Using GitHub Gist as a tool for managing work items

I start my workday like I start all workdays – by spending about 15 minutes planning out my day. I’m willing to bet that many software developers, especially those of us who are working remotely, start the day in a similar way.

I imagine that the percentage of us who feel like we’ve mastered this system is pretty small, but it’s not for lack of trying! I’ve been all over the (cyber) world looking for the “perfect” tool. For me, a “perfect” tool is one that:

• Lets me quickly jot down a work plan and specific tasks, and easily edit the list anytime.
• Makes it easy to aggregate information on past workdays.
• Lets me easily share what I’m working on today, or what I’ve worked on before.
• I can amend throughout the day (and ideally see what amendments have been made)

I don’t need two-way linking, or to embed video content. I don’t need a customizable color palette, or the freedom to choose the font that fits my aesthetic. Basically, I don’t need (or want) the latest cross-platform application, because it always leads to the same cycle:

I always end up spending way too much time learning the tool, only to abandon it (and all my notes) a week or two later.

I know it’s just the first day of trying this, but I’m genuinely hopeful that I might have found a solution. At the very least, I have some content to put out into the world that:

A. I believe readers might find value in. B. Only took me 20 minutes or so to write.

And I think that might mean I’m onto something! Like everything else, though, we’ll just have to wait and see. 🙂

Below is a screenshot of my inaugural task list:

Let’s see how it goes!