# My System Last updated 26 Aug 2020  High level, my system is just a combination of [[Getting Things Done]] (for tasks - with [Things](https://culturedcode.com/things/) as the corresponding tool) and [[How to Take Smart Notes]] (for thoughts and ideas with[Bear](https://bear.app/) as the corresponding tool) #### Key Tools * Mac * iPhone * Small notebook that can fit in back pocket * Pile of paper * Bear * Things **A quick note on tools** The specific tools are not important. What is important is (imho) having a separate tool for *tasks* and *thoughts.* I have a Mac/iPhone centric workflow and I prioritize tools that do one thing well, have lovely design, and are native applications for speed. ### Workflow External non-digital input (a thought, a verbal agreement, etc. either goes direct into Things inbox or gets written down in the butt notebook) External digital input (an email, message, etc) is either dealt with when seen or put into Things to deal with later. *Inboxes and browser tabs should not be todo lists* This lets you separate responding to a message from work that message entails. Outside of meetings, I work in Pomodoro cycles - 25-35 minutes focused on a single task, followed by a five minute break. I do at least three pomodoros of writing in the morning before doing anything else for the day. At the end of every day * Butt notebook and paper items get entered into appropriate digital places *and then thrown away/filed* * Tabs are closed and entered into appropriate places * Write down the three things that will make the next day feel like a win even if I get nothing else done * Write short recap of meetings and encode follow-up tasks in things At the end of every week * File everything in the Things inbox At the beginning of the week * Write down the three things that if I get done make the week feel like winning Things get stored as: * A note in bear if it’s a thought/idea/draft * A todo in Things, sorted by project * An event in my calendar * A file on dropbox if I want to easily share it or it’s a paper * A file in google drive if it’s anything else in a Project related Here is a screenshot of my task inbox  Here are the online public facing version of my notes notes.benjaminreinhardt.com <!-- #index --> /(null)) [Web URL for this note](http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/My+System) [Comment on this note](http://via.hypothes.is/http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/My+System) <!-- {BearID:1FA2806B-6E4B-419B-BF13-CF12AF5B6FCF-61320-0006202778DCEBAC} -->