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1) planning everything, even the little things. I use a tracker with reminders to do chores, learn a language and exercise. For everything else I use google calendar. For some reason, having a daily plan allows me to do a lot more than I otherwise do. There's some satisfaction in seeing a list of tasks shrink.

2) evaluating my free time. This mainly involved video games and my internet browsing experience. Basically, if I felt that something I was doing involved a lot of "filler time" or something that I wasn't really enjoying, I just stopped doing it. Now I never play video games that make me angry or involve a lot of walking or travelling from point A to point B and I stopped watching youtube personalities and youtube drama (shit like H3H3). Now I spend less time playing games and browsing the internet, but I enjoy that time considerably more.

Wife here! There are several ways you can do this without it looking terrible.

We have a section of wall between the kitchen and living room that was perfect for a whiteboard. I can put up recipes so I don't have to keep checking my phone with flour coated fingers. My husband uses it as a house to do list. We used this $10 whiteboard stick on sheet I was surprised with how well it works. My only regret is that we have small kids that like to write on it too and they often get marker on the wall where the edges are. If we put in some moulding to frame it, it would solve that problem though.

You can also stick it on a surface of a desk or a side table, so it's not as visible if your wife isn't a fan of the look. It's easy to cut up and use anywhere. I slapped one on a clipboard for moving around and stuff.

I don't recommend using the stick-on sheets for a larger surface. We have an area where I wanted a big 4x8 area to work with and there's a big unsightly seam down the middle that's annoying. But the vertical work spaces are awesome.

We also have a whiteboard calendar near our back entryway for keeping track of events, appointments, and other stuff. I usually put cute doodles on it so it's not boring and ugly.

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Buy one of these.

Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock with Colored Sunrise Simulation and Sunset Fading Night Light, with 3 Months Free Headspace Subscription, White (HF3520) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093162RM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_iep1Bb1KEMFS8

You are welcome.

This will make it much easier to become a morning person.

Also, in addition to alarms set on this, i have alarms set on my iPhone AND my ipad which charges in my EDC bag at the foot of the bed. When my iPad goes off, I’m forced to get out of bed to silence it.

You could also just keep your phone on the other side of the room, which would prevent you staying on it too long (or at all) at night before bed, and forcing you to get out of bed to grab it when it goes off.

Good luck!

I struggled with insomnia for years and it really takes a toll, but I did get it under control. There are a few things you can do to change your habits around sleep. Also, there are books for at home CBT therapy that really work. It’s really a combination of anxiety and bad mental habits, which you can change with some work.

Here’s some lifestyle changes that will help after a few weeks of dedication:

• the bed is for sleep and sex only. Do not do anything else in bed, you want to make a mental association that bed = sleep
• keep TV etc out of your sleeping room
• wake up at the same time, even on weekends
• reduce your time in bed, by going to bed a little later so that you’re sleepier.
• don’t lie awake in bed (another sleep association thing). If you’re in bed awake for 15-20 min, get up and do something else until you feel sleepy. This may result in occasional all-nighters. Don’t “watch the clock,” but stay disciplined, and you will begin to lower your sleep anxiety
• keep a sleep journal. Record time to bed, time to fall asleep, how many times you woke up, length of time you were awake, when you woke up, when you got out of bed, and # of drinks or sleep aids the night before
• use the journal to record your sleep efficiency, which is time asleep/time in bed. Shoot for above 85%. If it’s below that, stay awake later until you’re sleeping regularly
• develop good sleep hygiene. Don’t do work within an hour of bedtime, and wind down the same way most days. I watch a sitcom and read for 30 minutes. I then meditate for 5 minutes before bed
• eliminate caffeine intake after noon. This is important because it lasts in your system for at least 6 hours.

Edit: This is the book I used https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Insomnia-Sleep-Problems-behavioural-ebook/dp/B00OGUTK1K

Sure thing and thanks for reading! In my professional experience - I'm a psychologist and an author - mindfulness is a huge tool whenever you can use it. Wasting time is no exception, which I saw first hand with many clients who had trouble with it. I even wrote a short book on how procrastination can be resolved through this process.

In your case, I believe the issue might be the part where you are forcing yourself to do anything - maybe try not to force yourself. Force can often produce the direct opposite result and lead to people remaining the same when they force themselves to change. Instead of any pressure, simply keep that mindfulness in the mix of all other feelings and ideas floating about. Allow it to gradually shows itself as useful and beneficial instead of overpowering that role upon it. It takes time and (gentle) effort, but it does work.

Just read this book, which I'd strongly recommend:

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.

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It helps you take a critical look at your week, and reframe how you think about the time you have.

I recommend Boostnote. Boostnote is an Open source note-taking app for programmers. It have got over 4,500 stars at GitHub. It focuses on writing Markdown note and code snippet quickly, can organized in a better way. You can sync data to multi-devices(Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS) via Dropbox. You can also write todo lists, flowcharts, sequences.

■ Download https://boostnote.io

I personally use Papaly which helps me organize all my daily links. Definitely a plus if you're like me and have hundreds of bookmarks.

