#ptpl — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ptpl, aggregated by home.social.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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@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
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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)
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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)
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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
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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)
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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)
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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
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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 #plainTextMedium https://medium.com/p/190ec6cfdb9e
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/12/01/ptpl-184-obsidian-page-preview-vs-hover-editor -
Two years ago I embarked on a challenge: to only access my digital notes with TextEdit and iA Writer on my #Mac. It was an enlightening and a frustrating experience!
Two days ago I decided to revisit the #plainTextExperiment by temporarily putting #Obsidian away again. What happened next taught me an important lesson about interoperability that I hadn't picked up the first time around.
Medium https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/the-3-levels-of-plain-text-productivity-and-why-level-2-is-the-sweet-spot-d7177122e4b1
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/11/24/ptpl-183-the-3-levels-of-plain-text-productivity -
As much as I love the idea of a fully plain text life, I've decided that naked email is, for me, a step too far. Switching to plain text email means losing product thumbnails, inline links, and visual formatting that makes some emails useful.
This week I've written about my response to the useplaintext.email website, plus some of the things I do to avoid the traps that HTML emails can hide.
Medium https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/why-i-keep-html-email-in-my-plain-text-life-8414afcbd91f
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/11/17/ptpl-182-why-keep-html-email-not-plain-text -
Connecting one stubborn task to my core values changed everything. Sometimes you need to feel the why before you can do the work.
The big takeaway from this is that no app or system can take away the emotional resistance you're feeling toward a task. Acknowledging that resistance and letting it speak has to come first.
#PTPL #productivity #procrastination #mentalHealth
Medium https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/how-to-climb-out-of-task-resistance-8e2fdccd18ee
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/11/10/ptpl-181-fixing-task-resistance -
Creative task avoidance can look like productivity. This week I look at how to spot it, and give a sneak peek of my new Obsidian plain text task dashboard — the crafting of which was *totally not* an avoidance mechanism! I hope!!
#productivity #obsidian #plainText #PTPL
Medium https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/my-new-task-dashboard-passes-the-most-important-test-82526bc1ae25
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/11/03/ptpl-180-new-task-dashboard-passes-the-test -
This week: Organising plain text tasks with time sectors instead of dates. This hands-on approach has solved my trust issues with automated systems!
I love the ritual of checking in with what past-me planned, and consciously agreeing, or not.
It's essentially the todo.txt system, with some tweaks, in Obsidian.
#ptpl #productivity #plainText #obsidian
Medium https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/time-sectors-keep-my-plain-text-tasks-relevant-and-my-mind-clear-d8cc8ebdfb6f
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/10/27/ptpl-179-time-sectors-keep-tasks-relevant -
My #PTPL post will be a little late today. I love consistency, it's good for me, and some people find it valuable. But today? Today I need time to spend with family. Feeling so grateful I get to do all these things!
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Simplify your planning with easy, fun #iPhone shortcuts to four #Obsidian files. Stay on top of notes, tasks, calendar, and daily goals without complex apps.
It’s powerful to know that when I see a particular piece of information, be it a repeating task or calendar event, *I* put it there. Not some repeat-every-second-week button in an app. *Me*. I trust my manual system more than I trusted apps to get it right. #ptpl
Medium https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/how-i-get-instant-access-to-the-four-text-files-that-run-my-life-26336eb22414
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/10/06/ptpl-176-simple-obsidian-iphone-shortcuts -
Learn calendar.txt, a simple plain text system for time management. Just add dates and events, no complex apps needed. The perfect companion to todo.txt. (h/t to @ploum for putting me onto it)
(Also, I'm folding my One Page Notebook slightly differently now)
#productivity #plainText #ptpl #calendar
Medium https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/calendar-txt-is-the-simplest-time-planning-system-you-will-ever-see-f95fe1cdec21
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/09/29/ptpl-175-calendar-txt-simplest-time-planning-system -
This week: the plain text enthusiasts and simple tool users who inspired my productivity journey, plus thoughts on what makes a tool stack work.
“Good tools support and augment existing skills, they don't create them. The way you use your tools is much more important than the tools themselves.”
#productivity #Mac #design #app #obsidian #plainText #ptpl
Medium https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/tool-stack-inspiration-the-people-and-apps-that-shaped-my-path-b94e87ee0fa0
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/09/15/ptpl-173-tool-stack-inspiration-people-and-apps -
After 30 years of email chaos and 8,000+ messages, I, a chronically messy person, finally achieved Inbox Zero. Here's the simple 3-folder system that made it happen. @perkinsy
#ptpl #productivity
Medium https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/three-decades-of-email-clutter-three-folders-one-life-changed-02b89b34e9fc
Blog https://ellanew.com/2025/09/08/ptpl-172-from-3-decades-of-email-clutter-to-inbox-peace -
The latest Plain Text, Paper—Less Productivity Digest is out. This week I’m talking at some length about a subtle but profound shift in thinking is changing the way I approach my #PKM. For me it’s become #FKM: File-system knowledge management.
Call me paranoid, call me a prepper, I don’t mind! This feels right for me. Links below.
#PTPL (1/2) 🧵