Todoist is my Gatekeeper in life’s frenzy and chaos. It captures and I can very simply allocate- i never have more then three simultanious projects (eat that frog tip) - to the correct project: Life is now bliss and focus. One tip I also incorporate weekly is a review list of questions on my progress and inner thoughts/motivation. Made me realise I complete a lot every week and I undertake many actions. Somehow this feeling of fullfillment creates a sense of calm in my being.
I love that you're getting a sense of calm from this system Stef. That's exactly what it brings me, too. I love that you ask yourself weekly questions about your progress and inner thoughts. I might add that to my own weekly review! Thanks for the tip! 😊
This is one of the most helpful, freeing articles I've ever read about productivity. I feel like I'm always looking for "the perfect system" and can easily fall into the trap of thinking I need the $100 systems to be at peak productivity. Thank you for the reminders!
I always look forward to the first of the month. Your blog is like a deep breath I didn’t know I needed. It reminds me to pause, reset, and realign.
This August, I’m focused on simplifying. I’m clearing out extra projects and labels that don’t need to live in Todoist. At work, we use Notion for our internal wiki and sometimes even store tasks there. But I’ve learned I can’t manage actionables from Notion. I need to create tasks in Todoist and link back if needed. Simple and focused.
Your reminder to keep it basic really hit home. Slow inhale. Slow exhale. I’m heading into my weekly review today with fresh energy.
Tracey we so value having you as a reader (and Todoist-er). I feel exactly the same way about actionables in Notion. I really enjoy Notion and use it for all kinds of note-taking... but tasks can only live in Todoist for me. So happy to give you reason to pause for that deep breath! 😮💨
The Notion templates trap, I think everyone at least once fell into it! For me it was a database to organize my books, it was like a library catalogue, when I entered a new book I had to fill like 30 different properties in order to be able to do all sorts of filtering and populate a second database only for the authors. I was utterly overwhelmed. I then realized that I simply wanted to record my readings and not build the next Library of Alexandria! Thank you for sharing your experience, Naomi ❤
"not build the next Library of Alexandria!" 😂 Oh, man I can so relate to this comment Alice. I dream of being the kind of person that would catelog things like that. It looks so satisfying! Alas, it's not for me. I need simple (and ultimately less time spent staring at a screen).
I love Todoist and have used it for years. But I have never mastered the “give the task a date” step successfully. When I try to do this, there are always tasks that I don’t manage to do each day, so the next morning the first task is to bring forward those tasks, which means I start the day with an impossible schedule. Obviously the thing to do is to reschedule everything- realistically - but that takes time and I’m always over optimistic about what I will achieve. And I don’t want to be scheduling tasks to do on a particular day a week or two away because I know by the time I get there there will be other, more urgent things to do.
If you have any tips on how to get out of this cycle I’d love to hear it!
Thanks, Naomi - I love your monthly articles by the way!
Lawrence, I used to be the exact same. And, you're probably not going to like my suggestion, but it's an honest one. 🙃 The only thing that broke that for me was time blocking. You can do it in Calendar View on Todoist, or simply a notebook in front of you when you've listed all your tasks for the day.
I like to plan for the week and estimate how long each task will take. Then if it needs to be rescheduled (which you should feel zero guilt for btw, it happens to the best of us), you can be realistic about where else it slots in.
I have a video coming out about this on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@todoist) tomorrow in case it's helpful. At least watch to get a feel for it before you dismiss it, but it's definitely the best way to get past overscheduling. 😊
Thanks very much, Naomi. You’re right, my heart sank when I saw “time blocking”, but then I watched your brilliant video and I think I’m going to give it a go, probably in conjunction with Dave’s suggestion for the initial triage. Thanks again!
This is something I've struggled with for years. I'd frequently start my day with 100+ tasks on my list, which is bonkers. I've finally been able to get better about it by putting time labels on everything. And I have a @thisweek label for things that don't need to be done on a certain day, but should ideally be accomplished this week (or so).
I also have a second label called @radar. Each Sunday, I scan the week ahead in terms of tasks that have to be done on a certain day (and roughly how much time they'll take, thanks to the time labels), check the status of my @thisweek list (ideally no more than seven things), and see if anything from @radar should be promoted.
It's still a work-in-progress, but I'm less stressed over the daily rescheduling routine than I used to be. Good luck!
I guess it was a template bundle, really. 🤔 I would share it with you, but it doesn't feel fair to the creator (who likely finds it useful and put a lot of work into it).