EDIT: One of my many boards for an example https://papaly.com/lokmansalikoon/4l7t/LifeHack

I prefer digital organization, but I retain information better when I physically write it down. I started using a Rocket Book Everlast and it has given me the best of both worlds. Through the rocket book app you can set it ups so that different symbols at the bottom of the page upload to different programs. It integrates easily with Google drive, Evernote, one note, etc. For instance I have Google drive folders set up for my classes so I can take notes in class and then direct it to upload to my ACC 122 Notes folder without having to browse to it each time. I also have folders for my pets because I take notes during vet visits. I take notes during my own doctor appointments as well - same thing. Then when it gets full I can just wipe the pages off with a wet paper towel and keep going. You do have to use the specific frixion pens but they're pretty common and not terribly expensive.

Rocketbook Erasable, Reusable Wirebound Notebook - Letter Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Y3MSRK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gb00BbGVN39B3

The price has dropped quite a bit. You can program it with an app on your phone. It's as simple as setting an alarm and setting it to sunrise mode.

Here's the link:

Magic Hue Smart WiFi Light Bulb, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1JG8V7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tA3SCbXV7Y7XZ

Let me know if I can give you more info.

For those who don't get the joke: this is a play on that feeling you get in the evening where you have tons of ideas and plans for the next day, after you go to bed and wake up that feeling is gone and you don't accomplish anything.

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Also, some people believe an old thing where if you tell others your plan to do something you are more likely to follow through. This has been debunked: https://lifehacker.com/5921478/shhh-keeping-quiet-may-help-you-achieve-your-goals

Nice!

"The One Thing" is a cool book that expands on how doing less increases effectiveness.

This is NOT an affiliate link:

https://www.amazon.com/ONE-Thing-Surprisingly-Extraordinary-Results-ebook/dp/B00C1BHQXK

I've tried a lot of ToDo and GTD apps before with no success. Most likely my fault :)
Anyway, I've been using Todoist https://todoist.com/ for quite some time and I really like it. It might not be most comprehensible app, but I really like it's simplicity.

To everyone reading, I'd like to clarify some things about OP's post:

The Eisenhower matrix mainly exists because humans often confuse "urgent" tasks with those that are actually "important." This is called the mere-urgency effect, where humans typically choose tasks with a deadline than those without a deadline, regardless of long-term benefits or consequences.

This is where the Eisenhower matrix comes in. The Eisenhower matrix has you clarify whether each task is urgent and/or important.

Urgent tasks are those that have clear deadlines or consequences if you don't do them immediately. Meanwhile, important tasks are those that contribute to your long-term goals. They are usually (but not necessarily!) easy to put off because they have no clear deadlines. Important tasks are different for everyone, so you have to be clear about what is actually important.

Regarding not-urgent, unimportant tasks, the Eisenhower matrix does recommend deleting those tasks, but you have to be careful in managing your work-life balance. Not everyone can work without some leisure time.

P.S. The Eisenhower matrix is only a prioritization/task-management system. If it doesn't work for you, that's fine.

I also recommend reading this Todoist article that goes further than what I said above.

Congrats on getting up with the alarm but I can't help but think your difficulty getting up is because of some problems that aren't being addressed.

It could be a bunch of things:

• The amount of blue light you're receiving from screens before going to bed, which signals a part of your brain to push your circadian rhythm (which controls release of various hormones related to sleep) back as it still thinks the sun is out. Wearing blue spectrum light blocking glasses when I get home helps me be dead tired when my bedtime comes.

• Various sleep hygiene musts like a pitch black room (no charging lights, no digital clock, no nothing), cold room temperature, and no noise (do you wear earplugs or do you even need to?)

• Timing your sleep cycles to wake up in the light-sleep stage 1 cycle instead of the heavy sleep stages 3 or 4. These later stages have much more sleep inertia and are harder to shake off upon waking.

Because you say that it doesn't matter how much sleep / when you go to bed, I'm wondering if something is interfering with the restorative stages of your sleep cycle. Does your fitbit have sleep tracking on it? If so, what are you clocking in at for each stage?

If you REALLY want to take care of this problem, you should grab this book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316

It is absolutely one of the most interesting and insightful (and no pseudoscience) books I have read. If anyone is having problems sleeping or would like to know more in depth about the benefits of getting enough sleep (and concrete health risks of the opposite), I would buy this book and devour it!

This is the link: I hope it doesn't get taken down. Your guide to quicker learning: 10 simple techiques to help help you reach your goals quicker and more efficiently https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXN5HCS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gtYwBbE99D934

For the people who like this approach and apps-for-everything, there's https://habitica.com. It has some habit tracking and basic to-do list options. You get gold when you finish your tasks and you can collect items, pets and mounts. Rewards can be defined by the user as well.

I use Todoist daily and I don't know where I'd be without it. It's literally changed my life, and helped me transition from a total flake, to a person with an impeccable email-answering record. :)

https://todoist.com

I schedule tasks by day, but it also lets me set tasks far into the future. It has "human language" support for understanding what I mean when I type in "every 3 days" or "next month." It's like outsourcing the most feeble parts of my brain to a smart robot.

Keeping your kids alive is pretty damn productive. Those early years are hard, and most productivity advice is honestly for working singles. It's an impossible standard.

Try Overwhelmed by Bridget Schulte.

Jesus I've hit the max word count for a comment for the first time ever. Here's the end which was too much...

