Tiago Forte - Can ONE App Run Your Life? (Testing Amplenote’s LifeOS)
The speaker discusses the transition from using separate productivity tools to an all-in-one platform, specifically testing Ample Note. They import existing notes from Evernote to Ample Note to evaluate its functionality. The app's interface is designed around an 'idea execution funnel' with stages from jotting down ideas to scheduling tasks on a calendar. The speaker tests the app with a real project, planning a zero-gravity flight, which involves personal and professional aspects. They demonstrate capturing information via email and browser extensions, organizing it using tags and AI-powered features, and creating tasks with dependencies and priorities. The calendar integration allows seamless scheduling of tasks, showing the app's capability to manage complex projects efficiently. The speaker concludes that Ample Note's structured approach and integration of various productivity functions offer significant benefits, despite initial skepticism about all-in-one tools.
Key Points:
- Ample Note integrates note-taking, task management, and calendar functions into one platform, reducing the need to juggle multiple apps.
- The app uses an 'idea execution funnel' to organize tasks from initial ideas to scheduled actions, enhancing productivity.
- Importing notes from other platforms like Evernote and Readwise is straightforward, facilitating a smooth transition.
- Ample Note's AI features help organize and link related notes, making project management more efficient.
- The app's calendar syncs with Google Calendar, allowing for easy scheduling and tracking of tasks.
Details:
1. 📚 Introduction to Productivity Tools
- The speaker has used three core productivity tools for over a decade: a to-do list app, a note-taking app, and a calendar.
- A new era of all-in-one productivity platforms is emerging, integrating multiple functionalities into a single interface.
- The speaker decided to test a promising all-in-one productivity platform named Ample Notes due to its comprehensive features.
- The primary question being explored is whether one can manage their entire life using a single platform like Ample Notes.
2. 📝 Importing Existing Notes
- When trying a new productivity app, importing existing notes can provide immediate content to work with, preventing the blank slate issue common with new tools.
- Utilizing Evernote's export feature, it's possible to export up to 100 of the latest notes, providing a substantial initial dataset for testing new apps.
- Ample Note offers a built-in import tool specifically for Evernote notes, facilitating seamless transition and integration of existing data into the new system.
3. 🌐 Capturing Web Highlights
3.1. Readwise Benefits and Trial Offer
3.2. Importing Highlights into Ample Notes
4. 🔍 Exploring Ample Note's Interface
- Ample Note uses an idea execution funnel to manage tasks and ideas.
- The funnel has four stages: Jots, Notes, Tasks, and Calendar.
- Jots are quick thoughts captured without much detail.
- Notes are slightly more organized ideas with some commitment.
- Tasks are actionable items identified from notes.
- Calendar is the final stage where tasks are scheduled with dedicated time slots.
- This funnel is visually represented in Ample Note's interface sidebar.
5. 🚀 Planning a Zero Gravity Project
- A zero gravity flight project has been initiated, using a company called ZeroG which operates a 747 for parabolic flights to simulate zero gravity.
- The project serves as an all-in-one test for a productivity app, integrating personal, professional, and business aspects.
- The flight involves significant planning and coordination due to its complexity and high stakes, emphasizing the importance of effective project management.
- Specific planning steps include coordinating with ZeroG, managing logistics, and ensuring safety protocols are met.
- Challenges include aligning schedules and managing costs, which were addressed by detailed timeline management and budget allocation.
6. 📥 Capturing Information Efficiently
6.1. Using Email to Note Feature
6.2. Transition: Integrating Tools for Efficiency
6.3. Utilizing Browser Extension for Information Capture
7. 📂 Organizing Notes and Tasks
7.1. Tagging and Categorization
7.2. Visual Organization
7.3. AI-Enhanced Features
8. 🗓️ Scheduling and Task Management
8.1. Task Creation
8.2. Task Management
9. 🔗 Linking Tasks and Prioritizing
- Integrating to-do lists with calendar apps streamlines task management by eliminating the need to synchronize between separate applications.
- Syncing Ample Note Calendar with Google Calendar ensures all tasks and events are up-to-date across platforms.
- Filtering tasks by project tags helps focus on immediate priorities, showing only relevant tasks.
- Overdue tasks are highlighted, such as the workout habit, allowing easy identification and prompt action.
- Marking recurring tasks as complete automatically reschedules them, maintaining consistency in task management.
- Utilizing task dependencies, such as blocking the 'invite friends and family' task until 'contact Zog for pricing and dates' is complete, ensures efficient task flow and prevents premature actions.
- Assigning priority to tasks, like marking 'find sponsors' as urgent, helps in automatic reordering based on task score, optimizing focus on high-priority tasks.
- Setting dates for tasks by dragging and dropping onto the calendar offers a visual and intuitive method for scheduling.
- Completing a blocker task automatically reveals dependent tasks in the to-do list, keeping the task list organized and manageable.
10. ✅ Final Verdict on Ample Note
- The user initially resisted using an all-in-one productivity tool due to concerns about consolidating information but found value in trying Ample Note for a week.
- Ample Note's integration helps avoid juggling various productivity tools, streamlining information management.
- The tool is opinionated, providing a structured productivity approach, which can save users time in developing their own systems.
- Ample Note leverages expert design to help users focus on achieving meaningful goals more efficiently.
- The platform offers a free plan, a 7-day free trial, and a Pro Plan priced at approximately $6 per month.