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Ask HN: What’s your favorite tool for planning your day?

112 points by rajlego ↗ HN
My favorite tool is a tool within an app called SuperMemo know as plan. [1]. It’s pretty great but lacks mobile support and syncing so I’m interested in knowing what other people use.

[1] https://help.supermemo.org/wiki/Plan

125 comments

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vnglst
A Leuchtturm notebook and the Bullet Journal method!
number6
Can you elaborate on this? I am interested in how this works
slowmovintarget
https://bulletjournal.com/

It's a technique for manual note-keeping that is intended to drive awareness and thought about priorities. You don't have to buy notebooks set up for the technique, all you really need is pen and paper. But stationers are standing buy with merch.

slowmovintarget
Beat me to it, though for me it's a Black n' Red notebook and fountain pens.
ekovarski
The ultimate open standards - pen and paper.

I find writing it down helps me remember the tasks or things needed, and a fountain pen is just a joy to use plus you get to take mini breaks from the digital world.

slowmovintarget
There are at least two very deep rabbit holes with fountain pens: inks, and vintage pens.

Writing with an ink the color of Crimson Glory Vine, for example, is a meditation all on its own (Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo).

The vintage pens rabbit hole tends to force you toward inks that are "safe" for vintage pens (Waterman Serenity Blue, for example).

But either way, what you write with them, and what system you use is constrained only by imagination.

spacelamb
Another pen and paper method I used for a while was inspired by a previous HN submission (Using Paper for Everyday Tasks) [0]. I used it for a solid couple of months (filling up two notebooks with about 30 sheets/60 pages, one per month).

It was the most enjoyable daily to-do method I used, though I found it lacking in task capture for long-term tasks and scheduling (pocket notebook pages typically weren’t big enough for every hour in one column, and adding a second column felt cramped). I’ve shifted approaches from a daily to-do list to a daily hourly schedule with a table in OneNote, so I no longer handwrite a to-do list (as it’s included in the schedule). However, I still use paper sometimes for breaking big tasks into small steps, and large numbers of miscellaneous one-time tasks.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639875

usrme
For task management I use Todoist and couldn't be happier! Knowing they never allow themselves to be bought brings peace of mind that's unrivaled: https://blog.doist.com/no-exit-strategy/
scythmic_waves
+1

- Their free service is fantastic (though I've upgraded)

- My wife and I coordinate tasks easily with it

darkteflon
My brother and I have both been paying Todoist customers for as long as I can remember. No idea what we’d do without it. It just nails the core elements without being overwhelming.
stevage
Oh man, using Mark Zuckerberg as an example of virtue.
btkramer9
+1 I started using this to keep track of university assignments. 8 years later it's still my go to for personal things. It serves a different purpose then a calendar but the two together solve everything I need
fscheu
+1 for ToDoist! I've using for two years. I'm building a dashboard and weekly review space to understand better how is my productivity. Check it out at https://todolytics.com/
themodelplumber
I like to hack on my own modular planning system called Task BATL. It was specifically started to deal with issues around workaholism, burnout, procrastination, and lack of values-oriented planning.

It works on paper or in digital format...I generally use markdown and a syncing service, along with fsearch and some editor tools/snippets. But sometimes it's nice to move to paper especially for the Rebasing activity, as well as the Debriefing and Anarchy modules.

https://www.friendlyskies.net/intj/the-balance-first-approac...

Good post idea op, and thanks for sharing your favorite.

prox
Interesting idea’s on that link. I eventually did away with todo lists. I do have points written down, but usually I just have one big item I need to tackle for the day but takes 2-4 hours to do, one small one (1 hour usually) , and the rest is optional. This allows for more flexibility depending on my energy levels.
themodelplumber
That sounds like a pretty nicely balanced state of productivity to me. Congratulations.
ipnon
Org mode has been simple and adaptible for me. I can write plaintext if need be, it's easy to organize tasks and hide superfluous or outdated information. Org mode isn't the end all of personal organization, but its 10x alternative would require a sophisticated UI.
wokaonima
I think all planning apps just end up by using the exact same format (calendar format, which is quite limited) to store information, so in terms of usability they are all kind of the same.

I use nextcloud's lists, as it is free, it syncs across all devices and it's easy to do modifications if you want

mellosouls
I use Trello.

It's simple in essence but expandable as required, and a great UX (though perhaps trending a little towards busyness as it grows commercially unfortunately).

https://trello.com/

zeruch
I've done the same for quite some time, but since the Atlasian acquisition and the the last few rounds of changes, I'm seriously looking at alternatives (from Obsidian to Laverna to Focalboard to going back to paper)
kushan2020
I read a comment somewhere in hacker news about a guy managing their daily planning on a locally saved plain text file. I started doing it and _loved_ it. But after a while I was missing some of that nice WYSIWYG UI interface. I couldn't find an existing tool which allows me to continue to use that local text file and also have a nice pretty interface.