So. I'll leave this as this:

1. Read Peak.
2. Read the Cambridge Manual if you want to grow hair on your chest.
3. Read Grit by Angela Duckworth because for fucks sake we didn't even get to "how the hell do you show up every day" Mayo Oshin?!?!?! Well, Duckworth is another leading expert in the field of positive psychology who answers this prickly question: if deliberate practice is brutal, what makes some people capable of doing it for decades? Seriously. Read this book.
4. Read The Inner Game of Tennis because Mr. Oshin also doesn't really tell us how to "not be too hard on ourselves"... well this book laid the foundation for sports psychology. So yeah. Actual knowledge here. I reread the section on "dont' be hard on yourself"... and Jesus it's like light mayonnaise.
5. Then read Mr. Oshin's article again and apply his obviously true ideas now that you have the tools to implement them.

ps. Don't hate me.

• Getting Things Done - David Allen
• Eat That Frog - Brian Tracy
• 18 Minutes - Peter Bregman
• [private video]
• Mini Habits - Stephen Guise
• [private video]
• [private video]
• The ONE Thing - Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
• [private video]
• The Power of Full Engagement - Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Edit: Just for fun, my guesses for the private videos:

• The Power of Habit
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• The Checklist Manifesto
• The Power of Less

Hey guys, I'm on a small software team in Australia and we've been working on a productivity tool.

We've recently had an influx of users coming from Wunderlist so I thought I'd shamelessly mention our product here.

https://listium.com

We haven't built Wunderlist import functionality yet but highly considering doing it given the recent demand.

We are a small team that moves fast and would love for anyone to take the time to give us feedback.

OP: Unfortunately we don't have functionality to support your use case in regards to reminders but you still might like the app. We definitely feel your pain and hope to release a more robust reminder system going into the future.

Edit: Fixed link

If you use iOS I highly recommend Things3

1. Beautiful design
2. Easy of use
3. Huge satisfaction

Or alternatively, many folks use also OmniFocus

You could probably utilize Zapier and combine it with your email or have it send SMS messages. I believe you can get a free account that only has a few integrations:

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https://zapier.com/

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Notion. Best productivity app I've ever discovered.

https://www.notion.so/

Web app, Microsoft app, and mobile app. Has a free version just for one person, but teams are also available too.

A bit like a to-do list on steroids, but don't in a simplified way (think ToDoist). You can created your own workspaces, then create different "boards" within these workspaces. These boards can take the form of a Kanban board, a table, a to-do list, a calendar, a blog post, etc. as well as a combo of these.

Just try the free version for a few days and see for yourself.

I'll second that, and add that porn can be not only an addiction but also a habit, which means that there are hacks you can implement to short-circuit the cue/craving/response/reward cycle that leads to porn consumption and addiction. For example if you notice that you tend to consume porn when you are working alone and feeling lonely (the cue), then when you notice the craving start you can choose a different behavior --- call up someone for a conversation, or just immediately pack up and head to a public space to continue working where you can be around other people.

I highly recommend as a first step to read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and/or Atomic Habits by James Clear ad keep "the pornography habit" in mind when you do. Either of those two books will be of help to you in a larger sense as you progress toward your goals.

Just read this: https://www.amazon.fr/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X Amazon.fr - The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and ...

They took the whole structure from there. Then use anything you want to follow the habit.

I really like Notion

Here y'all go!

https://www.amazon.com/Vansky-Multi-Colorful-Function-Brightness-Adjustable/dp/B06WVBQYC3/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1534003686&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wake+up+light&dpPl=1&dpID=41nS2Qo-TPL&ref=plSrch

I was feeling like I was using too many tools and letting little tasks fall through the cracks, so I consolidated and mapped my process to try to identify areas of improvement.

Still a few things I haven't quite perfected, so I'm always open to suggestions from constructive contributors.

I simply cannot profess enough the benefits of gQueues. You gotta check it out! It's the perfect task manager for those who use Google Calendar. It's the only tool on this map I pay for.

If anyone has any bright ideas, I'd love to be able to eliminate Evernote and keep everything on Drive, but it just doesn't seem robust and fast enough for note-taking applications. Both are awesome at what they do, but I just can't seem to merge 'notes' and 'files' in to one logical ecosystem.

Love this sub, keep up the good work, friends!

Two thoughts:

1. Remove the easy alternatives. Think right now of what you do when you stop working. What websites do you visit? Do you play video games? Now make those things harder to get to. If you have a mac, download SelfControl and blacklist every site you might get caught on. Put your video game console power cord in the back of your closet or throw it under your bed. Whatever is distracting you, make those things more difficult to get to.

2. Re-motivate Yourself. I can't tell you how to do this. I don't know if watching motivation videos will help you or reading a few blog posts. What helps me is sitting down with myself and saying, "Why are you doing this in the first place? What led me to this point? Do I really believe I cannot get past this hump in the road?"

You are a freelance web developer. That is what you are. People pay you for doing this. You could be sitting in an office cubicle looking through excel sheets or cleaning tables at a fast food place, but instead you are an architect of the world. Think of the raw creative ability in your mind and hands. Is that something to put off? Put it to use! Remove your temptations & distractions and create something amazing.

I've tried a ton of similar apps—Things, Omnifocus, 2Do, TeuxDeux, Workflowy, Weekplan, Flow, TickTick, Asana, plain text to-do, and even the newer ones like Plan (getplan.co). And I still find myself going back to Todoist every time.

I don't know about the others but these things are very important in my workflow:

• Speed. Todoist's fast. It captures and manages tasks at the speed of thought. Want to tag? Press @. Want to categorize? Press #. And don't even get me started on the inline date parsing feature. Others don't like it that much but I enjoy it.

• Cross-Platform I switched from iOS to Android and can still use Todoist. The Android app is probably one of the best Android apps out there using Material Design.

