plan my life, 7 days at a time. PTPL 120 · Quick Add vs Text Expansion in Obsidian September 2, 2024 ptpl Comparing the Quick Add plugin with text expansion in Obsidian. When choosing apps that lock you in, make sure you're willing to manually backup the things you'd cry to lose. PTPL 119 · Yes, You Can Be Plain-Text Enlightened and Still Use Apple’s Reminders! August 26, 2024 ptpl Why I’ve moved from a manual Workflowy calendar to the Apple Reminders app, and how to export tasks from Reminders to PDF to plain text. PTPL 118 · My Simple, Sensible Plain Text to Proprietary App Workflow August 19, 2024 ptpl Being mindful about how you store your thought babies in the digital realm. Ode to the patient people who help us learn the tricky stuff. PTPL 117 · Oh, You Like Making Notes! Why Not Use… ? August 12, 2024 ptpl The plain text format is the best for words you want to remember, but not everyone is ready for it. Keep promoting open formats anyway. You might just change a life. PTPL 116 · Plain Text Accounting Level 1, Complete! August 5, 2024 ptpl However you track your finances, I hope you’ll be inspired by the fact that doing so in plain text is possible, and powerful! Edit .journal files in Obsidian. PTPL 115 · There’s Something New at the Top of My One Big Text File July 29, 2024 ptpl & obtf How the top of my OBTF reinforces my values and motivates me to live up to them with screenshots of it in 6 different apps, plus my first physical book buy of the year. PTPL 114 · Obsidian, Silver Bullet, and Org-Mode—3 Different Approaches to Working With Notes July 22, 2024 ptpl & obsidian 3 paths to a collection of locally stored files that can be used in more than one app, with 4 reasons why Obsidian is still my favourite. PTPL 113 · Some Free Tools Cost Too Much July 15, 2024 ptpl Free versus paid apps - every option comes with a burden to bear . How to decide which one is right for you. Learning CLI I'm using hledger at a basic level, at last! PTPL 112 · Organise Your Stuff— Alternatives to Bartender and Hazel July 8, 2024 ptpl 4 links to utilities that can organise your digital world without messing with your plain text data. What are your top 10 Vim command recommendations for beginners? PTPL 111 · You Only Need 2 Calendar Categories For Effective Time Management July 1, 2024 ptpl How Geet Duggal's Frontier time blocking method is helping me focus, plus a video that perfectly expresses how I feel about diving into Vim. PTPL 110 · How to Easily Type  macOS ⌘ Modifier Keys June 24, 2024 ptpl 2 simple ways to type macOS modifier keys, and report on the issues I’ve been having with the Obsidian plugin, CalcCraft. It’s week 4 of Learning the Command Line. PTPL 109 · Households With Written SOPs Are More Resilient Than Those Without June 17, 2024 ptpl & life-hacks Why you need household SOPs. Two specific practices that will improve the interoperability of your Workflowy Markdown exports. A brief look at week 3 of Learning The Command Line. PTPL 108 · Workflowy’s Plain Text Calendar Beats Obsidian’s June 10, 2024 ptpl & obsidian The text-based calendar and task management system that’s got me looking at a proprietary app, all thanks to one beautifully detailed Workflowy video. PTPL 107 · Follow Along As I Learn the Command Line From Scratch June 3, 2024 ptpl Johnny 'Decimal' Noble teaches the Command Line to someone (me) who doesn't even know what it is, plus a Dataview no-code code-generator for Obsidian. PTPL 106 · Digital Freedom Requires Intentional Use of Paper, Plain Text, and Plugins May 27, 2024 ptpl Future digital freedom depends on today's intentional decisions. Is your focus on the notes themselves, or on who they're helping you to become? PTPL 105 · Plain Text Budgeting Progress — Paper Made My Markdown Tables Better May 20, 2024 ptpl Tracking finances on paper helped me understand how to shape my hands-on Markdown budget trackers as I adapt the envelope budgeting approach to fit my life PTPL 104 · 6 Plain Text Task Management Options—an Overview May 13, 2024 ptpl 6 different plain text task management options, from paper-equivalents to plugins and scripts. Links to the Author's and others' articles on the topic. PTPL 103 · 4 Practical, Fascinating Uses of Plain Text in the Wild May 6, 2024 ptpl See a post you love? Save it now. 4 ways for using plain text to solve everyday