One thing led to another and I ended up scratching my own itch by creating a web app [1] which lets you edit a locally saved text file. It is a simple tool with some niceties of tabbed browsing, `#tags` and `[[backlinks]]`.

Before someone in the comment asks if I have tried xyz tool and the answer is - yes I have, but I wanted a fast web app that allows local file editing and is also fun to build as a side project.

[1] https://bangle.io

pelayjesus
You should try Typora, a markdown editor that looks really nice.https://typora.io/
jonalmeida
+1 for Typora. I've been using it for maybe 5 years (it feels like that at least) and it hasn't let me down.

Like others, I have single file and a section for each week containing all my tasks. Then I move the unfinished ones down to the next week at the end.

It's easy to sync those files in git of course.

kushan2020
Ya you can do that in bangle too, plus you can have a split screen.
flyingchipmann
I just write markdown and put it in a private repo. Simplest I can do with the most of the functionalities I wanted.
itake
just out of curiosity, why don't you want to also manager your todos from your phone? the mobile github markdown editor is pretty clunky compared to a native todo app.
flyingchipmann
Personally I only use my phone to read. Most of the non-serious stuff are fine without write. If I need to write something I would use my laptop.
trykondev
Wow, this looks great -- I normally use a local plaintext file but this seems like a must-try. Will be using it this week, thanks for sharing!
jcuenod
This looks pretty cool. Any plans to add support for images?
kushan2020
You can drop images to the editor and it will automatically save in an `assets` folder in your notes directory.

Is that what you were asking for?

Loic
A simple A4 piece of paper:

     +-------------+-------------+-------------+
     |         Mon.|         Thu.|         Todo|
     |             |             |             |
     |             |             |             |
     +-------------+-------------+             |
     |         Tue.|         Fri.|             |
     |             |             |             |
     |             |             |             |
     +-------------+-------------+             |
     |         Wen.|         Sat.|             |
     |             +-------------+             |
     |             |         Sun.|             |
     +-------------+-------------+-------------+
Every week a new piece of paper, the main todo list of the week on the right, I push the items on each specific day, I put the calls/family stuff I have on each day. I use the paper from the previous week to start the week. I have a stupidly simple LibreOffice template I print every week.

My "master" Todo list in a simple text file.

TheFreim
I also prefer a paper approach. I use a Hobonichi Techo in a leather cover to plan what I need to do, then supplement with phone reminders. Works well for where I am at in life.
zafiro17
I do too. Slightly different template:

Left half of page: "work stuff." Right half of page "personal stuff." Bottom two inches of page: "long term goals for the week."

I use one sheet per week, adding bullet points to the relevant column. I created a template for printing on the office printer, then realized it was ecofriendlier to just recycle one-sided scrap paper (every office had tons of it), and draw my own lines. I use the To-Do app for tracking things from week to week, but when I put down my coffee cup and set down in front of my computer, thinking about what needs to get done, the notebook/pen combo somehow works best for me.

Edit: exchanged diagram for text since the diagram got mangled.

afarrell
I also, after having used all the systems out there, keep coming back to paper.

Specifically dotted paper is a good balance of structure and freedom.

justan A4 dot grid pad: 120 Dotted Notebook Pages (5mm dot matrix) - A4 (8.27" x 11.69") Green https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08TQ7DSLY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gl...

BiteCode_dev
http://dynalist.io

Proprietary freemium, but I love it. It works offline, it works on linux and windows, it works on my phone...

It's basically a hierarchical set of todo trees, with a nice IU, sync, dates, hilightning, checkboxes, titles and tags. They recently added templates.

The search is excellent as it can filter by color, tag, dates... And you can favorite anything into the menu, including a search.

The keyboard shortcuts are are lacking, so I complement it with autokey.

solarkraft
> They recently added templates

Woah! Maybe I have to have another look. I thought they left it for Obsidian and don’t like that it’s proprietary so I switched to Athens (faster but generally fewer features), but this is a big deal.

gauchojs
Love Dynalist too - using the "native" app on MacOS today. Have you tried checkvist ? Not as good looking but great Vim-inspired shortcuts.
BiteCode_dev
I don't see any download button. Does it have a desktop client that works offline ?

It's a requirement for me.

toinbis
Things (https://culturedcode.com/things/). Google spreadsheet.

Swithing between the two periodically every month. I think you just get tired of looking in many tasks in the same interface, that's when I do the switch :)

harrisonjackson
I have a single large text document (currently in notion so I can access it easily across devices and offline) which I named "Today"

Each morning I add 5 or so tasks at the top of it with some breaklines separating today's from yesterday's.

