> I think the difference is in whether we can accept (or tolerate) externally-imposed structure, especially when we disagree with it. If not, the best coping mechanism is to build your own from the inside.
Yes. You're being more precise than me here. This is spot on. The way I build and manage my own structure is to combat exactly this. For me it's a combination of habits and tools evolved over many years, and it will continue to do so.
Ah. Great input and an approach I really haven't considered! I think this could be great advice for people who struggle with various degrees of decision fatigue.
Personally I tend to be quite impulsive and somewhat random "by design". Some might call it "creative". In any case, I tend to get energy from uncertainty where others around me prefer more structure. And vice versa, I feel more friction when there are no choices. My personal backlog serves as a counterweight in order to stay on track.
Yes. And that's also the risk I run with including such anecdotal "evidence" from my own process, because it definitely won't click with everybody.
I've witnessed people close to me be highly successful with the "single file" approach that you yourself swear by. My point was that most people probably will have some benefit of choosing some approach, and not try to keep it all in your head.
I honestly didn't want the post to center around the organizational bit, it was a late addition, because there's the caveat that it gets interpreted as "this is how you gain productivity". In my specific case it's more about flushing thoughts that otherwise would continue to drift in my mind. This is also why I write. It's calming due to the fact it allows me to lay things to rest.
> I think the critical factor here is to be honest with yourself about what is or is not actually working for you.
Yes, and in order to do so you need to do the occasional introspection and be a mindful of your ways. We all have our quirks and it's also fine to acknowledge this. I still have plenty of "bad habits", many which I have no intention of breaking any time soon.
I completely see your point, and my boring response is "it depends". How heavily I rely on my personal organizational setup depends a lot on context. For instance, at $WORK I need time-tracking and tracability of tasks due to audits. Having a system I barely have to think about is crucial to me in this setting not to waste time in horribly slow web-based ERP-systems. For personal projects I stick to a single text file of issues and ideas. Knowing what to use when is part of the general assessment imo.
Yes. You're being more precise than me here. This is spot on. The way I build and manage my own structure is to combat exactly this. For me it's a combination of habits and tools evolved over many years, and it will continue to do so.