Key Facts

• Jon Gilbert, a Features Writer for Android Police, replaced his productivity stack with a minimalist note-taking method using a .txt file paired with a calendar.
• The concept of using a .txt file for note-taking was created by Jeff Huang, an associate Professor and associate chair of computer science at Brown University.
• Jeff Huang's workflow involves adding tasks from his calendar to a .txt file at the end of each day, and throughout the day, he adds notes to the .txt file underneath relevant tasks.
• The writer initially tried Huang's method but found it didn't suit him, until he adapted it by using a voice-note utility and a browser-based tool called Calmly Writer, which allows him to access and save his .txt files from multiple devices.
• The writer has replaced several apps, including Google Keep, Google Docs, Notion, and Google Tasks, with this minimalist note-taking method, which has made him feel more in control and aware of his tasks.