3.4 - Offload everything from your mind into apps

The mind is good at thinking. It's a terrible storage system. Anything you're holding in working memory because you might forget it is a small ongoing drain on your attention.

The fix is to offload:

• A todo app. Anything you need to do goes there. Daily lists should be short and realistic (three to five real items, not twenty). Tools like Todoist, Things, or TickTick all work. Pick one and stick with it.

• A notes app. Every idea, every reference, every "I should remember this." Notion, Apple Notes, Obsidian, Bear. Pick one. Get everything out of your head and into a searchable system.

• Cloud sync. Everything backed up and synced across devices. The peace of mind of knowing your files exist outside any single device removes a category of low-grade anxiety you don't notice you're carrying.

You don't have to be a productivity nerd to benefit from this. You just have to externalize the things you've been asking your brain to hold.