Systems shake up

Rebucketing and realigning. Am I just reorganizing the same shit and trying to make it look pretty, or am I actually making a difference?

Every few years my personal management tools wear out. The system to connect ideas, efforts and opportunities across my world varies with the tools I use so I find myself reorganizing - and sometimes just file dumping - when one or more tools no longer fit my need. When that happens, the connecting threads require more of me. That takes energy and brain space that, eventually, needs a reset.

That reset time has come again.

I’ve muddled through the first half of this year keeping my head afloat but I found myself existing in that way that just keeps you, well, existing¹.

Several of my recent newsletters have been leading me down this path to reset. Then, the mid year struck next to a new moon and, with it, the opportunity to re-evaluate my current state. I’ve been eyeing the idea of a second brain² for years and this was now the moment reorganize the now otherwise unwieldly and chaotic series of to-do lists and notes into something more useful.

I read up on it again, to confirm the idea of a second brain resonated and to get a sense of what it could offer. And then I turned to an AI chat³ to help guide me through the process.

This was tough for me. Figuring things out on my own would normally be a stubbornly important part of my process. But this was an opportune moment. I’m working on delegation in some of my projects, and exploring the slightly horrifying concept: what if I don’t have to actually do it all? What if I could rely on a little support so that I can focus on the outcome?

Deep breath. Okay. Let’s try this.

Turning my previous nested layers of themes, folders, lists, subtasks and sidebar notes into streamlined - dare I say more accessible - individual projects has made my project list seem massive.

Did I say seem? What if my project list is massive? Seeing each of my projects listed out as projects instead of sub-sub-tasks under high level headings felt like a small - but sharp - gut punch. It is still the right list of projects. It is now just a more holistic, obvious and compassionate view of all of my work, especially when reviewing the slower traction, less urgent activities.

So with that little epiphany in place, I am now setting up spaces in Notion to follow the PARA structure for

1. time-bound Projects,

2. wiki-like notes Areas,

3. random but important Resources for adjacencies and the future and, of course,

4. an Archive for reference.

While I could use Notion for tasks and file management as well, I’m maintaining task activity in ClickUp, and files and time blocking in Google. This let’s me build up a new system with minimal effort to move everything around.

what tools are your favourite, and what makes them your favourite to use?

So far, I’m making good progress. I find my information is just more accessible. I’m not done yet, but I like where this is going. So far, I can integrate the platforms I like, use tools and formatting I enjoy and I’m starting to connect bits together.

I’m not sure how much stuff is going to come out of my brain into this new system, but I am very much looking forward to connecting it all together in this new matrix.

1. See previous posts a gasp of spring air

2. I’m not affiliated with any of the tools or systems I’m about to mention. They just happen to be the ones I’ve used and liked, including but not limited to: Notion, Second Brain & PARA, ClickUp, Bullet Journalling.

3. I am still struggling with the pros and cons of AI. What are valid or acceptable use cases from an ethical standpoint? What is the true environmental impact of a simple query? I’m using AI judiciously. I feel it is important to be at least a little familiar with what it can offer, and I know I need to understand more about the potential harm.