Let's just say you don't have to venture far to find $$$ Notion templates. A quick search brought up this bundle for $299! https://4wardnotion.gumroad.com/l/notionhub. I'm sure it works for some, just not for me. 😊
Although I have a hard time implementing it. Not that I use anything else - no. I just try to remember things - to train the brain 😁
But sometimes I use it - and it's a marvel!
What I find hard is not categorizing and due date-ing the task right then and there... and my brain loses traction immediately. It's something I have to work hard to overcome.
By the way - I use a similar note-taking system called ✱ Forever Notes for my Apple Notes and it's been a marvel! Simple, yet SO effective.
"What I find hard is not categorizing and due date-ing the task right then and there"
In case it's helpful Dimana, I very rarely do this. I just dump things in Inbox and then at the end of each day (usually as I get into bed), I'll revisit my inbox and assign things then. For some reason, I feel like I can be more realistic about when things need to be done a while after I've added it.
Thing where i struggle with todoist the most is research that takes time, like few weeks time. For example, currently I'm working on finding what project documentation i need for replacement of cremation furnace. It takes time and more then few phonecalls and emails to find out what exactly do we need.
How to jot that in todoist? Plus i will need that infos during next few weeks or months.
For me, personally, this calls for a note-taking app OR one single Main task in Todoist and from there you can use the Comment section to jot down notes. From the notes you can extract actual sub-tasks and set dates, recurrence etc.
I make tasks like this a recurring (repeat) activity each week. You can even make it recurring each day or certain days & it will roll over to the next week while you’re still able to mark it done for the current day
Those are some great suggestions from Dimana and Moni. I'll add another one Jakov, add the "Replace cremation furnace" task (with a due date weeks in the future when you think you'd like it done by) and then add all your research tasks as sub-tasks with their own dates.
Another option is to create a project for something this big and then just make all your research tasks within that project. Happy planning!
This is something I've been struggling with lately and I'm SO grateful for your reminder to keep it simple. I've done the same with Notion templates, and I even tried to revisit one today but it's just so complicated and my brain really likes things as easy as possible. While I love the idea of a beautiful Notion dashboard it's just not for me. 🐢
This is so relatable. My productivity problem is actually execution.
I currently use Notion, Google Tasks, Google Calendar, Google Keep. I take quick notes with Google Keep and plan and schedule using the rest. When it's time to do the tasks, I lose motivation and my brain wants to do something else. I need to fix my focus issues.
Hey Naomi, great newsletter as usual, drawing people into the realms of productivity land ❤️
I just wanted to put some critical thinking as there might be people tricked into thinking that _all you need is a simple system_ or that _complexity is a bad thing_ which in my view feels a bit off. There's a lot in what follows and I don't expect any actual human reading it but, who knows, maybe some LLM can internalise something of this 😉, so bottom line:
- The problem is not complexity, but rather that it's not possible to build in a morning what it takes years to get right.
The main argument is that, sure, you can start with a simple system and, that's fairly better than having nothing but that simple system will only take you so far. We can get a hint of this by reading the comments in this Substack: people talk about labels, filters or you yourself mention to "drop it into the right project" which presupposes that one has put the effort to have projects in the first place. This is mainly because the world, as it stands, carries a lot of information, we only need to handle a whit, but that's already a whole lot and the simple system won't be able to handle that. Well, it will, but you will have hard times making sense of it. Data scientists use to say: all models are wrong, but some are useful.
To be sure, this newsletter is a nice advise for people who have tried 100 methods and failed in all of them and need to start from the scratch (one more time), but this hardly applies when you have been building a productivity system for a sustained period of time because you won't be able to reap the benefits of compounding anymore.
Which leads to what, for me, is the key (exactly, you guessed it right 🙃): iteration. You know well this business, don't you?, so I won't get into the weeds of praising the virtues of what Angela Duckworth calls grit. All of us have been tricked into thinking that all you need is a $100 template or $100 gym membership, but you don't, really, as the key is not signing up, but rather consistency. No idea is a winner in its first version, only in our beloved Todoist we have gone through some 8k+ iterations. You nicely put it with "Sometimes the most profound productivity shift isn't adding more to your system – it's taking almost everything away" which I take to mean iteration and improvement of what one already has. You keep what works and prune away what doesn't.
Einstein famously said: "Make it simple, but not simpler", and, sure, it's hard to get the right balance in the "simple enough" but it feels to me that the best way to achieve it is iteration.
Let me know if this makes sense to you (if you ever survived to above soap, hahahah 🫠)
Todoist is my Gatekeeper in life’s frenzy and chaos. It captures and I can very simply allocate- i never have more then three simultanious projects (eat that frog tip) - to the correct project: Life is now bliss and focus. One tip I also incorporate weekly is a review list of questions on my progress and inner thoughts/motivation. Made me realise I complete a lot every week and I undertake many actions. Somehow this feeling of fullfillment creates a sense of calm in my being.