• Customization I like reading workflow pieces from other Todoist users. But at the same time, I invested some time trying to figure out what set of labels and filters work best for me. It always helps to match these to how you're actually managing tasks. The color-coded task categorization is also a big plus.

• Just Enough Features I like Todoist's thoughtful simplicity. Though I think it's missing a calendar similar to Flow or TickTick, I still think it's better than those two. I tried them for a week or two and still find Todoist superior.

But if you're looking for a task collaboration app that you can use with a team of 3 or more, you might want to check Flow or even Asana or other apps.

P.S. Todoist just released a business edition though I haven't checked it.

Evernote just recently made real notebooks that are made to integrate with their digital product. I believe the notebook has special areas and symbols you can use to make it do things when you scan it.

https://evernote.com/partner/moleskine/

Similar to the Asana comment. But I use [Trello](www.trello.com) for more simplicity and its more visual representation.

Here's a quick primer

I work as a creative freelancer, managing and producing projects. I too work backwards from the goal while working with a lot of moving parts. Things happen and the schedule adapts.

I have a system for doing things that involve: - Trello - for project planning and micro view - Google Cal - for a macro view of everything - and Google Keep - for storing quick unprocessed information that I reflect in their proper trello board/card.

Liner - Highlight Everything
http://getliner.com

You can use Liner to highlight your favorite sentences, quotes, stats! All your highlights are saved on the cloud so you can access them anywhere on your desktop/mobile. Great for leaving feedback on essays, general research, and emphasizing important areas.

I've been meaning to write one of these 'interactive flowchart' things for a while (my current favorite is this self-care one). Did you code this from scratch or is there an existing package you'd recommend?

Edit: The one I linked is apparently built with Twine. Is that what you used?

What you're looking for exactly, is at www.spikenow.com. Its really easy when you have a unified inbox - all your email accounts are in 1 place, and you can see ALL your calendar events in a single calendar view. You're right - you have 1 life, you don't need a split calendar.

I love it because it work with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo (basically any IMAP email) and is on all devices - I have it on my iphone, ipad Mac and use it on web too - it's also available on Android and Windows.

For idle time apps, I think you'll come to find that most, if not all, are not really "productive" uses of time. Or at least, not in the way people often think. Podcasts, audio-books, and other passive consumption apps should be better thought of as entertainment. That's not a disparagement as they can help make tedious tasks (commuting) much more bearable, and consuming various media (books, music, movies) will make you more rounded as a person. But you shouldn't necessarily think of such things as being productive (unless consuming media is part of your job).

As for the second: there are lots of great apps to help automate parts of your workflow, assuming what you are doing is inherently computer-based:

1. IFTTT
2. Zapier

Lastly, some apps are great for forming productive habits, usually by implementing one of the standard productivity systems like GTD or the pomodoro technique.

Surprised no one has mentioned Airtable. You can configure it for different views including kanban boards and I find it a million time more flexible than trello, even on just the free plan.

Check out Habitica it's a task list structured like a RPG. You can fight monsters, make parties and level up from carrying out your objectives.

I've been using it to get through the "bumpy" phase of starting new habits. And as a general to-do list.

For Monitoring your acreen time, you can use Stay Focused. There are other features in this app yoo, like limiting usage of other apps etc. For instance, I have set a limit on my reddit usage and it automatically locks reddit once that daily limit is reached.

If you're not trying to quit cold turkey, perhaps you could try no-surf reddit? It's an open source reddit app that only lets you browse a limited amount.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aaronhalbert.nosurfforreddi

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - what's up with this book? I keep seeing it popping up everywhere on the Internet, I guess I'll have to read it and be able to participate in the global discussion about it.

I was and still am in your shoes. ADHD has seen to that.

however

These resources have really changed my life

"Getting Things Done" by David Allen "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg And Evernote + Sunrise + (apps) Swipes & Mailbox

There are so many more articles, niches, methods, systems, that I could link to because I studied how to be productive ad nauseum before I finally conceded to the notion that I had ADHD and got diagnosed.

As someone who is still struggling with doing everything that I want, my life is infinitely changed from those two things. I know I won't forget what I need to do. The second I think of an idea, it gets a new note. From there I have a system to process it and break it down to the next actionable step.

Take care, and please let me know if you are interested in some other resources, but read those two books first!

Edit: forgot to mention that your system sounds too complicated. You really want only one place to store everything. Make it Evernote. There are dozens of articles that will help you. Find what works for you, but remember: Keep It Simple

edit 2: I recant my evernote recommendation. OneNote seems far superior these days.

Can not recommend this site enough; myNoise. I love all the channels and Stephane is constantly putting up more. Really helps me when need to really buckle down and focus.

I don't know of any scheduling system that uses this, but I know of games where time only moves forward if you move:

One Way Heroics

SUPERHOT

Both are excellent games, and will destroy your productivity, so I suggest playing them.

Productivity is a very personal thing. What works for one person may not work for you, in your lifestyle. If you're serious about changing some things, you're going to have to take this: "I'm incredibly bad at sticking to a plan or a schedule" and throw it out the window. That stops today, and believe me you will thank yourself later.

