Productivity advice online is a bit bland and dry. Too serious.

I’ve been deep into productivity and self-improvement for a few years now.
Fixing the boring structural problems in my life, building routines that actually stick, reducing chaos, and using technology to automate the stuff that drains my attention and to offload cognition.

And to make it not boring I merged productivity and self-improvement with shitposting and memes and made my whole online Persona about it.

Productivity can also be fun and absurd.

I’ve been posting concept breakdowns and longer videos on YouTube under the name ToasterBotnet. It’s basically self-improvement for people who are online too much, mixing practical tools with a bit of humor and tech-nerd energy. Definitely not polished guru stuff.

If anyone here is into systems, habits, productivity experiments, or automating everyday life, you might find it interesting.

I’m mostly looking for honest feedback on whether the content is actually useful or if I’m missing the mark somewhere.

Channel link:
https://www.youtube.com/@toasterbotnet

I’ve been trying a lot of PKM tools (Obsidian, Notion, etc.), and they’re great once things are organized.

But most of what I actually need to capture day-to-day is much smaller and faster:

• quick thoughts
• links I don’t want to lose
• random snippets
• stuff I don’t have time to organize

And this is where everything starts to feel… slow.

Capturing should be instant, almost no friction.

But most tools immediately push you into structure: folders, tags, decisions…

So either I don’t capture at all, or I dump things and never find them again.

Lately I’ve been trying to separate the two:

• one layer just for capture (fast, no thinking)
• another for organizing later

Curious how others here handle this.

Do you separate capture from knowledge building? Or use one tool for everything?

I’m always working on multiple projects, and I use task lists to keep track of what I need to do.

Usually it’s in a notebook, but after a while you’re constantly flipping through pages and there’s no easy way to find something from a past list.

I tried tools like Microsoft To Do and Notion, but they just didn’t feel right.

I like having all my task lists visible at once, almost like a reminder of what I need to do across all my projects. I also use it as an idea holder—whenever I get a new idea, I just jot it down in a list called “ideas.”

So I decided to build my own app with the features I want. It’s pretty simple right now:

• you can create multiple lists and place them anywhere on a canvas
• move things around and group them however you want
• nested tasks and basic notes/priorities
• keyboard first workflow

I plan to add cloud sync in the future.

I’ve been using it for the last several days and like it a lot, but I’m a little biased 🙂

Would appreciate any feedback:

https://taskcanvas.app/

Thanks,

Tom

Not sure if it’s just me, but I’ve been running into this quite a bit.

My client conversations are spread across different messaging platforms, and sometimes important or more detailed discussions just get buried or overlooked.

It’s not even about the number of messages, it’s the fragmentation that makes it hard to keep track of everything in one flow.

Anyone else dealing with this? How are you keeping track of conversations without things slipping through?

Hi, some time ago I decided to include a new productivity method every year or every time I switched to a new job. I already tried the following methods (more or less successfully):

• vertical mouse and mechanical keyboard
• GTD and Pomodoro
• leather notebook for every thing
• knowledge base and bullet journal

What do you have in mind that I could try for a whole year and see if it sticks? I'm thinking of reading a lot of books, get some training to eventually get another kind of job, etc.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/826326

Comments

I’m a solopreneur, and my mind is constantly full of new ideas. Some good, some not so much. I tried to bring them to life, but many never actually make it. Running between a full-time job, side projects, and daily tasks is a constant chaos. So I thought, why not build a tool just for me, designed the way I like, to help keep my thoughts organized with some cool features.

Working in tech has brought many advantages… but also a fair share of mental chaos.

This app uses light AI model to help with daily tasks or plan for longer term goals. It’s been helping me and my girlfriend with small things like for example, working out two times a week or drinking 2 liters of water, or even keeping my thoughts aligned with where I want to be in 5 years.

It’s still in early stage, it is possible to try on iOS or Android, so don’t expect anything fancy, just a simple tool that is helping me stay on track. Would be cool if a few people could try it out and share your feedback. 
If you’re interested, you can leave a comment... It would be really cool to hear your thoughts.

Hey folks 👋

I’ve been tinkering on a side project called Quickpoint — it’s a super lightweight, keyboard-first writing and sharing tool. Think of it like a notepad that instantly turns what you type into a shareable page — for notes, code demos, quick thoughts, or even presentations.

It's over on Quickpoint.me

The goal is to stay in flow — no tabs, no formatting fluff, just type and share.

I’m still very early (beta-ish stage), so I’d love feedback on:

What would make this genuinely useful day-to-day?

Would this replace anything you already use?

Are there dealbreakers or things that feel missing?

You don’t need to sign up — just hit the link and try it. Would really appreciate your thoughts, and happy to check out anything you’re building too.

Thanks! 🙏

One hack that’s been a game-changer for me: Pre-scheduling mundane tasks like bill payments, meal planning, and even workout reminders using apps like Notion or Google Calendar. It frees up mental space and keeps me on track.

What’s your favorite time-saving hack? Let’s share ideas!