I love that you're getting a sense of calm from this system Stef. That's exactly what it brings me, too. I love that you ask yourself weekly questions about your progress and inner thoughts. I might add that to my own weekly review! Thanks for the tip! 😊
This is one of the most helpful, freeing articles I've ever read about productivity. I feel like I'm always looking for "the perfect system" and can easily fall into the trap of thinking I need the $100 systems to be at peak productivity. Thank you for the reminders!
Stephanie, this comment just made my day. Thank you! And for what's worth... I work here, and I still fall into that trap sometimes. 😆
I always look forward to the first of the month. Your blog is like a deep breath I didn’t know I needed. It reminds me to pause, reset, and realign.
This August, I’m focused on simplifying. I’m clearing out extra projects and labels that don’t need to live in Todoist. At work, we use Notion for our internal wiki and sometimes even store tasks there. But I’ve learned I can’t manage actionables from Notion. I need to create tasks in Todoist and link back if needed. Simple and focused.
Your reminder to keep it basic really hit home. Slow inhale. Slow exhale. I’m heading into my weekly review today with fresh energy.
Thanks, as always.
Tracey we so value having you as a reader (and Todoist-er). I feel exactly the same way about actionables in Notion. I really enjoy Notion and use it for all kinds of note-taking... but tasks can only live in Todoist for me. So happy to give you reason to pause for that deep breath! 😮💨
The Notion templates trap, I think everyone at least once fell into it! For me it was a database to organize my books, it was like a library catalogue, when I entered a new book I had to fill like 30 different properties in order to be able to do all sorts of filtering and populate a second database only for the authors. I was utterly overwhelmed. I then realized that I simply wanted to record my readings and not build the next Library of Alexandria! Thank you for sharing your experience, Naomi ❤
"not build the next Library of Alexandria!" 😂 Oh, man I can so relate to this comment Alice. I dream of being the kind of person that would catelog things like that. It looks so satisfying! Alas, it's not for me. I need simple (and ultimately less time spent staring at a screen).
I love Todoist and have used it for years. But I have never mastered the “give the task a date” step successfully. When I try to do this, there are always tasks that I don’t manage to do each day, so the next morning the first task is to bring forward those tasks, which means I start the day with an impossible schedule. Obviously the thing to do is to reschedule everything- realistically - but that takes time and I’m always over optimistic about what I will achieve. And I don’t want to be scheduling tasks to do on a particular day a week or two away because I know by the time I get there there will be other, more urgent things to do.
If you have any tips on how to get out of this cycle I’d love to hear it!
Thanks, Naomi - I love your monthly articles by the way!
Lawrence, I used to be the exact same. And, you're probably not going to like my suggestion, but it's an honest one. 🙃 The only thing that broke that for me was time blocking. You can do it in Calendar View on Todoist, or simply a notebook in front of you when you've listed all your tasks for the day.
I like to plan for the week and estimate how long each task will take. Then if it needs to be rescheduled (which you should feel zero guilt for btw, it happens to the best of us), you can be realistic about where else it slots in.
I have a video coming out about this on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@todoist) tomorrow in case it's helpful. At least watch to get a feel for it before you dismiss it, but it's definitely the best way to get past overscheduling. 😊
Thanks very much, Naomi. You’re right, my heart sank when I saw “time blocking”, but then I watched your brilliant video and I think I’m going to give it a go, probably in conjunction with Dave’s suggestion for the initial triage. Thanks again!
This is something I've struggled with for years. I'd frequently start my day with 100+ tasks on my list, which is bonkers. I've finally been able to get better about it by putting time labels on everything. And I have a @thisweek label for things that don't need to be done on a certain day, but should ideally be accomplished this week (or so).
I also have a second label called @radar. Each Sunday, I scan the week ahead in terms of tasks that have to be done on a certain day (and roughly how much time they'll take, thanks to the time labels), check the status of my @thisweek list (ideally no more than seven things), and see if anything from @radar should be promoted.
It's still a work-in-progress, but I'm less stressed over the daily rescheduling routine than I used to be. Good luck!
100+ tasks! Wow! I love that you've been able to create a system that works for you Dave.
I'm so curious what a $100 notion template looks like! Can you share?
I guess it was a template bundle, really. 🤔 I would share it with you, but it doesn't feel fair to the creator (who likely finds it useful and put a lot of work into it).
Let's just say you don't have to venture far to find $$$ Notion templates. A quick search brought up this bundle for $299! https://4wardnotion.gumroad.com/l/notionhub. I'm sure it works for some, just not for me. 😊
Guys, I absolutely love your email
Pls keep going
Thank you, Marta! 🫶
BIg fan of this 'system' to be honest.