Here are some good online courses that can help you create a schedule that works for you:

http://www.skillshare.com/classes/entrepreneurship/Get-Stuff-Done-Like-A-Boss-Design-Your-Workflow-and-Double-Your-Productivity-in-21-Days/1524940083?via=search

http://www.skillshare.com/classes/entrepreneurship/Design-Your-Habits-A-Hands-On-Introduction-to-Behavior-Design/978368389?via=search

Hoping to diversify the offering a tad more by mirroring the more categories of content offered on alcamy.org :

1. Healthy living
2. Digital Marketing
3. And possibly 'Lessons for startup founders'

My favourite is Todoist.

Some key features for my personal use:

• recurring tasks
• GMail and Postbox integration (to add tasks from emails)
• multiple lists: for each project, and support for sub-projects
• labels (I use this for filtering things I can do on mobile while commuting)
• task sharing with other people

Edit: forgot to mention the mobile app, which is key for mobile usage.

What helps me is adding a time goal to the task and trying to complete that time goal every day. It's a form of gamification. I tried the Pomodoro technique for this but the fixed intervals are just too rigid and interrupt you at the wrong times. Nowadays I just set a number of minutes (or hours) that I want to complete each day. I actually built a whole Android app around this concept because I couldn't find any planner that implements this.

You're nuts if you think I'm going to give out my number to a service I know nothing about on a website that looks like it was made following a "Hello World" beginner HTML tutorial.

Next time, just link to the app on the Google Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.levor.liferpgtasks

Productivity Challenge Timer, you "unrepentant slacker". I've been on this for a week and only managed to get promoted to "competent operative" and unlock 4 of 18 achievements.

So a quick hop over to http://scholar.google.com and I found a few abstracts which seem relevant.

Music — an aid to productivity (1972) - The abstract states that music when played in the background during repetitive tasks does increase productivity.

EFFECTS OF BACKGROUND MUSIC ON ANXIETY, SATISFACTION WITH COMMUNICATION, AND PRODUCTIVITY (1993) - While background music did not affect productivity relative to no music, those hearing background music achieved greater productivity when music was in the major mode.

Music While You Work: The Differential Distraction of Background Music on the Cognitive Test Performance of Introverts and Extraverts (1997) - Introverts are negatively affected by background music, which really makes me wonder.

You could use IFTT:

Siri to Trello https://ifttt.com/applets/302806p

Or you could email to Trello (using Siri) to create a card:

http://help.trello.com/article/809-creating-cards-by-email

Read about sleep hygiene.

Don't drink coffee after lunch. Don't eat sugar, especially after dinner. Avoid alcohol if you need a good night's sleep (but partying in the weekend is important for mental health). Don't play computer games late at night because they do the opposite of relaxing you.

Go to bed at the same time each day. Get up at the same time. Teach your brain that 10pm (or whenever) is sleep time.

Avoid bright lights (monitor, phone) after dinner. Use redshift, turn down the brightness. Use bright lights first thing in the morning to reset your circadian rhythm.

Make sure you're getting enough exercise. If you can't sleep, exercise more. Get a standing desk, walk and cycle everywhere, climb stairs instead of using a lift, do push-ups while waiting for the bus. If you can't get to sleep and it's 2am, go for a run and try again at 3am. You probably need to burn off stress hormones.

Well, not precisely just like it. Loop Habit Tracker is Free and Open Source and only for Android. Streaks cost $5, it is not opensource; but it also has a bit more features and is only for Apple devices.

As someone struggling with the state of bookmark management apps, each offering different way of doing things, we decided to build our own.

Clipd.io is a web based Visual Board & Bookmark Management system. You can choose how you want the information displayed, either in a list view like Raindrop/Evernote or  a section driven layout, like Papaly, Trello etc.

We made sure to make it completely platform/device agnostic, so users can access their bookmarks on whatever device they choose. Since the bookmarks and boards are all stored in the cloud, your data is safe in case of a computer crash etc.

Let us know what you think.

Clipd.io

I heartily recommend https://www.beeminder.com/ - it has the graphs, syncs with a few different services, and the way the numbers are processed, really motivates you to keep working on a consistent basis.

You only pay when you fail to reach your goals, or in fact, you don't even have to pay at all, but for me having a little money on the line really helps. Check it out.

I don’t know about apps that esplicityly use pomodoro, but for iOS there’s a productivity app called Forest which is really nice. You can set your timer and have different labels for each session (study, workout etc etc) and see all your stats (ex. How many hours you did what, what time and hour of the week you’re more productive etc..) as well as ‘plant trees’ in your garden. If your firends have the app app as well, you can look at their “garden” or even set timers together where if either one gives up, the tree “dies”.

<strong>Forest</strong> for Iphone

It's like a pomodoro timer, but you can't leave the app once you've started the timer. no more distractions for me.

<strong>Selfcontrol</strong> for mac

blocks all internet connections for a definable amount of time. Also has a Whitelist function to only allow certain websites.

I am a film producer and a real estate developer. I now use a combo electronic and paper-based system that I have refined over the last 30 years.

For the old-school, paper-based system I use my Daytimer book. I use this as my quick and dirty "grass-catcher list" to jot down things on the go when I am away from my computer as it is easier for me than taking notes on my phone. I also transfer some daily tasks to this book to keep them right in front of me at all times during the day and I keep track of my billable hours here (when I do real estate consulting).

When I am on the road or in meetings, I sometimes collect things to do by making a quick voice note, using the voice recorder app on my Android phone.