problems, including a writing app and context switching on a Mac. PTPL 102 · No App Lasts Forever — Tips For Your Data Bug-Out Bag April 29, 2024 ptpl No app will last forever, so act now to preserve your data before the crisis hits. nvALT users need to act NOW! 4 habits that can help. PTPL 101 · Forget Perfectionism — Raw Notes Are Real Notes April 22, 2024 ptpl Focus on what your notes are for and don't let the scaffolding pull you away from that. Helping non-techie people choose the best notes app for them. PTPL 100 · One Big Text File — Top Down, Or Bottom Up? April 15, 2024 ptpl Knowledge management practices in 19th C literature, dictionary and specimen notes in Obsidian, and why I’m glad I turned my 11-week-old OBTF on its head. PTPL 099 · The Vital Bridging Habit That Makes My Task Management System Abandon-Proof April 8, 2024 ptpl Links to 4 cool texty tech finds. How writing down the right things help my productivity practices stand up to the test of being abandoned for a week. PTPL 098 · One Tool For Everything, or Separate, Complementary Solutions? April 1, 2024 ptpl Should software can be made to do things that can often be done more easily with separate apps or analog tools? A 3-step recipe for simplifying almost anything. PTPL 097 · Informed, Intentional Note Makers Value Processes Over Apps March 25, 2024 ptpl Do you know your processes well enough that leaving your favorite app wouldn't be a catastrophe? Quiz - what kind of digital or analog note-keeper are you? PTPL 096 · Content Over Tools, Files Over Apps, Internal Observation Over External Inspiration March 18, 2024 ptpl & obsidian Plan.txt and Plus, Minus, Next for making sense of the week that’s been and the one to come. Define priorities to keep Obsidian the tool you need it to be. PTPL 095 · Markdown Smart Bookmarks, Portable and Plugin Free March 11, 2024 ptpl Recreating Obsidian Bookmarks to work in other apps. Case study - embedded queries for tracking language learning flashcards. PTPL 094 · The Joy of Playing in a Focused, Offline Digital Garden March 4, 2024 ptpl The joy of playing in an offline digital garden, and why Obsidian's block references don't need to be out of place in an app-agnostic workflow PTPL 093 · Projects With a Code Name Work Better Than Those Without February 26, 2024 ptpl & obsidian Giving projects a code name can help you understand the why behind them, leading to better quality work, plus how to switch Obsidian vaults on your phone. PTPL 092 · 3 Friction Points in the One Big Text File Experiment, (Mostly) Solved February 19, 2024 ptpl & obtf Pain points of using One Big Text File, like how to resurface entries at specific times. A new way for Drafts to be the plain text inbox of your dreams. PTPL 091 · I’m Using One Big Text File in Obsidian as a Digital Bullet Journal February 13, 2024 ptpl & obsidian & obtf How using a physical notebook is shaping and simplifying my (Markdown) daily note template, and how One Big Text File is a great option for capturing thoughts and ideas in a plain text Bullet Journal. PTPL 090 · Your Daily Note Can Help You Ask Great Questions (and Get Great Answers) February 6, 2024 ptpl Asking great questions is a skill you can develop by practicing in your daily note. Photos of my migration from a stitch bound to a discbound Bullet Journal. PTPL 089 · Thoughts on the Pleasant Alliance Between Paper and Plain Text Notes January 30, 2024 ptpl Attaining productivity perfection is not the goal; aim for understanding your Why and working to support it with paper, digital, or a mixture of both. PTPL 088 · Time to Inventory Your Inboxes, and the Routines That Help You Process Them January 23, 2024 ptpl A cool plain text blog promoting authenticity over conformity, plus a look at how my inboxes have changed over the past year. PTPL 087 · Hyperlinked PDFs Now Work in Nebo! January 16, 2024 ptpl Interactive PDFs now work in Nebo, as well as GoodNotes, Notability, and Noteshelf. Using Bullet journals and Obsidian together for tasks and notes. PTPL 086 · 4 Tough Questions For a Plain Text Advocate January 9, 2024 ptpl My first week with a handmade Bullet Journal and how I'm reconciling this practice with a love of plain text, with musings on not-New Year's resolutions. PTPL 085 · CalcCraft is the Obsidian Tables Plugin I Was Looking For! January 2, 2024 ptpl & obsidian