Most days I don't even reference it, but it is helpful to get focused in the AM and make sure I am intentional about my focus across the past few days.

sidcool
Trello. Lanes with titles Backlog, Tomorrow, Today, Doing, Blocked, Tracking and Done
sideshowb
Mine are today/priorities, waiting for time, waiting for events, long term plans, reference. The today/priorities list has a sentinel card marking where I want to reach by end of day.
aamederen
Workflowy, alongside a regular email and calendar. Workflowy is very simple yet flexible and has the tools that make me operate without thinking much.

It allows me to quickly keep a GTD-ish list of stuff going on and action items needs to be taken and I can organize them as detailed as needed with labels, colors, etc. I find the simplicity/features ratio work well for me.

Getting Things Done method by David Allen

LeoPanthera
After reading the other comments I feel very low-tech but I'm using Apple's Calendar and Reminders apps, synced though iCloud.

I get notifications on my devices including my watch, I can manage entries via Siri when I'm driving, and it can detect appointments from my text messages and emails. I don't think I'd want to give any of that up.

(I also make intensive use of Apple Notes, which I really love.)

hawaiianbrah
Same! I live off my iOS calendar and reminder list (shared calendar with my spouse and a couple of either individual or shared reminder lists for things like grocery items), although reading through this thread I’m intrigued at the variety!

I also use slack reminders a lot for work primarily.

slindz
I've been building my own thing for a while.

It blends the hierarchical navigation of Workflowy (to figure out your priorities) with task management and routine building.

Throughout this process, I discovered a whole lot about ADHD. It turns out that's why I've chased this with such reckless abandon.

Between the internal pressure and balancing the side effects of medication, I burnt out. I'm _slowly_ climbing my way out of that hole.

Three days ago, I found a handful of test users by leaving a Reddit comment; I figured I could build on that by trying again here.

If you're interested to try/test the software I call 'My Second Brain' (the one that works), lemme know.

satvikpendem
I've discovered something similar, I also noticed ADHD type behaviors which led me to build my own thing as well: https://getartemis.app. I'd love to test out yours as well though, maybe we can give mutual feedback?
slindz
Just sent you an email!
aviditas
I have an idea that is very similar to what you have described here, but I lack the coding skills to bring it to life. I'd like to try yours out!
slindz
Just sent you an email
aljgz
I like to try your solution as well. Thanks
slindz
Would love to have you take a look but I couldn't find any contact info for you.

I've been nudging test users towards my Discord server for ongoing support.

Consider this an open invite to anybody (for now); I'll disable this link if/when I need to.

https://discord.gg/TcMHrtxanh

fmorrison42
I have struggled with ADHD and keeping on track for years. I would love to try out your app and provide any feedback I can.
spacelamb
The Daily Activity Schedule by psychiatrist Dr. David Burns in his book Feeling Good is the main technique I use, and the current software I use to type it out is OneNote. The main idea is to create a three-column table with the time of day in the left-most column; an hourly schedule as the middle “Prospective” column; and an hourly log of what you actually did in the right-hand “Retrospective” column with a score of 1-5 of how you rate your feelings of “Mastery” or “Pleasure” with the task.

The main benefits I’ve found are that I know when my meetings are; I can visualize the time requirements of certain activities on the rest of the schedule (so it’s harder to put a hard task vaguely off until the evening, as it requires a fixed number of blocks); and I can improve motivation of doing challenging tasks (associating the mastery score with enjoyment of completing challenging tasks). The original technique is described in Burns’s book “Feeling Good,” and a summary found via Google search is here (visualization of the table is at the bottom of the article) [0].

I found OneNote better than Excel for implementing this, as the application feels easier to use for quick reference and edits (the table opens up in large font, without needing to Zoom in for Excel as not too many cells are used). I keep copies of past schedules in Excel though, in case I want to analyze it in the future. For capturing tasks, I use Things 3 for to-dos and Google Calendar for events.

I actually did try Plan in SuperMemo software, mentioned by the original post. While I liked the concept, I found it unwieldy to open and edit (as SuperMemo is primarily a flashcard, or more formally spaced repetition, app), and the program is only developed for Windows PCs (though it looks like there is some support for Linux).

[0] https://sourcesofinsight.com/how-to-use-a-daily-activity-sch...

carnitas
Logged in to say this is an excellent mind blowing book if you are feeling bad or dealing with depression. The key is to do the “stupid exercises”. Reprogram your mind.
candiddevmike
Built Homechart for this, mostly on the household/personal side of things. Budgets, calendars, meals, to dos, etc all in one app. Works on mobile and offline.

https://about.homechart.app

miguelrochefort
Google Calendar

Time blocking is a game changer.

decodebytes
Was going to say this, it works so well as you can plan your tasks around meetings. For example, you have a 30 mins spare slot between meetings, use it for some minor admin task. The big empty slots for some programming task where you want to get a good amount of focus on coding.
ozzythecat
I create checklists using omnifocus. Sometimes they’re project specific. Other times, they’re just general todo lists of things on my plate.
aprdm
What are you trying to plan ? I feel a calendar and Apple notes is plenty