When I am back to my desk, I transfer tasks and appointments collected with my Daytimer and phone to my Remember the Milk app. This is an excellent system to help me with my organization. I like how I can enter in tasks or appointments and organize them through tags and priorities. When appropriate, I enter in the due date and time and I can set advance reminders too that pop up on my computer and Android phone. I can access and update my Remember the Milk notes and to dos at any time on my phone or computer and all changes are automatically updated across my all my platforms.

Next, I plan to explore the Evernote system as I understand it is supposed to dovetail well with Remember the Milk.

This! org-mode is the most amazing thing I've ever used. todos are customizable. For example you can set different states, say I can customize to create a wait and cancel state, you also link a to-do directly to a line in code.

There's a lot of cool things you potentially can do. For example I output my weekly agenda onto my desktop.

While I personally keep a separate note where I keep all my todos. I think org-mode was originally meant to be used having todos scattered over multiple notes files and an agenda view helping keep track of all the dos in a single window.

If you ever begin using it, my advice would be to start simple, once you get used to it, you can slowly add layers of complexity to suit your preferences because if I started with what I'm using right now in the beginning, I'd be overwhelmed. I still need to work on mine, but I find that at points of time when I have loads of work to do (say exams) It works for me really well.

Dude, get Evernote, https://evernote.com/ and make To Do lists everyday, even if you don't complete everything off your list, it'll definitely help you sort your priorities.

I'm having a lot of trouble with sitting down and focusing on doing work so i just turn off everything that can distract me and tough it out for the first 15 minutes from there I'm pretty focused and tend to get a lot of shit done.

Another thing that helps me is to put things into perspective. If I wasted my day away I will realize it just before I go to sleep and I'll feel like an idiot because of all the things I could have done. The next day when I am productive I think "that wasn't so hard was it?" and just keep that in mind the next time I feel like wasting my day away.

I find pomodoros too rigid and they often interrupt me in the middle of an important thought or the opposite happens and the session is too long and I need a break earlier. What I do instead now is setting daily time goals for different tasks which I then track with a timer. It's a form of gamification. I actually built my own Android app around this concept.

IFTTT was really great for me until they started pricing. I know it's not much and they gave a lot flexible pricing for existing members but I couldn't pay right now.

If you are familiar with with programming I would suggest Tasker It can literally do anything you can think of automating on your phone.

I bought the Philips Hue Starter Kit with a couple extra bulbs.

Amazon link

It's a little pricier but I put a bulb in the lamps on our bedside tables and one in the kid's room. Now we all have a wake up lights. I also have a few around the house. I like being able to turn the lights on from outside. Turn them on and off for the kids from bed when they want to go to the kitchen at night. Also turn them off from the road if I forget.

Reminds me of one of my favorite parts of Annie Lamott's memoir "Bird by Bird":

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

This was really good. I enjoyed this and a lot of it made sense.

TLDR; change your habits

We don't get enough sleep. We don't get enough exercise. We don't appreciate our lives. We don't eat right. Most of us are sedentary, admit it. We lack mindfulness; the now. We don't plan for our future. We live in our own oppressive cycles of weakness. If only we could apply this every morning. Just for an hour. We all know that its the right thing to do. The problems lie in the obstacles we have created in our lives. The bad habits. We are led by immediate gratification, our bad habit cycles are taking us on a downward spiral. Society doesn't help us either. The $7 Starbucks. Vending machines. "Convenience" stores. Fast food. Frozen meals. Amazon. Smart phones . We're like Pavlov's dogs. The bell dings daily and we salivate and we feed the habit reward cycle that destroys us. Am I weak, fuck yeah I'm weak. And it's starting to piss me off. What have I missed? What am I teaching my kids?

Is it realistic? Well, mostly. We just have to do it. The hardest part would be, IMO, having it become a daily routine. Making it a HABIT. It will be Difficult to adjust to in the beginning. But it's doable. So I'm going to try it. Hell, I already started in November and the changes I've made are worth it. Baby steps. I do want to be a better, healthier, peaceful me. That's why we're reading this sub right? right guys? No...

By the way. I highly recommend the book. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I know I'm a real stickler for things like that. I absolutely can't use my computer without f.lux, for example (Or Lux with CFLumen for Android!)

I've mentioned elsewhere in the thread, but I figure I'll mention it specifically in response to this, I've been working on Recollectr for, going on 3 years now. It has a dark mode. It's a lazy dark mode (an inverted theme) but it's a dark mode and it has a lot more than just that to offer. I'd love your opinion on whether or not this lazily implemented dark mode satisfies you. I've not gotten much feedback on that particular feature so far.

Yes, unless you're drinking two or more cups everyday religiously it is unlikely you will become addicted.

Caffeine addiction is not considered a serious addiction so realistically you have nothing to worry about.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/diet/caffeine-myths-and-facts#1

I also have experience with drinking coffee daily and as a 5ft 11" male who weighs around 180lbs, I have never had an addiction or dependance issue. However that comes from only drinking it when I felt it was useful to work better and wouldn't drink it just to feel more awake nor would I consume it on weekends or days off.

Have you tried Notion? I started using the free version of it recently to track all sorts of things.

I think that Trello should be on the list. Trello is the new Evernote! Highly functional, flexible and highly customizable it can be linked and integrated in many platforms. Free forever!

Trello is awesome! https://trello.com/

It's 'über', a German word for 'super' (sort of). Spelling it 'oober' makes you and the article-writer look illiterate, especially when a quick Google search gives you the correct spelling.

