Why you need a productivity system, deleting note folders, and cultivating ideas

Welcome to the Boldly Productive Newsletter!

For those of you who may wonder why you didn't get the newsletter yesterday as is customary, I made the decision to start sending it out on Tuesdays rather than Mondays.

Sending it out on Monday was causing me unnecessary stress over the weekend, a time when I should be re-energizing after a long work week. Sending the newsletter on Tuesday will give me time on Monday to finalize everything and avoid the last minute scramble.

Thank you for your patience as I continue to improve the newsletter and make it the best it can be.

This week sees the continuation of the series I started last week on FIRST, the guiding principles for crafting a perfect productivity system. I also share a large update to my note taking apps, as well as a couple articles on how to cultivate new ideas.

Now on with the show!

Focus: Why Do You Need a Productivity System?

In the first article in this series I gave you five principles for crafting your perfect productivity system. Those principles are:

• Focus
• Iterate
• Record
• Simplify
• Trust

The first of these principles, Focus, helps you answer this question:

Why do you need a productivity system?

There are productivity experts out there right now climbing over each other to answer this question for you.

I got to you first, though, so here's the answer!

I Deleted All the Folders in My Notes Apps!

I waste far too much time fiddling with folder structures in my notes apps.

My goal is to minimize friction when deciding where to put a note. Folders create extra work by forcing me to decide where each note should go. And there's always that note that could go in any of them.

I tried simple structures like Tiago Forte's PARA as I thought fewer folders might make it easier, but it only intensified the problem. There were still heaps of questions pouring through my mind about where a note should go.

The solution to my folder problem: banish all folders!

Read / Watch List:

Notes and ideas from others to explore

Article: For a More Creative Brain, Follow These 5 Steps
A simple process for developing ideas.

Article: Seed Your Mind Garden in Obsidian
A nice how-to guide on getting a personal knowledge management system going inside of Obsidian.

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