Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ptpl, aggregated by home.social.
Yesterday's blog post was on the (sometimes secret) notes I leave for future me to find on my calendar. With a recipe, menu plan, and cooking time analogy for tasks, categories, and events.
Consider it relationship advice for tasks and events, dinner included 😆
https://ellanew.com/2026/10/12/ptpl-228-calendars-todos-secret-notes
Link for Medium members: https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-228-calendars-todos-and-secret-notes-to-your-future-self-dbb69a05d669
This week I wrote about how, simple or complex, what works for others might be a distraction for you. It might just be time to stop dissecting and start doing.
Daily notes in apps like Obsidian work well for many people, but they don't work for me. I still love the idea and the look of them, but I've learned they aren't a good fit for me.
https://ellanew.com/2026/10/05/ptpl-227-daily-notes-were-messing-with-my-head
Is time running out, or filling up? When it comes to time and task management, both abundance and scarcity have their place. This week I talk about two iOS apps that can help you use both to your advantage.
Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-223-is-time-running-out-or-filling-up-the-way-you-see-it-matters-62af29580fda
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/09/07/ptpl-223-time-abundance-scarcity-ios-apps
Would you rather an AI-generated poster, or one set in Comic Sans?
Pick one…but don't attack the sincere individuals who don't share your concerns.
We are, each of us, deeply flawed humans on our own journeys. The sum of your life has led to the choices (choices you are sure are right) that you are making today. This also applies to those who disagree with you.
Read the full post on my blog https://ellanew.com/2026/08/24/ptpl-221-ai-vs-comic-sans
or on Medium https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/would-you-rather-generative-ai-or-comic-sans-poll-results-c7ce85a5879b
This week: Progress bars. Little graphics that illustrate your current position on a pre-defined journey.
Track goals with typewriter-style plain text progress bars, then join a new off-algorithm space for plain text enthusiasts. Two goodies, no plugins.
Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-214-hand-typed-progress-bars-plus-a-new-plain-text-discussion-zone-70b3756988dd
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/06/29/ptpl-214-text-progress-bars-dfos-discussion-zone
No matter what past-you instructed your task manager to put in front of you today, only today's you knows what is going to work for them.
I'm talking about giving yourself permission to view your task lists as a menu rather than a mandate. Because task management is ultimately about making sense of what's in front of you so that you can do more of what matters.
Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-213-the-day-i-realised-my-task-list-was-a-menu-not-a-mandate-177d64f20a17
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/06/01/ptpl-213-task-lists-are-menus-not-mandates
Plain text workflows now have a content farm problem. Who'd a thought it!
The good news is that genuine voices can still rise above the slop, and will (I sincerely hope) stand out as beacons of light because of their wonderfully flawed humanness.
Medium (includes blog link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-211-content-farms-have-found-my-niche-but-the-humans-are-still-winning-2acdcb4c46e3
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/06/08/ptpl-211-ai-content-farms-niche-internet
This week: How “open source” can be an attitude, rather than a feature of an app.
Do you have any to add to my 10 rules of responsible knowledge/file management?
Includes links to other related articles I’ve written on this topic (a theme I’ll likely be harping on about forever).
Medium (includes blog post link) https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/ptpl-210-the-open-source-wars-are-missing-the-point-0c5017222776
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/06/01/ptpl-210-open-source-wars-miss-the-point
This week: How to reclaim focus for your distractible brain with a one-page weekly planner.
I love that it is light enough to always carry, flexible enough for both planning and freeform notes, and simple enough that I am consistently using it, week after week. Best of all, it's screen-free!
Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-209-how-to-design-a-screen-free-one-page-weekly-planner-f9104672f0c6
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/25/ptpl-209-screen-free-weekly-planner
This week I share three cool tech finds, no affiliates: plain text capture, a Bauhaus obsession, and the keyboard that finally fits my EDC:
- Capture for Obsidian @hiro
- Bauhaus Clock for iOS
- Nillkin foldable keyboard with trackpad.
