For non-zombie days, I came up with a simple time management system that has greatly helped boost my productivity called the 1-2-3-4 System. It integrates easily with the traditional Bullet Journal Daily Log and focuses on building momentum.

Construct a Daily Log with four signifier columns. The first column is used to mark quick or easy tasks (group 1). The second column is used to mark cleaning or tidying tasks (group 2). The third column is used to mark lengthy or difficult tasks (group 3). The fourth column is used to mark fun or relaxing tasks (group 4). For all tasks you rapid log, put a mark into one and only one of these four columns (I use a checkmark).

Why do you need to do the four tasks in order? Well, it’s psychological. First, you do a quick or easy task. These are the best for getting yourself going when you have very little motivation. After finishing that, you have built a little bit of momentum. Next, you do a cleaning or tidying task. These are a little longer but don’t require much mental energy, and you feel a sense of satisfaction when your living or working environment is clean (well, I do!). So when that’s done, you have a lot of momentum built up -- time to do a big task. Now, you tackle a lengthy or difficult task since you’re at peak motivation. Once that’s done, you feel great but physically or mentally exhausted. Finally, it is time for a fun or relaxing task as a reward before (optionally) starting a new chain.

X = Task Complete > = Task Migrated (A task that's been moved forward into the nextMonthly Log or a Collection) < = Task Scheduled (A task that's been moved backward into the Future Log)

Historically commonplace books are one of the oldest and most influential structures in the note taking, writing, and thinking space. They have generally been physical books written by hand that contain notes which are categorized by headings (or in a modern context categories or tags. Often they’re created with an index to help their creators find and organize their notes.

Family. Are you participating in your kids education as much as you would like to? Do you care about maintaining your relationship with your partner alive? How long has it been since you shared some time with your parents or siblings? Friends. Do you keep in touch with those friends who are now living somewhere else or is it that their rhythm of life doesn’t help spending some time together? How long has it been since the last time you called them? Personal development. Are you happy with your abilities in general, with the way you interact with people, with your role in life? What would you need to do to improve? What would you like to do to grow as a human being? Leisure. Is there time in your life for amusement and entertainment? Do you get enough rest? Do you travel? Do you save time for your hobbies, and things that make you enjoy? Health. Are you a dynamic person, are you in shape? Do you take care of yourself? Are you eating healthy? Do you exercise? How do you feel? Finance. Are you aware of your economic situation? Do you save enough money so that you don’t have to worry about unexpected things? Do you invest in your future? Is there something you need to change? Society. How do you like helping the community? What can you do with your actual resources? Donations? Volunteer? Spiritual life. Do you save some time for yourself and to meditate? If you practice any religion, are you happy with your level of involvement?

Ground: Calendar/actions

Horizon 1: Projects

Horizon 2: Areas of focus and accountability

What’s your job? Driving the creation of a lot of your projects are the four to seven major areas of responsibility that you at least implicitly are going to be held accountable to have done well, at the end of some time period, by yourself if not by someone else

Horizon 3: One- to two-year goals and objectives

These projects include anything from “look into having a birthday party for Susan” to “buy Acme Brick Co.”

Horizon 4: Three- to five-year vision

Horizon 5: Purpose and principles

What is the work you are here to do on the planet, with your life? This is the ultimate bigger picture discussion. Is this the job you want? Is this the lifestyle you want? Are you operating within the context of your real values, etc.?

Within the note that contains them, each blocking task is assigned the #blocking tag, and each dependent task is distinguished in the following three ways: They are listed beneath the task that they depend upon; they are indented one level from the task that they depend upon; and until their dependency is satisfied, they take the form of a list item (not a task.) Here's a contrived-but-illustrative example: ### Project with several tasks, some of which are dependent on others - [ ] This is a #blocking task - This will remain a list item until the above task is completed; it is, in turn, #blocking the following task - And _this_ list item won't become a task until the one immediately above is completed - [ ] This task is independent of all others (it is indented for some other reason) - This item also won't be converted to a task until the first level task directly under the project header is Done - [ ] This task is independent of all others At least once a day I review my "Update dependencies" note, which contains the following query: ```tasks done description includes #blocking ``` I use the backlinks in the query results to open the notes that contain completed tasks with the #blocking tag. In each, I delete the #blocking tag from now-completed items, and convert now-unblocked list items into tasks (by placing the cursor inside them and pressing Ctrl-Enter once) Although this approach does not support tasks with multiple, independent dependencies for a single task, I have found that it works well enough for my purposes, and am sharing it in the hope that it will be useful to others.

So,in my Household area of focus, I have a goal to make my house someplace where my entire family wants to come for holidays and spend time together and someplace where I can relax from a very stressful professional life. To achieve that, I have several high level objectives. The house is very large and older, so I have one around getting everything in full working order. I have another around automating the house so it is less hassle, etc. Inside the get everything in full working order, I have a more concrete entry to get all the water features on the property working. Inside each is a lot of someday maybe projects. When I feel engaged around I topic, I have a much shorter list of look at. So if I were doing my weekly review and the fountain in my courtyard was on my mind (get all the water features working), I might look at the list and say, “you know…I do want to install an auto fill this week…or…maybe I should fix that slow leak that it has….”

If you have a Zettelkasten like notes system, then I would recommend organizing your Someday Maybe as notes by areas of focus and horizon (in gtd speak). I keep my someday maybe mostly out of my task management system (OmniFocus). In my notes (Obsidian), I have a note for each of my GTD areas of focus. In that note, I have something akin to the Horizon 3 and Horizon 4 equivalent of organization. In GTD, Horizons 3/4/5 transcends areas of focus, but for me, I find having a couple layers above that is specific to the area of focus very helpful. I give that caveat so I don’t get a lot of comments on “that isn’t GTD”.

Different someday maybe lists that you check at different intervals. Some stuff I look at once a month other stuff I only look at once a year. Just put it somewhere where you’ll be confident you’ll see it as often as you need to.

SomedayTasks and projects on my Someday list are ones that I want to do. I will do. I just won’t do them right now. These are inactive items that I am committed to doing but I don’t know when. Examples of Someday tasks/projects are Redecorate the Kitchen, Purchase a New Car, and Vacation Along the Irish Coast by Bicycle.MaybeTasks and projects on my Maybe list are ones that I am not certain if I really want to do at all. I definitely will not do them anytime soon. These are items that I might eventually choose to do but I am not committed to them. Examples of Maybe tasks/projects are Write a Novel, Host a House Concert, and Learn to Speak Mongolian.SoonTasks and projects on my Soon list are ones that I want to do. I will do. I will not do them right now but they will become active in the near future. These are items that are important and will have high impact toward achieving my goals. They have a greater sense of immediacy than items on the Someday list. Examples of Soon tasks/projects are Discuss Estate Planning with my Attorney, Launch New Website, and Migrate Digital Photo Archive to Web Archiving Solution.

happens returns any task for a matching start date, scheduled date, or due date. For example, happens before tomorrow will return all tasks that are starting, scheduled, or due earlier than tomorrow. If a task starts today and is due in a week from today, happens before tomorrow will match, because the tasks starts before tomorrow. Only one of the dates needs to match.