As Firefox is by far my most used app, I find that bookmarking the current tab and describing the task with no more than a few words or even as little as a few chars, to be a good way to keep track of what things I need to do soon. For things I would get to later or whenever I feel like it, I'll put them in Firefox's "Boookmarks Menu" or "Other Bookmarks" folders, and have lots of folders consisting of Reddit posts and searches about different topics.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/15539386

Thought I'd share this i recently came across, while not strictly a game per se - its still on steam and might be a nice find for people into these sorts of productivity apps. Game is made by an original lofi artist called Blue Turtle, who makes some really good and relaxing lofi mixes.

Ithya: Magic Study is a cozy background app combined with productivity tools. Customize your room and relax with lofi or fantasy playlists in beautiful, hand-drawn environments. Perfect for a focused or creative session in a magical world.

Here's some features:

• no ads
• offline, no loading time
• new music and art
• included timer, task list
• endless loop
• can choose the weather to fit your mood
• gamification (capture Elementals and personalize your room)

It will be released at the beginning of 2025!

What are you using right now? and What's the one thing you like and don't like about it?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10216050

Feel free to give it a spin and add any feature requests on github!

Do you feel that you were most productive during your school exams as a student?

Well I do. The uninterrupted focus with time pressure and the "5 minutes left!" echo in the exam hall always pushed me to dish out that one more answer.

That's why I created Dojon (https://dojon.co), a fun weekend project I originally made for myself to improve my productivity for work. It's free and I wanted to share just in case others find it useful too.

It's a productivity web app beyond an average pomodoro timer with the following additional features:

Challenge yourself to complete your work and stop the timer before the time runs out. Only then, it is a successful session.

No pause button like an exam (you don't waste time going to the toilet, do you?)

One midpoint reminder and one 5 mins-left reminder to keep your pace up.

More than just a timer, Dojon also comes with the following capabilities to optimize your productivity:

Track your work history and review when and how long you have been working.

Track your positive habits and improve your self-discipline.

"Sets" feature which starts work and rest sessions automatically like HIIT

A lot of other features in the pipeline but please feel free to use and let me know if you have any feedback!

I like the idea of Hey.com but honestly, I struggle with the idea of paying $100/year and I've had my Gmail since 2005. It's almost like an archive of my life.

Are there any systems, apps, or something similar to Hey that don't require me to leave Gmail? I know I could do Gmail forwarding within Hey but thought I'd just poke around first.

I found this extension called Manganum, it basically adds an improved new tab and a sidebar with a bunch of features to chrome, is there anything similar for Firefox?

https://manganum.app/

Stoicism is a philosophy that originated in ancient Greece and has been practiced for centuries. It teaches us how to live a good life by focusing on what we can control and accepting what we cannot. This can be a helpful philosophy for productivity-oriented people, as it can help us to stay focused on our goals, manage our emotions, and deal with setbacks.

Some of the core principles of Stoicism include:

The dichotomy of control: This principle teaches us to distinguish between things that we can control and things that we cannot. We can only control our own thoughts, emotions, and actions, so it is important to focus on these things and not worry about things that are outside of our control.

Accepting the present moment: Stoics believe that we should accept the present moment, even if it is not what we want. This does not mean that we have to like everything that happens to us, but it does mean that we should not dwell on the past or worry about the future.

Detaching from material possessions: Stoics believe that material possessions are not important and that we should not attach our happiness to them. This can be helpful for productivity-oriented people, as it can help us to focus on our work and not get distracted by our possessions.

Practicing virtue: Stoics believe that the goal of life is to live a virtuous life. This means living a life that is in accordance with reason and that is beneficial to others. Practicing virtue can help us to become more productive, as it can give us a sense of purpose and motivation.

Some of the main authors or philosophers of Stoicism include:

Zeno of Citium: Zeno is considered to be the founder of Stoicism. He was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 3rd century BC.

Epictetus: Epictetus was a Roman slave who became a Stoic philosopher. He was a popular teacher and his teachings were later recorded by his student, Arrian.

Marcus Aurelius: Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor who was also a Stoic philosopher. He wrote a series of personal essays called the Meditations, which are still read today.

Why Stoicism might interest you:

Stoicism can be a helpful philosophy for productivity-oriented people for a number of reasons.

First, it can help us to stay focused on our goals. Stoics believe that we should focus on what we can control, which includes our thoughts, emotions, and actions. This can help us to stay on track and avoid distractions.

Second, Stoicism can help us to manage our emotions. Stoics believe that we should not let our emotions control us. This can be helpful for productivity-oriented people, as it can help us to stay calm and focused under pressure.

Third, Stoicism can help us to deal with setbacks. Stoics believe that setbacks are a part of life and that we should not let them discourage us. This can be helpful for productivity-oriented people, as it can help us to bounce back from failures and keep moving forward.

While I am not a full practitioner of stoicism I have borrowed some of the principles in my daily life. What is one of your favorite principles or philosophies that you follow?