Although I have a hard time implementing it. Not that I use anything else - no. I just try to remember things - to train the brain 😁
But sometimes I use it - and it's a marvel!
What I find hard is not categorizing and due date-ing the task right then and there... and my brain loses traction immediately. It's something I have to work hard to overcome.
By the way - I use a similar note-taking system called ✱ Forever Notes for my Apple Notes and it's been a marvel! Simple, yet SO effective.
"What I find hard is not categorizing and due date-ing the task right then and there"
In case it's helpful Dimana, I very rarely do this. I just dump things in Inbox and then at the end of each day (usually as I get into bed), I'll revisit my inbox and assign things then. For some reason, I feel like I can be more realistic about when things need to be done a while after I've added it.
Thing where i struggle with todoist the most is research that takes time, like few weeks time. For example, currently I'm working on finding what project documentation i need for replacement of cremation furnace. It takes time and more then few phonecalls and emails to find out what exactly do we need.
How to jot that in todoist? Plus i will need that infos during next few weeks or months.
For me, personally, this calls for a note-taking app OR one single Main task in Todoist and from there you can use the Comment section to jot down notes. From the notes you can extract actual sub-tasks and set dates, recurrence etc.
I make tasks like this a recurring (repeat) activity each week. You can even make it recurring each day or certain days & it will roll over to the next week while you’re still able to mark it done for the current day
Those are some great suggestions from Dimana and Moni. I'll add another one Jakov, add the "Replace cremation furnace" task (with a due date weeks in the future when you think you'd like it done by) and then add all your research tasks as sub-tasks with their own dates.
Another option is to create a project for something this big and then just make all your research tasks within that project. Happy planning!
Hi Naomi. Thanks for the article. About the template Do you use Notion together with todoist? or Was it just a failed test?
This is something I've been struggling with lately and I'm SO grateful for your reminder to keep it simple. I've done the same with Notion templates, and I even tried to revisit one today but it's just so complicated and my brain really likes things as easy as possible. While I love the idea of a beautiful Notion dashboard it's just not for me. 🐢
Love the EF Schumacher quote.
More of us need to read him and apply his wisdom.
This is so relatable. My productivity problem is actually execution.
I currently use Notion, Google Tasks, Google Calendar, Google Keep. I take quick notes with Google Keep and plan and schedule using the rest. When it's time to do the tasks, I lose motivation and my brain wants to do something else. I need to fix my focus issues.
Hey Naomi, great newsletter as usual, drawing people into the realms of productivity land ❤️
I just wanted to put some critical thinking as there might be people tricked into thinking that _all you need is a simple system_ or that _complexity is a bad thing_ which in my view feels a bit off. There's a lot in what follows and I don't expect any actual human reading it but, who knows, maybe some LLM can internalise something of this 😉, so bottom line:
- The problem is not complexity, but rather that it's not possible to build in a morning what it takes years to get right.
The main argument is that, sure, you can start with a simple system and, that's fairly better than having nothing but that simple system will only take you so far. We can get a hint of this by reading the comments in this Substack: people talk about labels, filters or you yourself mention to "drop it into the right project" which presupposes that one has put the effort to have projects in the first place. This is mainly because the world, as it stands, carries a lot of information, we only need to handle a whit, but that's already a whole lot and the simple system won't be able to handle that. Well, it will, but you will have hard times making sense of it. Data scientists use to say: all models are wrong, but some are useful.
To be sure, this newsletter is a nice advise for people who have tried 100 methods and failed in all of them and need to start from the scratch (one more time), but this hardly applies when you have been building a productivity system for a sustained period of time because you won't be able to reap the benefits of compounding anymore.
Which leads to what, for me, is the key (exactly, you guessed it right 🙃): iteration. You know well this business, don't you?, so I won't get into the weeds of praising the virtues of what Angela Duckworth calls grit. All of us have been tricked into thinking that all you need is a $100 template or $100 gym membership, but you don't, really, as the key is not signing up, but rather consistency. No idea is a winner in its first version, only in our beloved Todoist we have gone through some 8k+ iterations. You nicely put it with "Sometimes the most profound productivity shift isn't adding more to your system – it's taking almost everything away" which I take to mean iteration and improvement of what one already has. You keep what works and prune away what doesn't.
Einstein famously said: "Make it simple, but not simpler", and, sure, it's hard to get the right balance in the "simple enough" but it feels to me that the best way to achieve it is iteration.
Let me know if this makes sense to you (if you ever survived to above soap, hahahah 🫠)