Did you know there's a plugin for doing simple calculations in Markdown tables in Obsidian? And that there's a serious contender for replacing Comic Sans? PTPL 084: Getting Ready For 2024 With Nothing But Folders and Plain Text December 26, 2023 ptpl Folders and plain text for personal knowledge management, and task management. Learn from the PKM principles rather than copying the practices you read about. PTPL 083: Markdown Formulas in the Newly Updated Obsidian Tables December 18, 2023 ptpl & obsidian The updated Obsidian tables make it easier to use plain text as super powered digital paper. Simple formulas can make it a viable spreadsheet alternative for some. PTPL 082 · Obsidian Sync Is So Good, I Bought a Keyboard For My Phone December 11, 2023 ptpl & obsidian Subscribing to Obsidian Sync, to me, means no longer trading usability for an unrealised ideal of interoperability. At last I have a sync solution I can trust! PTPL 081 · New Weekly and Monthly Analog Templates for Simplified Planning December 4, 2023 ptpl Planning weeks and months with analog templates that are so simple, they're 2-way symmetrical. Digital calendars are great analog is good for your brain. PTPL 080 · Why I’m Sad That Obsidian Sync Is 100% Necessary on iOS November 27, 2023 ptpl & obsidian I've faced the sad fact that Obsidian Sync is essential for using the app on iOS. Plus, how to define your top 10 values that can guide everything you do. PTPL PTPL 079 · How to Link and Quickly Switch Between Multiple Obsidian Vaults November 20, 2023 ptpl Learn how to switch between multiple Obsidian vaults with a single click or a simple hotkey. The perfect pencil for me isn't what I thought it would be. PTPL 078 · I’m Beating Procrastination by Asking 3 Short Questions November 13, 2023 ptpl Asking these 3 questions to find out if my serial procrastination is coming from my head, hand, or heart has been key to getting the right work done. PTPL 077 · A Peek Inside the Obsidian Weekly Note That’s Keeping Me Focused November 6, 2023 ptpl & obsidian Inside my weekly note is a to do list that follows the Ivy Lee productivity method. TaskPaper can be used for interstitial journaling as well as to dos. PTPL 076 · The New Johnny.Decimal Workbook— What I’ve Learned So Far October 30, 2023 ptpl The new Johnny.Decimal Workbook is well worth your time and money! Comparing paper budgets with crafting your PKM—these insights can help you do both. PTPL 075 · Plain Text, Or Paper Budgeting Templates? The Experiment Begins October 23, 2023 ptpl FKM update, and new adventure with paper-based budgeting begins! As much as I love plain text, sometimes analog tools are the best ones for the job. PTPL 074 · Drumroll…The One-Task-Per-File System Finally Works! October 16, 2023 ptpl Good time management requires a clear distinction between tasks and events. A one file per task system works well for some (not all) brains. PTPL 073 · Are You Obsessively Date-Format Opinionated? Sadly, I Am. October 9, 2023 ptpl I didn't choose to be obsessed about date-formats for my plain text files. Also, plain text for blind writers, and an Obsidian-Omnifocus workflow. PTPL 072 · I Love Keeping All My Projects and Tasks in a Single, Searchable File October 2, 2023 ptpl Good time management requires a clear distinction between tasks and events. A one file per task system works well for some (not all) brains. PTPL 071 · File-Based Knowledge Management—a Subtle but Profound Shift in PKM Thinking September 23, 2023 ptpl File-based knowledge management is about structuring your plain text files to be highly usable in the Finder alone. PTPL 070 · Obsidian Plugin vs Plain Text vs Readymade Task Management Solutions September 18, 2023 ptpl Here are some tutorials for moving text from Drafts to Obsidian, and my thoughts on tailoring a task management system to your needs. Todoist vs plain text. PTPL 069 · Obsidian Properties Are Just the Help I Needed to Organise My Notes September 11, 2023 ptpl & obsidian Obsidian properties help me to write interoperable YAML, and make my notes into a truly useful resource. More on harvesting notebook gems. PTPL 068 · Markdown Flashcards That Don’t Need Apps or Plugins September 4, 2023 ptpl Announcement of my upcoming method for making Markdown flashcards with simple spaced repetition, plus a tool for downloading Substack posts