PTPL #9: Task Management in Obsidian Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated
Task management, Noteplan, how Keyboard Maestro takes over 90% of my repetitive tasks
Welcome to the ninth in a series of posts documenting my plain text, paper-less, Obsidian-flavoured journey.
Each post is a 5-minute or less summary of what I’ve read, learned, and implemented since the last edition. Links to earlier episodes can be found here.
Today I’ll be talking about —
- A simple project/task management approach that works in both the physical and digital worlds
- The Noteplan app
- Highlighting text on the web into Markdown
- Using Keyboard Maestro to eliminate 90% of repetitive keystrokes
Productivity Inspiration
I don’t use a dedicated task management app anymore, unless you count Reminders. All my project-related tasks are handled in linked text files, as are any non-time sensitive tasks. Tasks with external deadlines go in my calendar, or Reminders.
This week I revisited the article that helped me simplify my task lists. Dan Counsell uses a simple 3-column sticky note system, which I continue to happily apply to my plain text task lists, usually displayed with the Kanban plugin in Obsidian.
Tasks are ordered from left to right on the wall. Post-it notes on the left are in the “Backlog” area. The centre spot is reserved for the “Current” tasks you are working on. This can be up to 3 or 4 tasks. No more, as it can get overwhelming, and your focus is lost. Ideally, you want 2 or 3 at most here.
As the stickies move from left to right, they gain importance. Tasks can easily be re-arranged or discarded at any time.
— Dan Counsell
Productivity Tips
App profile: Noteplan
Noteplan is a productivity tool that links tasks and notes with your calendar, all from inside the app. It caught my attention because it has a foundation of plain text and Markdown.
This week they introduced what they call “weekly notes”, where tasks of the week are listed at the start of each day’s note, and can be dragged onto the day you intend to do them.
I really like the premise behind Noteplan, but the allure of native calendar integration isn’t enough to make me give up the control Obsidian gives me to build something better, sans calendar.
Noteplan Pros:
- It’s built on plain text, so you’re in control of your notes
- It’s Markdown compatible
- Native calendar integration, with notes and tasks linked to specific days
Noteplan Cons:
- You’re stuck with the features they release; no building your own
- It’s darned expensive, unless you have a Setapp subscription (affiliate link)
Web highlights and notes in Markdown
Check out the Eloquent extension. It provides a pop-up notebook that automatically converts text you underline on the web to Markdown notes. It easily grabs the URL and adds it to your notes. Any highlights you make show up in yellow on the web page, both now and when you return to that website. Notes need to be copy-pasted from the extension into your text app of choice.
Keyboard Maestro saves time and hand strain
Are there any tasks you perform on your Mac that require the same series of key strokes every time? Consider automating them with Keyboard Maestro. No code, just logic.
This week I created a series of macros to speed up my reformatting of the Bible into the plain text format that works best for me. There are over 20 steps in the base macro, which as you can imagine, makes things much more efficient! When you have over 31,000 verses to format, it’s time to automate. My Keyboard Maestro macros eliminate a full 90% of the clicks I’d need to make if doing it all by hand.
Adventures in Obsidian
- It’s my fourth week using a weekly log instead of separate daily notes, and it’s still working very well. Actually, I really love it! I’ve left the back door wide open to switch back to daily notes if I want to, while still keeping an overview on the weekly page, but so far I have no desire to go back to them.
- I’m using a combination of folding headings and, more and more, the outline pane in my right side bar to help me navigate long weekly notes.
- If you haven’t already seen it, go check out Nicole van de Hoeven’s video on Introducing Popout Windows for Obsidian. She also has good tips for creating your own workspaces that include multiple windows.
- As usual, there’s a lot to explore in this week’s Obsidian Roundup — but the main thing I got from it was an increased desire to keep my system simple. I’ll always love checking out new plugins and features, but only those that make it more efficient to achieve what I can easily do by hand at a slower pace.
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