My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)

Appeal of the single text-file system

• Many commenters report using similar systems for years or decades: one long .txt per job, per project, per month, or per week.
• People value how fast it is to “just type” with essentially zero latency or UI friction, and no need to think about structure before capturing a thought.
• Several say they rarely revisit old notes; the main benefit is thinking while writing and having a short-term “working memory” for the last days or weeks.

Simplicity, portability, and longevity

• Plain text is praised for: zero dependencies, maximal portability, backup/version-control friendliness, and being outage-proof.
• Moving away from proprietary tools like OneNote is described as painful, reinforcing the value of open formats.
• Some note that a text editor is unlikely to “break” with OS updates, unlike a custom app.

Discipline and habits vs the tool

• Multiple comments argue the real “productivity hack” is the daily habit of rewriting/curating the list, not the format.
• Others admit they’d abandon such a system quickly, or get overwhelmed as files grow, and express envy of those who can maintain it.

Variations on the basic idea

• Common patterns:
  • Rotating files (daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly) to keep size manageable.
  • Using YAML or org-mode for lightweight structure and time-based views.
  • AutoHotkey/bash helpers to insert dates, open the right file, or create date-based folders.
  • Some prepend new entries at the top; others append and periodically archive.

Access, search, and AI/LLMs

• Mobile access is a recurring pain point: huge files lag on phones, and Dropbox/iCloud flows can be clumsy.
• Suggestions range from simple grep/Hyperestraier to local LLM assistants that auto-extract metadata, summarize, or answer natural-language queries over the text.

Alternatives: apps and analog systems

• Many describe different “final resting places” after bouncing between tools: Obsidian, Notesnook, OneNote, Google Keep/Docs, Amplenote, tasks.org, spreadsheets, calendars, Reminder apps, Joplin, Notion-like tools.
• Others prefer paper notebooks, loose sheets, or “note to self” chats, often with a weekly carry-over of remaining tasks.

Broader reflections

• Several tie this to a larger preference for plain text and minimal, durable tools over complex, trend-driven productivity apps, with debate about how much modern software has truly improved on older tech.