You could try something like LiquidTime. I think it's still in beta (since 2016), but its super simple and has a really nice UI. It sizes tasks according to the amount of time needed for them. Otherwise good old Google Calendar works pretty damn well for showing tasks within a short time period & resizing tasks according to length..

I use something called ToDoList (article about it here and download/product page here )

At first glance it looks very complex, but it doesn't take long to put it to powerful use. I have my tasks setup in a hierarchy of days, where each day is a "folder" with sub tasks. Then I have a pending item group/folder at the top of the list where I pull out items I know I need to do, and I drop them into the task list for the current day.

I've been using it for nearly ten years now, and it greatly helps me with productivity and staying focused.

As someone who has a lot of those same issues, ADHD/anxiety/bipolar disorder, and had to withdraw from classes for a couple semesters, I’ve found the Pomodoro Technique to be very effective. You can read about it here https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique.

I study for 25 minutes (or however long you find works best for you) and take a five minute break. I do this three times and then take a 15-30 minute break. Then repeat it over again. So I write out on a piece of paper:

25 (minutes of work) , 5 (break) 25,5 25,5 25,15

25,5 etc.

I set a timer on my phone or watch for 25 minutes and when it goes off I set a timer for 5 minutes. After those five minutes I cross off a line and set a timer for 25 minutes and get back to work. Rinse and repeat. Writing it out helps me see that I’ve worked hard and reinforces the habit.

I had issues with just googling random stuff, going on reddit, or doing anything other than work. I would just meander throughout the day and then have to complete the assignment with no time to spare. But with the pomodoro, I know I have set deadline for doing work, and it’s only 25min. After that I I know I have 5min to do whatever. Hope that made sense and good luck! I’m not expert in this or anything, but feel free to ask anything, vent, just want to talk!

A) Anyone who uses a monty python reference is a friend of mine

B) I was on top of GTD for a while, then some projects lost priority, I got involved in others, and my system kind of went to shit. I've gotta get that set back up again.

C) I'm gonna check out Noisli, I've been using asoftmurmur.com and it looks really similar.

Hey, nice post! Thanks for putting in all the effort to explain how you use each of these. I like tracking films I want to watch, like a to do list, and I use Goodreads for book tracking. I love that Goodreads is in in integrated into the Kindle now.

In case anyone's interested in more options, I wrote a blog post recently looking at various apps for tracking media: https://exist.io/blog/media-apps/ (it includes some paid apps as well).

If you know basics of programming you can try batch or powershell scripts and schedule them in Windows task scheduler.

If not, I have found two applications that may fit your needs:

File Juggler: http://www.filejuggler.com/

DropIt: http://dropit.sourceforge.net/

I can tell you how I would do it in http://GTDNext.com - It's very similar to Workflowy, except it has start dates and due dates. So here is what I would do.

For the Quarterly Review Item I'd add a start date to it for a week or so before it is due, (depending on how long it takes) because I don't want to see it in my next action list for a few weeks. I would also add a due date to it, so I see a visible reminder that I have something due.

When it the start date occurs, I will now see it in my next action list and I can take action on it during my normal work periods. I will also see the upcoming due date.

For the parking ticket, I'd just tag it as an errand and set a due date for a day or two before the actual due date. It will be visible on my next action list that way, with the due date -so I won't forget.

I like WF a lot, but the lack of due dates and start dates (among other GTD features) make it difficult to use for a true GTD system.

StickK.com and https://www.beeminder.com facilitate monetary commitment contracts on arbitrary goals. Others that might work as well Fitocracy and Lift.do, Aherk.com, FatBet.net, LoseItOrLoseIt.com, 21habit.com

Hey there, Stuart the cartoonist here. Saw you were linking to me.

Thought you might also like my associated blog post Choosing an internet-blocked daily routine, which expands on the system that I use. The particular browser-blocker is Cold Turkey

FYI, I will soon release similar comics on other aspects of how I use social media and technology in my lifestyle.

I wrote Indigrid which is a freeware desktop app like Asana and Trello, but simpler: https://innovationdilation.com/

It uses plain text, but lets you open up elements in side-by-side views, like a text editor.

I use a paper+app combo. Google calendar takes all of my appointments, meetings, classes, pre-planned social events, game times, anything where I need to be a specific place at a specific time. I can sync with any device and share calendars as needed. Near the end of the month, I write out the next month in a modified version of the Bullet Journal; I'm happy to elaborate if you're interested. I use a 5.5 x 8.5 inch sketchbook for this, since it's small enough to carry everywhere.

I recently started using Moo.do as a master task-list organizer because I have access to it regardless of platform (browser for PC/Mac, apps for iOS and Android). It also has a loose calendar/agenda function (you can demo it on their website without an account) that works well for me. Overall, I still prefer paper for planning major tasks or working out a complex schedule, since I find it easier to think and less distracting.

I use theBrain to maintain a personal view of my social network. I organize people into different hierarchical categorization (hobby, geological, academia, religious organization, family, etc) and link people who know each other. In the notes section, I put how I know them, and other info that might be useful later.

Try Airtable.

It is like Excel meets Database. Tons of templates for it, including task management.

You can create views such as today, by date, by who it's assigned to, by project, etc.

I find new ways to use it every week.

I find Habitica just great for this kind of things. You should check it out. You can just put all the things you want to do daily under "dailies". It's pretty easy and if you want some help check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxxKm7tSL6I

I'm curious what you use for note-taking instead.

I can see that Notion can be over-whelming at first. I don't remember if I started using it immediately or did it take some experimentation.

