**Просто скопируй! Как я стал все успевать — Transcript & Summary | SozAI**
Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/just-copy-how-i-managed-time/

Learn how TechnoMike manages a full IT job, family, and side projects using a simple system with Apple apps and productivity techniques.

## Key Takeaways

- Offload all tasks and ideas from your mind to an external system to reduce anxiety and mental drain.
- Use quick and accessible tools to capture thoughts immediately, ideally within 30 seconds.
- Keep your task management system simple and easy to maintain to ensure long-term use.
- Organize tasks into distinct categories or apps to avoid overwhelming 'task dumps'.
- Scheduling tasks in a calendar helps manage time realistically and reduces feelings of guilt.

## What the video covers

- TechnoMike balances a full-time IT job, family life, workouts, YouTube and Telegram channels, app coding, and social time without losing sleep or needing an assistant.
- The core secret to productivity is having a system that helps differentiate between being busy and actually getting things done.
- The system relies on capturing all tasks and ideas outside the head to avoid mental overload and anxiety.
- The 30-second rule emphasizes writing down any thought or task within 30 seconds to prevent forgetting it.
- Input tools must be quick and frictionless; TechnoMike prefers using his phone or voice notes over notebooks for speed.
- Tasks and ideas are organized into three main Apple apps: Reminders, Notes, and Apple Calendar, each serving a specific purpose.
- Reminders is favored for its simplicity, offline access, quick syncing, and integration with Apple devices.
- Notes is used for more detailed information and quick capture of ideas, also syncing across devices.
- Apple Calendar helps schedule tasks and allocate time blocks, improving time management and reducing guilt over unfinished tasks.
- The system is adaptable to other ecosystems like Google or even paper notebooks, focusing on principles rather than specific tools.

## Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction and Life Overview
2. 01:08 The Two Key Questions of Productivity
3. 02:32 The 30-Second Rule for Capturing Ideas
4. 03:48 Why Notebooks Don’t Work for Me
5. 04:46 Avoiding Task Dumps: Organizing Incoming Items
6. 06:04 Using Apple Reminders Effectively
7. 07:33 Leveraging Apple Notes for Quick Capture
8. 10:27 Scheduling with Apple Calendar
9. 15:01 Time Blocking and Managing Expectations
10. 17:36 Building a Personalized System and Final Thoughts

Answers

## Questions about this video

What is the main secret to TechnoMike's productivity?

The main secret is having a simple, effective system that offloads all tasks and ideas from the mind into accessible tools, allowing focused work and freeing mental energy.

Why does TechnoMike prefer Apple Reminders over other task apps?

He finds Apple Reminders simple, fast, always accessible, works offline, syncs automatically across devices, and is easy to maintain compared to more complex apps.

How does the 30-second rule help with productivity?

The 30-second rule encourages capturing any task or idea within 30 seconds of thinking about it to prevent forgetting and reduce mental clutter.

## Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:01

Speaker A

Full-time IT job, a family, working out three to four times a week, my YouTube channel, a Telegram channel, plus I’m coding an app in my spare time, and I still manage to play PlayStation with my friends. And no, I haven’t stopped

00:14

Speaker A

sleeping, and I don't have an assistant helping me with any of this. Yet I still have the exact same 24 hours in a day as you do. The secret is a system.

00:22

Speaker A

I agree, it’s a boring and cliché word, but it’s exactly what makes the difference. Between "I was doing something, but didn't get anything done." And "I finished everything that matters and I'm free by 8:00 PM." And today I’m showing my system in its

00:33

Speaker A

entirety. So, here’s the plan. First, I’ll show the core principle, without which any tool is completely useless.

00:40

Speaker A

Then, the three apps that hold my entire life and work together. We’ll reveal them as we go through the video.

00:46

Speaker A

And at the end, one very important technique that helps manage it all. I’ll be demonstrating this on the Apple ecosystem, but it easily translates to any other system. Whether it's Google, or even a paper notebook.

