Ask HN: How do you plan your days and keep track of monthly progress?

4 points by trendroid ↗ HN
I would love to hear success stories of using a particular software or note-taking strategy(I know its not the tool itself that plays the major role but still looking forward to give a shot to some software)

3 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 22.1 ms ] thread
* notational velocity for notes. * Dokuwiki for documentation with Notes directory mounted in it. * taskwarrior for todo lists
Sounds rudimentary, but I've used google spreadsheet to:

1. create a list of things i want to get done each day, then come back and check on what i've actually finished 2. record the amount of time it takes me to do tasks (ex. "damn! had lunch for 2 hours", or "sweet! I made that list of journalists to reach out to in 1 hour")

Its been really helpful for me. I've been able to track progress, and to trim the fat. Doing it every day (rather than monthly) allows me to get more immediate feedback, and improve faster.

There is one thing to keep in mind: It can be important to find motivation outside of just seeing things get ticked off the list, even if you have AMAZING discipline. I do two things: 1. If I don't finish my daily tasks, I don't allow myself to work out 2. My GF does the same tracking, and if one or neither of us finish our tasks, we agree not to hook up that night :)

Try http://bulletjournal.com and taking notes whenever you accomplish something or learn something new. Then look back on your notes periodically and reflect on them.