Work and Life Tech Stack / Workflow
This is something I've been thinking about how to perfect for weeks now, and I think I finally got it how I like it. Thought I would share.
Capture
- Pen / Paper
- Things3 Inbox
The goal is to get the info I want to collect down as quickly as possible. I have shortcuts setup to past in links to the notes section of Things3 so I can quickly add the title and/or thought for quick saving.
While it is in Things3, I can either move it to Notion later (see 2nd Brain below) or assign it to a sub category + date on the spot / later. Two Birds, One Stone.
Second Brain / CRM / TMS
- Notion
I was using Obsidian for my daily notes, due to it’s customization, however I use Notion for my company and with the AI features it would be crazy for me not to utilize that since I can allow multiple users (work / person).
The goal would be once I sit back at my desk, or catch a breather, I would take my quick capture notes from Things3 and add them to Notion. If I am already at my desk and wanting to create a note I can just go directly to Notion.
I can copy links back to Things 3 as needed (Command+L) and update my tasks/to-dos for quick references.
Workflow
Within Notion, I have one large database for my personal life with four fields. This way I can call the base in any other page I create and it all stays in sync. Also, I can add any other YAML as needed, for example books I can add sources or website I can add links, but generally I want to keep it as simple as possible.
- Name (Note Name)
- Status:
- Inbox - Things that are needing to be updated, started, created
- Radar - Things that are in front of me for multiple days that need attention multiple times / over an extended period
- Archived - This is filtered out, but keeps all my notes w/out having to move bases.
- Topic: This would include things such as Wife, Book, Life, Home, Nerd, Blog, etc. It’s my “Focus Point” of the note.
- Date Created: Just the date, no time needed.
When it comes to my work, it is the same exact setup, but would be CRM, Notes, Meetings, etc.
I have another base that is my TMS system for tracking work / shipments / etc specific to customers.
Other Tools
I have a full list on my blog, but the key items are:
- Notion Calendar
- Spotify / Apple Music (ALAC Files)
- Reeder for RSS
- GoodLink for Bookmarking and Read It Later
- DayOne for Journal
- Chrome for Web Browser (I would use Safari, but I have a Google Workspace account for my company).
Headaches
My only real issue with Notion is that it’s not easy to “quickly make a note” into a base. So, I cannot quickly add a note and be assigned to my “inbox” status. This is why I am having to use Things3 for my quick capture on the go. I generally do not like having to use my phone for anything long form or a lot of data consumption.