My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file by Jeff Huang
Jeff writes about how after trying all sorts of productivity, todo and reminder apps, he landed on a never-ending .txt file for his tool.
Every night before I go to bed, I take all the items on my calendar for the next day and append it to the end of the text file as a daily todo list, so I know exactly what I’m doing when I wake up.
He uses the list with date stamps, adds todos at the end of last day and works through it in the following day. Under each todo or calendar appointment, there’s space for short notes on that particular item.
That daily todo list is where I also take notes, so it’s a to do list that turns into a what done list. The best thing about these daily lists is I keep them all in a single text file separated by dates, so I have a record of everything I have ever done and when I did it.
Example of Jeff’s daily notes
2021-11-31
11am meet with Head TAs
- where are things at with inviting portfolio reviewers? A: got 7/29 replies
- need 3 TAs for Thursday lab
- Redesign assignment handout will be done by Monday, ship Thursday
11:30am meet with student Enya (interested in research)
- they're a little inexperienced, suggested applying next year
review and release A/B Testing assignment grading
12pm HCI group meeting
- automatically generate thumbnails from zoom behavior on web pages
- #idea subliminal audio that leads you to dream about websites
- Eminem presenting Nov 24
- vote for lab snacks. A: popcorn and seaweed thing
got unofficial notification ARO YIP funding award #annual #cv
read Sketchy paper draft
- needs 1 more revision
- send to Gandalf to look at?
Zelda pick up eye tracker
- have her sign for it
update biosketch for Co-PI
unexpected drop in from Coolio! #alumni
- now a PM working on TravelAdvisor, thinking about applying to grad school
3:15pm join call with Umbrella Corp and industry partnership staff
- they want to hire 20 data science + SWE interns (year 3), 4 alums there as SWE
3:45pm advising meet with Oprah
- enjoyed CS 33
- interning at Facebook
4pm Rihanna talk (368 CIT)
5pm 1:1 with Beyonce #phdadvisee
- stuck on random graph generating crash
- monitor memory/swap/disk?
- ask Mario to help?
- got internship at MSR with Cher
- start May 15 or 22
- will send me study design outline before next meeting
- interviewing Spartacus as potential RA for next semester
6pm faculty interview dinner with Madonna (Gracie's)
- ask about connection with computer vision
- cool visual+audio unsupervised comparison, thoughtful about missing data, would work with ugrads (?), likes biking, teach compvis + graphics
- vote #HIRE
#note maybe visit Monsters University next spring, Bono does related work