Medium members https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-208-3-cool-plain-text-app-and-tech-finds-0fff212aaff6
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/18/ptpl-208-capture-obsidian-bauhaus-clock-nillkin-keyboard
Next week: All about my new templates for planning your week in a 1-P (One Page Notebook) https://miscellaneplans.gumroad.com/l/1p-weekly-planner
What if your calendar was just a text file?
This week I show you how to build a todo.txt-format calendar — which is of practical use all on its own — and optionally view today's events in your Obsidian daily note.
It is inspired by calendar.txt, but it's not that. Yes, I know Emacs can do it all. It's not that, either, by design.
Medium (includes blog post link) https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/how-to-create-a-plain-text-calendar-with-the-todo-txt-format-41f0ce6f093d
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/11/plain-text-calendar-todo-txt
This week: Productivity finds worth your time including new Mac and iOS apps, Apple tips, a cool name for plain text notes, and more.
Medium (includes blog link): https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-205-apple-shortcuts-handrolled-notes-and-apps-worth-your-attention-70e7b88c945d
Blog: https://ellanew.com/2026/04/27/ptpl-205-productivity-picks-apple-apps-tips
This week I take a look at placing Obsidian queries in nested callouts. Includes CSS for customising your own colours and icons.
https://ellanew.com/2026/04/20/ptpl-204-hide-obsidian-queries-in-folding-callouts
The Pilot Kakuno is a surprisingly good fountain pen to write with for the price. This is the F, on regular office 100 gsm paper folded to A7. More on the cheap but good writing instruments I’m using in the next #ptpl post.
#fountainPens #1-P #1P
Testing free alternatives to my Setapp apps. The surprise - Shottr does OCR too, so it ends up replacing two apps at once!
Do you use the the Mac ⌃⇧⌘4 shortcut as much as I do, I wonder? It’s perfect for simple screenshots that need pasting. I use it when putting photos on here, to ensure no location metadata gets embedded.
Medium (includes blog link) https://medium.com/p/0ee08fb2ac31
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/04/06/ptpl-202-replacing-setapp
I've been looking at the subscription software I use. The evaluation process is not as straightforward as I thought it was going to be!
So I'm looking into the concept of ownership. What does it really means when the things you rely on don't exist in any tactile sense? My Meema's house holds some clues.
Medium (includes blog post link) https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/what-meemas-1940s-cottage-taught-me-about-software-subscriptions-dbbf30458725
Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/03/30/ptpl-201-meemas-1940s-house-software-subscriptions
Could you complete your work today if your usual apps were inaccessible?
Here's a wake up call to store your work in open formats, even if (actually, especially if) you are required to use closed format apps to do your daily work.
Follow principles that give you the freedom to throw your kit into another vehicle and continue driving to your destination. Don’t get locked out of a vehicle you don't own, into which you've bolted the only copies of your work.
#ptpl #apps
https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/own-your-work-not-just-the-app-b27ea4380010
Added a new page on my website for the 1-P (one page notebook). Added photos of some of my latest 1-Ps to hit the archive.
Coming soon: a resource on this simplest of notebooks, including templates for people who want a bit more structure.
#analog #PTPL #productivity #1-P
This week: 2 links and 1 idea to inject some joy (and focus) into your plain notes. No AI, no plugins, just good aesthetics and smart strategies.
(The #Obsidian embedded queries guide is still in the works, coming soon)
#PTPL #PlainText #MacOS #design
Blog link is on the first line: https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-195-2-links-and-1-idea-to-make-plain-notes-more-enjoyable-5e4b1c18e33c
This week: Do you append or prepend your daily notes? Even if you're using a new file each day, do multiple entries go at the top or bottom?
No more appending for me!
And I'm pleased that at last I know what input belongs in my notes, tasks, and time files. Defining scope is vital.
#ptpl #obsidian #productivity #PlainTextPlanner
Blog link is in the first line, here:
https://medium.com/p/6cb9cc97aefa
The biggest thing I want to do on my phone, after making calls, sending messages, and taking pictures, is to quickly write notes that I can reliably refer to on any other device.