For me the killer feature is that it combines richness of Evernote with ability to create a structure for you pages. For example I couldn't create a page like https://www.notion.so/Website-568ac4c064c34ef6a6ad0b8d77230681 in Evernote because it doesn't have structure.

I also used Workflowy for a long time and took lots of notes there, but Workflowy isn't good for longer documents.

I also ignore many tools in Notion (like calendar and what not). I use it mostly for taking notes, making todo lists, organizing work on software projects.

You can remap modifier keys in macOS so that the command key is next to the spacebar and the option key is the Windows key to make it a bit easier. But I would also recommend grabbing the Logitech MX Keys, which can be paired with three different computers, is smart enough to know which OS you're currently using and has both key labels on each of the modifier keys.

• Password Manager: 1Password
• Time Tracking: Toggl
• Task Management: Todoist
• Calendar Management: Google Calendar
• Expense Management: Firefly_iii, Excel Sheet
• Email Client: Spark
• Email Management: SaneBox
• Note Taking: Evernote, Notion
• Wiki: Bookstack, wikijs
• Ebook Management: Alfa Ebook Manager | Calibre | Polar Bookshelf
• Pdf Reader: WonderShare PDF Element
• Cloud: DropBox, Synology DS
• VPN: ExpressVPN
• MD: Typora
• Code Editor: VS Code
• Project Management: Asana | Trello
• Photos Organization : Dropit

Etc .. Etc

If you have Android, you can download this free and open source app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.axet.binauralbeats

Nice method! If you feel like taking your organisation electronically, have a look at Swipes:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.swipesapp.android

Could be right up your street!

Edit: Reddit ��

Guy posts a link to an app he's seen that might help someone... Down voted.

Other guy posts a summary of the OP... Up voted.

Moral of the story: be less helpful!

Sunrise is getting shut down.

I use Google calendar and Trello with an IFTTT recipe.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/manage-everything-trello-10-creative-ifttt-recipes/

As a student I really liked the ability of Google calendar to be anywhere I needed it using the Internet. Reminders are also a must do. If you have an android phone you can add them using Google now.

Hope this helps.

Two monitors definitely make it more convenient to handle multiple applications simultaneously.

They also add a layer of complexity to cabling, managing high performance video, and just generally add more movements to the user experience.

Many friends of mine would disagree, but from my experience, the multi-monitor setup doesn't really add much to productivity. I more or less agree with the points this guy's making:

https://lifehacker.com/5616859/is-the-multiple-monitor-productivity-boost-a-myth

From personal experience...

• Eat a high-fat breakfast (good fats, like egg yolks, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, extra virgin olive oil).
• Try yerba mate.
• Walk 30 minutes in sunlight.
• 7<=x<=15 minute nap (or "rest your eyes"). Set a timer. Even if it doesn't seem like you fell asleep, you will wake up refreshed.
• Contrast showers (hot-cold-hot-cold).
• Eliminate grains from your diet.
• 85%+ Dark chocolate.
• Get a solid 7-9 hours of sleep.
• Say "no" to more things.
• Physically move anything not relevant to what you need to be doing out of sight
• Anything "important" you are thinking about which is not relevant, write it down and put it out of sight.
• http://selfcontrolapp.com/ for social media and reddit
• Inversion - do about 5 minutes of handstands, hanging from an inversion table, monkey bars, etc.
• A splash of apple cider vinegar in water after meals to aid digestion.

I was just like you for a very long time. Then life kicked my ass for 9 years. When I finally decided to do the work and get my life in order and make something of my self I realized the hard truth. Now I am always in a hurry to study more, read more, work more, spend time with those who are important in life. I don't have time to game, to just sit and chat about nothing with people I don't even like. I am done wasting my time. Don't be like me, don't waste 9 years of your life before you realize that this is all the time you will ever have. Soon you will be old and soon after that you will die. And that's it. There is no loading a saved game, no rerun, bo retry. This is it. Make sure you use your time in the best way for you, because "the problem is, you think you have time."

search everything is a nice little app that I found. You can set a keyboard shortcut to open it and then you just search for your file or folder or whatever. Faster than the file explorer and the cortana search in my opinion.

Have you been tested for ADHD? This sounds like me before I got diagnosed. Work is boring and I needed that constant dopamine hit. But when it was crunch time I could get it all done.

It sounds like you have a pretty relaxed work schedule. You could try something like 1 hour of work, with the reward of one hour of fun stuff, setting a timer. It seems like if you did this, you could probably get it all done during the actual work week and at least have a free weekend.

I also use Freedom.To ($6.95 a month) to block all apps/websites when I'm working. You could use something like this program to implement the every other hour work/play mentioned above.

Good luck.

Use the Pocket app: https://getpocket.com/

It's an amazing tool to stash away all those articles you intend to devote more time to but just don't have the opportunity at that time (work, commuting, ready to sleep, whatever).

A couple of hints that might help you, based on GTD.

• Break down your homework into projects with specific next actions

• Schedule time to work on "next actions" based on class. For example on Wednesday go to the library and have a schedule something like this:

9:00 - Math Next Actions

10:00 - Science Next Actions

11:00 - Bio - Next Actions

• Try to really stick to the schedule. Be ruthless. What you don't finish on Wednesday re-prioritize and set up bigger blocks of time if needed as you get closer to due date.

• Use a task manager to track these homework projects and next actions. Of course I recommend GTDNext