Why I Ditched Complex Productivity Systems for a Single Digital Notebook

For years, I was a productivity system collector. I tried everything from Getting Things Done (GTD) with its intricate web of contexts and projects, to building a complex Second Brain using the PARA method. I spent countless hours watching videos, reading articles, and tweaking my setup in tools like Notion and Obsidian. My system was a masterpiece of organization. There was just one problem: I wasn\'t getting more done. In fact, I was getting less done.

I was spending more time managing the system than doing the actual work. The friction of deciding where a note should go, which tag to apply, or which project folder it belonged to created a constant, low-level anxiety. It was classic analysis paralysis. The very tools meant to bring clarity were just adding complexity.

The breaking point: a moment of clarity

The turning point came one Sunday afternoon when I spent three hours reorganizing my project folders instead of working on the actual project. I realized my elaborate system had become a form of productive procrastination. It felt like I was working, but I was just shuffling digital paper. I decided to burn it all down. Metaphorically, of course.

I asked myself a simple question: What do I actually need to be effective? After some reflection, my needs were surprisingly simple:

• A place to capture ideas and tasks instantly, with zero friction.
• A way to find any piece of information I\'ve saved within seconds.
• A simple method to see what I\'m currently working on.

That\'s it. No complex hierarchies, no intricate linking, no multi-layered tagging systems. Just capture, find, and do.

My single notebook system explained

I migrated everything of true importance into a single, straightforward digital notebook application. My new \"system\" is laughably simple, but its effectiveness has been a revelation for me. It’s built on the principle that a powerful search function is more valuable than a perfect folder structure.

How it works in practice

My notebook has only three main sections: an \'Inbox,\' \'Active Projects,\' and an \'Archive.\' Every new note, idea, or task goes directly into the Inbox. There\'s no thinking involved. Once a day, I spend about 10 minutes processing this inbox. I add a few relevant tags (like a project name or a topic), move active project notes to the \'Active Projects\' section, and everything else goes straight into the Archive. I don\'t create sub-folders. I don\'t worry about linking. I just tag and archive.

When I need to find something, I don\'t browse folders. I use the search bar. By searching for a keyword, a tag, or a combination of both, I can pull up any note in under five seconds. This has freed up an incredible amount of mental energy that I used to spend on digital housekeeping.

The freedom of \'good enough\'

Honestly, this shift was more of a mindset change than a tool change. It was about embracing a \'good enough\' approach and trusting that simplicity scales better than complexity. Is this system for everyone? Probably not. If you\'re a Ph.D. student managing thousands of academic sources, a more structured system might be essential. But for the vast majority of professionals, I suspect the cognitive overhead of complex systems outweighs their benefits.

Ditching those systems felt like dropping a heavy backpack I didn\'t even realize I was carrying. My focus has improved, my stress levels are lower, and most importantly, I\'m finally spending my time on the work that matters, not the work about the work.