The tools I use to do that are Drafts, Journelly, and Obsidian. In today’s post I tell you why I like each, and compare them all at the end.
#ptpl #apps #iOS #iPhone #productivity #obsidian
Blog link is on the first line here: https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-192-how-drafts-and-journelly-get-quick-iphone-notes-onto-my-mac-and-into-obsidian-59c3c86cd1ff
@ellane I couldn't function without the myriad of IOS Shortcuts I use. They put the text into the correct place for me so i don't have to open up different apps and wait for their loading screens. Since speed is one of the best things about the shortcuts just write to a file, and I can open that file from the correct app later. #plaintext #PTPL
This week: How would you answer these questions posed by plain text guru, Scott Nesbitt? (He no longer maintains his website, sadly.)
Question 7: Is there one tool you can't do without?
Join the fun by tagging your answers #WhyPlainText, and mention me (@ellane)
https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/ptpl-192-answer-these-eight-questions-about-your-plain-text-files-3497bc4b6761 (includes blog post link)
Last week I wrote about how visually simplifying the way I use plain text, has been good for my brain. This week I show 6 or so ways to make plain text look …better.
Because of course plain text is boring! The *right* kind.
These tips can help when you're certain you are either pursuing clarity or focus-friendly self-expression, and not falling into distraction mode.
https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/plain-text-doesnt-have-to-be-ugly-it-just-has-to-stay-boring-in-the-right-ways-644e74e2cf27 (Contains blog post link)
Finding my old plain text files reminded me that visual simplicity isn't boring—it's relief for a highly distractible brain trying to stay on task.
Includes an evolution from calendar.txt to planner.md as a case study, where I had to define what the file was actually *for*, and make decisions on what did and did not belong there.
#PTPL #PlainTextPlanner #PlainText #productivity #minimalism #adhd
Medium (includes blog link) https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/finding-my-old-plain-text-files-reminded-me-that-visual-simplicity-isnt-boring-it-s-a-relief-414b2491afa6
This week: Reflections and resources to help you focus on the work that matters instead of overcomplicating your systems.
> you can do (almost) anything, but you can't do everything: not today, this week, or this life
> human joy (your own, and that which you share with others) will always be more important than raw productivity
https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/ptpl-188-tools-to-help-steady-your-routines-reclaim-your-attention-and-move-deliberately-toward-4e8adeed624b (Blog post link included)
This week: One idea and one link that can help you figure out what "good enough" can look like when your mind and your schedule are too full to get everything done. Plain text related, naturally, but both can apply to any well-balanced life. Be kind to your elephant!
Click through for blog link:
https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/heres-an-elephant-to-help-you-find-good-enough-when-everything-feels-too-much-a577971c8110
This week: @johnnydecimal task management meets plain text, plus early thoughts on the new Obsidian iOS widget feature and its limitations.
"…for people with brains like mine that simply cannot cope with locking away tasks in a non-portable …format, plain text tasks can be a valid solution. Feel free to try and change my mind. I don't think you'll be able to, but I'm willing to hear you out."
https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/the-johnny-decimal-task-management-course-is-the-missing-piece-i-didnt-know-i-needed-8e54086132ac (click for blog link)
This week I take a brief look at how my plain text productivity system has evolved this year. Also, my comments on some of @RussSharek 's plain text lifestyle thoughts.
> Having a simple interface to my world is a bit of zen meditation for me, and it helps keep me focused on my creative goals. —Russ
Link to my blog is on the first line: https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/comments-on-russ-sharek-plain-text-lifestyle-0b8d5c27ebff
I’ve used ⌘-hover to preview internal links in #Obsidian for years, but this week I discovered that it also works on tabs. Quite by accident I held down ⌘ while hovering over the name of a tab, and a 3rd-party-plugin-free, scrollable preview of that page appeared — with clickable links (!)
@liztai
#ptpl #plainText
Medium https://medium.com/p/190ec6cfdb9e
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/12/01/ptpl-184-obsidian-page-preview-vs-hover-editor