00:58

Speaker A

Everything will work. And yes, not a word about AI today. But if you want to know about it and how to integrate it into this system, let me know in the comments. Actually, the question of "how to get everything done" breaks down

01:08

Speaker A

into two questions. The first is: what do you actually need to get done? And the second: when do you need to get all of this done? A very simple question: do you have a to-do list for every day?

01:20

Speaker A

Do you understand what you'll be doing tomorrow, next week, or next month? 90% of people hit a wall at the very first step, right here, where you need to figure out what needs to be done. They don't have a to-do list. But they do

01:29

Speaker A

have a huge amount of anxiety because they are swamped with tasks. Yet, it’s completely unclear when to actually do them. I spent years keeping my entire to-do list in my head. And I thought that was normal. We all think

01:41

Speaker A

like that: "Can't I just remember what I need to do?" "Like going to the store, buying bread." Well, that was until I failed at a few things I was certain I’d remember. Yeah. "Certain" I'd remember. Since this is a tech channel,

01:53

Speaker A

let's put it in tech terms: every "don't forget this" is a background process running in your head that, first of all, drains your battery, and second, steals power and time from your processor. Guys, if you take away only

02:06

Speaker A

one valuable thing from this video, even if it's just one single thought, let it be this one. Please, do not keep anything in your head. Get it all out, offload it, write it down anywhere, but not in your head. I am simply begging

02:19

Speaker A

you. You will see how much easier life becomes for you. My own life became so much easier when I stopped trying to keep everything in my head. Quote: "The head is for thinking, not for storing." Those are the words of a famous tech

02:32

Speaker A

blogger named TechnoMike, so take note: if you don't manage to write it down, whether it's a task or some cool idea that popped into your head, if you didn't manage to record it, the 30-second rule kicks in. It’s almost

02:42

Speaker A

like a piece of food falling on the carpet. That’s where the 3-second rule applies. If you manage to pick it up, blow it off, and eat it, then it's basically fine. But here, with your idea, thought, or some task you need to

02:53

Speaker A

remember, the 30-second rule applies—a bit longer than with food. But within those 30 seconds, you need to grab that thought by the tail and write it down somewhere, because if you don't, that's it, it will fly away. And there is a

03:05

Speaker A

very high probability that you won't remember it again. Trying to recall what you've already forgotten, backtracking and so on, is a separate skill. There are various techniques for that. But you will spend so much energy trying to remember what you’ve

03:15

Speaker A

forgotten. It will be much faster and easier to just write it all down. My system—and any system, really—will work. As long as you can capture the idea faster than it leaves your head.

03:25

Speaker A

For this, you need a convenient tool. Many write in notebooks, some record audio notes via watches or headphones, or send them to a smart speaker or a virtual assistant. Or maybe you have a quick way to create notes on your phone.

03:37

Speaker A

The input method, in my opinion, should take, well, literally seconds. It’s important that it doesn’t cause discomfort or any friction. Why don't I, for example, really like notebooks? I honestly tried doing that, and, frankly, it didn't work for me. I

03:48

Speaker A

tried, but it takes too long. You have to take off your backpack, get out the notebook, get out a pen, open the page, and write it all down. In that time, it's very easy to lose your train of

03:56

Speaker A

thought. That’s why I chose my phone. My phone is always within reach. I take it out and quickly capture at least the core idea so that I can return to it later. That’s it, I put the phone away and move on. And I no longer have

04:06

Speaker A

to spend energy trying to keep all of that in my head. So, use whatever method works specifically for you. It could be by voice from your watch. The watch is always on your wrist and always with you. You dictate it by

04:16

Speaker A

voice into a note, a reminder, or anywhere else, and it's already there. It could be Siri on your iPhone; you don't even need to unlock anything. You just press, talk into it, and that’s it, it’s remembered everything.

04:25

Speaker A

Widgets, various shortcuts—in short, there are a million tools. We'll talk more about them later. And it's not some complicated app where you have to open it, log in, then open the right project, and open the folder where you

04:35

Speaker A

store all your ideas. Because by the time you get there, there's a good chance everything will be lost. In short, this has already been verified.

04:41

Speaker A

I’ve thrown some methods at you for how to offload, but I haven't said where to offload or where I offload.

