Tech Habits: Atlas Journaling, One Big Text File, and New Experiments
Recently, I wrote in-depth about Atlas Journaling, a hybrid analog-digital system I use for journaling and project management.
I also wrote about my transition to One Big Text File (OBTF) for capturing daily notes in digital form.
Update:
- I am enjoying the fact that Atlas Journaling continues to bring clarity without being overly-rigid. It sits somewhere between unorganized chicken scratch and thoughtful prose.
- I adore the low-friction yet digitally intimate nature of OBTF. It is a subtle game-changer.
A thoughtful comment by Iksall on my Atlas Journaling article made me want to go beyond a simple reply and state here what I haven’t explicitly articulated before. In aggregate, I’ve probably written enough about “weather-resistant”, plain-text, and principled approaches to productivity to fill a few solid hours of reading time. That sheer volume might suggest my system is complicated. And truthfully, for most people, it probably is.
One analogy when approaching this topic that resonates with me is that of shopping. We all have an innate curiosity to explore new things and see if they improve our lives. Shopping too much is problematic, but repressing shopping also feels unnatural. In the same way, discovering and refining productivity techniques is about selectively adopting what works, discarding what doesn’t, and occasionally indulging in a little experimentation.
My main motivation for building a more intricate system is to better manage the responsibilities of raising a young family while making meaningful progress in my work and pursuit of truth. My goal is for it to be just complex enough to chop wood on what matters effectively — while still being enjoyable. For me, finding creative ways to use simple plain text tools to get things done is, simply put, fun.
For me, Atlas journaling and keeping OBTF is extremely simple and efficient.
Atlas Journaling helps me reflect on my days in ways that feel lightweight yet meaningful. In just 30 seconds to a few minutes per day, I can center myself within the broader context of my projects (goals). OBTF allows me to capture and process notes without overthinking structure. Whether it’s dumping out random thoughts, keeping a record of my software engineering activity, or saving media, it is a frictionless way to capture and, crucially, browse my notes before treating them in a more structured way.
Example: I was recently at work rapidly taking notes trying to solve a specific problem. Instead of carefully and intentionally thinking about where I place all these notes, I simply appended simple command line tricks, screenshots, web page links, etc. in the OBTF as I went along. A week later, when I was working with a colleague on the same topic, I didn’t have to search for a specific file or think about how I organized this information. I just scrolled up in my text file and found everything immediately.
It was exactly as I left it. I just needed to refer to it again. For this topic (a sort-of sub-project/mini side quest), I didn’t need a lot of extra structure. And for reasons I haven’t quite been able to articulate, it’s way more convenient to keep OBTF than the text across different daily log files. The continuity and more frictionless transferability of information across days seems to be the reason.
Not only was I able to quickly find what I needed, but I also had relevant timestamps available next to my command line snippets. Their precision down to the minute helped him instantly do some investigation on his end. The moment I knew this simple system was potentially useful beyond ‘n of one’ was when I saw his eyes light up. After describing his approach to logging, he said something to the effect of “maybe I should do something like this!”
Moments like these are why I love this topic.
Long-time readers know that one recurring theme has been the value of repetition. In the case of Atlas Journaling and OBTF, I’ve noticed that when I revisit certain media — YouTube videos, songs, articles, etc— I tend to repeat them across multiple log entries or mention them somewhere in. my Atlas Journal. From this repetition a concordant signal of truth emerges in my mind, in digital form, and on paper.
Switching to OBTF has also deepened my appreciation for weather resistant formats. The transition from separate daily logs to one big text file was effortless — just a simple concatenation with minor formatting tweaks. No import/export headaches. No lock-in to proprietary systems. Similarly, my physical atlas journal remains a stable anchor, surviving the more rapidly evolving landscape of my digital content.
Simplicity is the goal, but it paradoxically requires a little complexity to reach it. The initial framework of how exactly I capture everything in OBTF takes some thought, but once established, it dramatically reduces cognitive overhead in the long run. The simple principles of Atlas Journaling (create a contextual 2D map, keep a consistent organization, pursue truth with simple words) emerge from chopping away complexity that has proven ineffective for me.
Some new and ongoing experiments:
- Visual Log Exploration. My digital log has years of captured screenshots from my phone and computer. While I typically manually review and categorize them, I’m now exploring ways to extract deeper insights. For example, I am double-clicking on using Obsidian’s Gallery/Mosaic plugin and apps of that ilk to create a visual timeline of captured media. Similarly, I’m double-downing on OCR & Search by experimenting with plugins like OmniSearch and using photo search tools more effectively. I’m also interested in using images as a form of recall broadly inspired by Rewind.ai, but in a lighter-weight form where images are still more intentionally captured.
- GPT Task Management. I’ve been eagerly waiting for a proper AI-powered task management tool, and ChatGPT’s new task feature might finally scratch that itch. I’ve experimented with other early AI task management assistants, but none have been handsome enough to tempt me. Now that OpenAI seems to recognize this need, I’m keen to see if this tool integrates well into my workflow.
- One Big Sketchpad. Just as OBTF serves as a catch-all for digital text and media, I’m experimenting with a similar concept for digital sketches / whiteboard drawings. The idea: use a single Excalidraw file for most quick sketches and diagrams. No overthinking what (new!?) file to place them in. Just start doodling and organize later!
- Doubling Down on Physical Journaling. Despite my digital-first experiments, I’ve decided to give a go at physical journaling as my core practice. Inspired by recent Carl Pullein videos on the Franklin Planner, I’m testing a daily handwritten page that functions as a grounding ritual to help me more carefully process my digitally captured information. It therefore serves to complement and reinforce — rather than replace — my digital logs.
I’ll continue refining these workflows and reporting back on what sticks. For now, I’ll leave you with a fascinating brain fungus link — someone on YouTube bridging the gap between digital and physical note-taking in an extremely aesthetically satisfying way. The level of detail, the monospacedness of it all is…delicious.
FWIW, I am also in the middle of a short and amazing book that is quickly becoming an instant classic for me, and maybe for you too! It’s called Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. It is awesome.
‘Till next time! 🏔️