Stephen Yu

Lately, I've gone back to basics in terms of how I keep organised. I go through different phases with how I keep myself accountable and manage what I actually need to do, both professionally and personally. I've tried heaps of different technical solutions over the years, but honestly, I've realised that I just love lists and crossing things out. It's simple and incredibly gratifying. There's something brilliant about seeing your progress visually and recognising how fast you've moved through tasks. Moving Away from the Cloud I've become increasingly interested in keeping local storage and local files, moving away from cloud services. Whilst they're convenient, they're not great for privacy concerns, and they make it harder to hack together personal optimisations that actually work for how you think.

Obsidian

Today, my note-taking tool of choice is Obsidian. I love that I can script exactly how I work, and I'm using daily notes mode to take meeting notes and have them tied to my day. It's genuinely changed how I capture information. I structure everything using the PARA system:

• Projects — short-term things I'm working on right now
• Areas — long-term projects I'm currently managing
• Resources — topics or interests that may be useful in the future
• Archive — inactive items from the other three categories

I have this storing and syncing to my iCloud Drive, which means it's accessible on my work laptop, my iPad, my iPhone, and my personal laptop. Everything stays in sync without needing to rely on third-party cloud services.

My Kanban Setup

I use the Kanban plugin to create two separate lists: Personal and Work, each with their own To Do, Doing, and Done columns. The real game-changer came when I discovered this great process online from someone who had set up shortcuts on his laptop and iPhone. His logic was brilliant: the sooner you get ideas from your head into the lists, the sooner you can think about something else. That resonated with me immediately. I created two shortcuts on my iPhone which, with just a swipe, allow me to get my ideas and tasks into the current list in seconds. No friction, no overthinking, just capture and move on.

Why This Works for Me

The combination of local files, the PARA structure, and frictionless capture has genuinely transformed how I work. I'm not constantly worried about forgetting things, and I can see exactly what I've accomplished. Plus, crossing things off never gets old. If you're struggling with organisation systems that feel too complex or don't quite fit how you think, I'd recommend going back to basics. Sometimes the simplest solution—lists, local files, and a system you can customise exactly how you want—is the one that actually sticks.

AI is developing at such a rapid pace that I honestly can't recall a time in my career when each month brought new changes and options. These advancements not only improve daily life but also create new businesses seemingly overnight.

Automation is evidently impacting job opportunities for the less fortunate who depend on entry-level roles for their livelihood. This is evident in roles such as table waiting and grocery scanning, where I notice people being replaced by seemingly more efficient methods. Instead of interacting with a waiter, I now scan QR codes and order online. Rather than placing my groceries on a conveyor belt, I scan them myself.

Now, with AI involved, processes we once thought needed a human touch are gradually being phased out. People are being replaced by a few prompts and API calls. That I honestly worry about the next generation where it'll just honestly be tough to earn a living without going into further education!

Do you remember the backlash when calculators first became a thing? Universities and schools feared they would be more of cheating tools than learning aids. But look what actually happened - instead of memorising multiplication tables, students started using calculators as a starting point to grasp complex mathematical ideas.

I've been hooked on this Sudoku app lately. The first time I used it, it felt like cheating. It highlighted used numbers, took notes automatically, and challenged some of the core concepts. But then, the ease helped me tackle insanely tough puzzles that were once beyond my reach.

I see the future of ChatGPT and LLMs as the next generation's calculators. They're well on their way to becoming an essential part of our lives, thus allowing us to concentrate on novel aspects and opportunities. So, what's the harm in a little AI-induced simplification? After all, it's all about working smarter, not harder!