04:46

Speaker A

And this is very important, because if everything is thrown into one pile and you have a list of seventy tasks that you need to do, all sitting in one column, then in reality, it's not a system, but just a dump. And that is

04:56

Speaker A

not much more effective than keeping it in your head. So my incoming items are distributed to exactly three places.

05:02

Speaker A

Let's go uncover them. The first app is, well, just a gem, a massive gem—the built-in Reminders on your iPhone. They seem boring and built-in, but I'll explain why it's them. I have, in fact, tried very popular but more complex

05:16

Speaker A

stories like Notion. I would have had many projects, and everything would have been conveniently organized, and so on. A million different to-do apps, from Todoist to Microsoft To Do, all those TickTicks and all of that—anyway, I’ve tried them all, but they

05:30

Speaker A

all died in my system within a couple of weeks. It doesn't work. It's too complicated. Not because they are bad tools, by no means. They are just too expensive to maintain. Therefore, what survived and won for me is the simplest

05:43

Speaker A

and, at first glance, the most boring one, the one that is already automatically built into the iPhone.

05:49

Speaker A

It's always in your pocket, easily accessible, works offline, opens in a second, and syncs automatically across all your Apple devices. The second app that helps my Reminders is Notes. Notes is, in fact, a very powerful, cool tool if you customize it just a little bit.

06:04

Speaker A

But it has all the same advantages that Reminders have. Boring, but understandable; simple enough and complex enough to be used quickly. It syncs everywhere across all your devices, works offline, and therefore gives you very quick access. It's very

06:20

Speaker A

easy to create a quick note from any of your devices just so you don't lose a thought. And helping these two companions out is my third app—Apple Calendar. It’s a really cool calendar. Maybe not the best calendar in the

06:31

Speaker A

world, but it’s very cool and has an awesome connection with Reminders. I’ll show you all of this now, but they all work in tandem, and each of these apps is responsible for its own area. And now I’ll tell you about the

06:41

Speaker A

navigation rules, so to speak. How an incoming thought, task, or idea s

06:55

Speaker A

something, buy something, go somewhere, get something done—it goes into Reminders because it can be done quickly. If it’s some important information or an idea, generally for one or more apps, then it gets sent to Notes. If it’s an action that takes,

07:09

Speaker A

well, more than 5 minutes, it settles into the calendar. Whether it’s regular or irregular. Whether it repeats or doesn't repeat. This all goes into the calendar, and you set aside separate time for it. All of this works on every device you own. But none

07:23

Speaker A

of this is mandatory. You can start everything even if you only have an iPhone. And you can use all of this just on an iPhone or really on any phone you have. Let’s start with the iPhone, and I’ll tell you about

07:33

Speaker A

Reminders. Man, I love this app. It’s a very simple app. Because it’s a built-in app, it has a lot of quick access, shortcuts, and even an awesome widget like this one. I mean, 90%of the time, my interaction with my notes

07:46

Speaker A

happens right in this widget. I also added a widget to my watch. And on my home screen, when I check the time, I always see the task I need to get done today. It’s always there, and I definitely won't forget to do it

07:58

Speaker A

because every time I look at the watch, I see the task and think, "Aha, right, gotta do that." That’s exactly the beauty of built-in apps—the fact that Apple lets you place them anywhere and gives you quick access so that you

08:08

Speaker A

actually use them. Not really, because Apple is greedy and doesn't give these features to anyone else so that you could use third-party apps as extensively. No, Apple knows how to make good apps, and, well, partly so that you stay within their ecosystem.