to Markdown files. PTPL 067 · My EDC is a Mother Ship and a Compact Explorer Pod August 28, 2023 ptpl It's good to feel free to move around knowing that everything is well organised and quick to access. An explorer pod helps when travelling light. PTPL 066 · A Radical Obsidian Vault Shakeup, 6 Months Later August 21, 2023 ptpl & obsidian Let your unfolding life shape your personal knowledge management system. How has yours changed over the last year? PTPL 065 · On Clarifying Your Most Basic Productivity Foundations August 14, 2023 ptpl It's vital that the foundations of what you do are crystal clear, to anyone you work with, but especially to yourself. Also, a reminder that not everything needs polishing to shining perfection. PTPL 064 · When Calendars are Time Machines, and iPads are reMarkable August 7, 2023 ptpl A new perspective for integrating life data with dates: multi-layer calendars. I may not have a reMarkable, but I can use the tool I do have. PTPL 063 · Your Obsidian Graph is Not Your Compass July 31, 2023 ptpl Connections in action are a better compass than the Obsidian graph view. Plus horizontal rules in Markdown, and habit-stacking a new way of writing English PTPL 062 · Human Joy is More Important Than Raw Productivity — A Real Life Example July 23, 2023 ptpl What is it all for, this endless striving to achieve, if not to bring joy to ourselves and others? Also, the convenience of adding plain text flashcards via Drafts. PTPL 061 · How to Leave Evernote and Become a Future-Proof Note Taker (Obsidian Optional) July 17, 2023 ptpl Recent Evernote changes aren't an issue if your notes are in a format you control—Obsidian optional, but recommended. PTPL 060 · A New Circular 24-Hour Template Download for Hand Written Plans July 10, 2023 ptpl Gandhi was rocking interstitial journaling before it was a thing! See how a circular scratchpad can compliment plain text daily notes. PTPL 059 · Analog-Inspired Task Management in Obsidian—Does Your System Fit Your Needs? July 3, 2023 ptpl Task management in Obsidian doesn't need plugins when you follow analog principles. Markdown flashcards that work in both Obsidian and Mochi? Yes please! PTPL 058 · Plugin-Free, Intentional Note Taking in Obsidian From Library Ebooks June 26, 2023 ptpl Once you're tuned into something, you'll find inspiration for it everywhere. Sometimes manual note making workflows are better than automated ones. PTPL 057 · A Productivity System Under Stress - 5 Insights While Traveling June 19, 2023 ptpl Leaning into your limitations can produce extraordinary results. Alternatives-to-Adobe list. How my productivity system is coping with travelling away from home. PTPL 056 · Getting Text into Obsidian with Shortcuts and Drafts June 12, 2023 ptpl Getting text into Obsidian on the go needs to be quick and painless. There's nothing like the feel of fresh (recycled) pages in my notebook! PTPL 055 · Physical Notes are Better Than Digital, and Vice Versa June 5, 2023 ptpl Digital and analog note taking methods both have their downsides. Keep watch for reclaimed household items that can make note making easier! PTPL 054 · What on Earth Does Productivity Have To Do With Natural Ecosystems? May 29, 2023 ptpl How mindfulness can cultivate the ecosystem of your productivity, plus TaskPaper in Obsidian, and comparing the budgeting apps MoneyWiz and YNAB PTPL 053 · Plain Text is the Vehicle, Simple Productivity the Destination May 22, 2023 ptpl Don't identify notes by the name of the app you made them in; plus how to use the states produced by these 3 neurochemicals to help move your projects along PTPL 052 · Simple Task Management Advice for People Who Can’t Stick to Their Lists May 15, 2023 ptpl Simple advice to leverage the psychology of task management, for people who can't stick to their lists, and a bare bones Obsidian daily note time line PTPL 051 · Accessing Your Obsidian Vault in nvUltra and Taio May 8, 2023 ptpl Using nvUltra and Taio to access your Obsidian vault, tips for tables, lessons after a year with Obsidian, and another update on my TaskPaper adventures PTPL 050 · More on the Supremely Awesome TaskPaper Syntax in Obsidian, and 4 Other Apps May 1, 2023 ptpl How I’m using the TaskPaper syntax in Obsidian and 4 other apps, plus folders in Photos, and identifying your values, then allowing them to steer your notes