💸 August: Actual Productivity

The $100 lesson that taught me everything I need to know about productivity.

Last month, I bought a $100 note-taking system from a creator on YouTube.

One hundred dollars. For a Notion template. 💸

It was gorgeous – color-coded databases, automated workflows, interconnected pages that would make a productivity nerd weep with joy. I love Notion, so I happily spent an entire Sunday setting it up, customizing categories, and marveling at its sophistication.

By Wednesday, I was back to scribbling notes on random pieces of paper.

The system was impressive, sure. But it was also completely wrong for how my brain actually works. All those bells and whistles just got in the way of the simple act of writing something down.

This expensive detour reminded me of something I've known for years but somehow keep forgetting 🙃: the best productivity system is usually the simplest one that you'll actually use.

Which brings me to a methodology so straightforward it almost feels too simple to call a "system." But sometimes the most obvious things are the most powerful.

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Capture, clarify, complete

That's it. Three steps. No fancy frameworks, no color-coding requirements, no 47-step setup process.

Here's how it works:

Capture

Get it out of your head and into Todoist (or task manager of choice 💁‍♀️). Every task, every idea, every "I should probably..." that crosses your mind. Don't worry about making it perfect – just capture it. Use Quick Add, dictate to your Apple Watch, or jot it in your Inbox. The goal isn't organization; it's getting your brain to stop holding onto everything.

I capture everything from "reply to Emily’s email" to "research best travel backpack Ryanair will accept" (don't ask - it involves an argument at an airport and a missed flight in Prague). Some of it's urgent, some of it's random. That's exactly the point.

And we’re embracing those kinds of random thought rambles in an upcoming Todoist feature that’s going to make capturing even easier, especially during a weekly review.

Clarify

This is where you turn those brain dumps into actual tasks. Add a due date. Drop it into the right project. Add any context you'll need later ("Reply to Emily’s email about the marketing budget" not just "reply to Emily’s email").

The key is asking: what does "done" look like? "Plan vacation" becomes “Book flights to Portugal” and “Research Lisbon neighborhoods.” “Draft client proposal” becomes “Meet with team to brainstorm campaign ideas” and “Review competitors’ social media advertising.”

Vague tasks are the productivity quicksand that will bog you down every time. Get clear on what you mean to do and when.

Complete

Do the thing. Check it off. Feel that little dopamine hit when Todoist makes that satisfying completion sound ✨Pop✨. Then move on to the next task.

Here's what I've noticed: most productivity problems aren't about the system. They're about skipping one of these three steps.

• You capture everything but never clarify, so your list becomes a confusing mess.

• You clarify beautifully, but never actually complete anything.

• You complete tasks but don't capture new ones, so important stuff falls through the cracks.

So, although “Complete your tasks” may sound a little too prescriptive, it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves that the point isn’t to make the list; the point is to complete the tasks on it.

The beauty of boring

Capture, Clarify, Complete isn't sexy. It won't get you 10,000 views on productivity TikTok. There's no aesthetic template to screenshot for Instagram. I can’t charge you $100 for a template.

But it works. And it works because it matches how our brains actually function, not how we think they should function.

My $100 Notion template failed because it demanded I think like a database, not like a human. It wanted me to categorize, and cross-reference, and maintain relationships between 47 different data points. Meanwhile, I just needed to store some LinkedIn post ideas.

Start stupid simple

If you're just getting started with Todoist, (or getting back into the groove after falling off the wagon), try this for one week:

1. Capture everything in your Inbox. Don't worry about projects or labels yet.

2. Clarify once a day – add due dates and move tasks to projects.

3. Complete whatever you can – live in Today and Upcoming view and complete whatever you’ve scheduled for yourself.

That's it. Resist the urge to set up 73 projects and 14 custom labels. Fight the impulse to research the "perfect" productivity methodology. Just capture, clarify, complete.

You can always add complexity later if you need it. But chances are, you won't.

Sometimes the most profound productivity shift isn't adding more to your system – it's taking almost everything away… And banning yourself from impulse buys when you’re overwhelmed. 😬

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction."

E.F. Schumacher

On the YouTube 📹

Speaking of keeping things simple, we just released a new Todoist Tune Up episode with April – who recently downloaded Todoist and then immediately thought "...now what?" 😅

Watch Anton gently talk April down from productivity overwhelm and show her exactly how to start with the basics. It's Capture, Clarify, Complete in action, plus you get to see someone else navigate that "I have no idea what I'm doing" phase we've all been through.

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Here's to an August of getting things done without getting in your own way.

See you in September!

Naomi (🙋‍♀️real human) and the Todoist team

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