PTPL 064: When Calendars are Time Machines, and iPads are reMarkable
PLUS a handy 1Password iOS tip, and why the best productivity systems are abandon-proof
Welcome to a once-a-week taster of things that I’ve found helpful in my quest to create a simple, future proof, digital-analog workflow.
Layered Calendars — a time machine that ought to be able to integrate your life into one date-based hub
PKM Beth drew my attention to this article by julian.digital, on the concept of multi-layered calendars. All my internal bells started ringing as I read — yes, yes, yes! I’ve always thought of calendars as time machines, and love the idea of a central point for integrating life data with dates. I’ll probably flog this idea to death over the next few months/years/decades.
1Password iOS tip: pin a field to your home screen
Zak Kaufman has 1-touch access to his guest wifi password, right from his password manager:
Quick 1Password tip: within the 1Password mobile apps, you can press and hold any field within any item to bring up a menu and pin that field to your Home Screen. From that point on, that specific field will be easily available right when you open 1Password. You can even set the default action (copy or reveal) for when you tap it. It’s great for common stuff that you need to use all the time.
Making your own reMarkable
I was inspired by Note Aloud’s article on How to Make Your Own reMarkable 2. Like, really? How captivating is that headline?! Instantly intrigued. Check it out for yourself, then stay tuned for my thoughts on the topic in an article written entirely on my handmade reMarkable, to be published in the next week or so.
The best productivity systems are abandon-proof
Last week I was on holiday interstate, and didn’t pay much attention to my notes, master to do list, or my calendar, except those things I needed to keep track of for our travels. And this, my intrepid plain text friends, is what a good system is all about! The ebbs and the flows, even temporary abandonment. It can take all of it, and stay patiently holding the door open for you when you’re ready to step back inside.
Inside my head: plain text accounting (again)
I’m learning good things, important things from YNAB, but all the EOFY paperwork I’m facing as a small business owner is once again drawing my heart toward plain text accounting. What I thought was the main dealbreaker is no longer an issue, so now all I need do is set aside the necessary bandwidth to dive back into it.
Productivity observation: There’s nothing like the painful process of having to prepare financial reports I’ve forgotten how to generate, to ramp up my interest in learning something new and complicated that appears to have something to do with the work I should actually be doing!
The Plain Text, Paper-Less Productivity Digest explores productivity through a future-proof, plain text mindset, with a soft spot for the paper that counts.
Download some free productivity goodies (including an Obsidian Planner demo vault) here.