08:23

Speaker A

We all understand that. But it really works conveniently. It’s honestly convenient. I’m just unlocking my phone now and here is what the reminder tells me: pay the utility bills. I enter everything here: personal matters , various payments, buying dog food, or

08:36

Speaker A

whatever else. Everything comes here. And as you can see, the notes app is even on my home screen because it’s one of the most important apps; it really helps me get tasks done. As soon as I started using this system, life

08:50

Speaker A

became much easier, first of all, because I stopped keeping everything in my head, as I already mentioned. And secondly, tasks like calling someone, asking about something, or buying some small item started getting done much faster, because it’s all here. It’s

09:03

Speaker A

much simpler for me to just do it and cross it off than to have it sit in the widget and nag me about not forgetting to do it. There. And as soon as you’ve done it, you can tap right in

09:14

Speaker A

the widget to mark it as complete, and that’s it; it’s gone from the list and from your head, and honestly, life feels easier at that moment. If you don't want to have a list of fifty tasks, you can very conveniently create

09:27

Speaker A

different lists for them. For example, here are my home reminders, here are all my payments. Here are all my YouTube tasks, broken down into videos, monetization stuff, individual project ideas, and so on. Here is everything related to health, a shopping list, and

09:44

Speaker A

various other projects I have. I even moved 3D printing here just so I don't forget what I wanted to print. And all of this can be customized. You can even create a reminder with a quick gesture, a long press. You tap and quickly

09:54

Speaker A

create a note for yourself in one of the lists you already have. And it really takes just 3 seconds. Sometimes, when I'm walking the dog and have my phone with me, I create reminders using Siri, because Siri works well with

10:06

Speaker A

reminders, and it can easily create them without asking you anything extra. But if it understood you correctly, of course, you say: "Hey Siri, remind me tomorrow at 12:00, because tomorrow at 12:00 I'll be somewhere, remind me to wash my car, or remind me to wash the

10:20

Speaker A

car exactly when I get home." And the iPhone, based on your geolocation, will be able to send you this notification.

10:27

Speaker A

Well, in Moscow, if geolocation is working, of course, it will arrive. You can share this task list with your family so they can see this list too, and perhaps cross things off it as well . For example, you can use it for a

10:38

Speaker A

shopping list. Everyone adds whatever they remember to it. Then one person goes to the store, crosses everything off, and the second person sees it immediately; it's all very fast and clear. So, a shared list with other people, with family, is really great.

10:49

Speaker A

It is important to develop the habit of adding tasks to this list. So ideally, when you have time later, put your quickly recorded task into the right list and set a date for when you need to do it, tomorrow, the day after, or

11:00

Speaker A

if it’s not urgent, just leave it in the general list. It's also easy to cross a task off the list with one tap from your watch, because it's important not only to add the task quickly, but also, for this to work, to cross off

11:12

Speaker A

tasks quickly and get that satisfaction from a job well done. I don't know, I personally get it; this crossing off, I like it. Let’s move on to notes.

11:19

Speaker A

Basically, everything that doesn't have a date goes here. Your ideas, some thoughts, drafts, scripts, study notes.

11:25

Speaker A

This very video that you are watching right now was also born from a note.

11:29

Speaker A

Apple upgrades this app every couple of years so that, well, it’s more efficient and more complex, so you can build various complex structures in it.

11:37

Speaker A

No, it should intentionally be kept simple. A few folders where everything is sorted, a few pinned notes, and that's it. That is all. No need to overcomplicate things, because remember the rule of a work system: I remind you

11:48

Speaker A

, the system should be simple. No tags, no deep nesting. Honestly, all that is really not necessary. This is my iPad, which I use as a work notebook. I take my pencil, tap the tablet once, and I’m inside my work note where I write

12:00

Speaker A

down all my tasks, how to record them, prioritize them, and so on. That’s a separate issue, but the main thing is to at least write them down and not forget. I have been keeping this specific task note for over a year now.

12:10

Speaker A

This means that it really works for me. And another thing is crossing tasks off like this, as soon as a task is done or if it no longer needs to be done. Here I specifically write by hand, but there

12:21

Speaker A

are also notes that I type or dictate, because speech-to-text also works quite well. So again, use whatever input method is convenient for you, and all my work notes related to YouTube are here. Everything is synced here for me.

12:32

Speaker A

Everything I have is recorded. And there are different formats here. You can cross things out, you can add things. With notes, in principle, it’s all not that complicated. And overall, it’s all clear. There’s no complexity here, and no AI is really

12:43

Speaker A

even needed. There are tons of ways to create a quick note. Whether it's dragging from the corner on an iPad, on a Mac, or on an iPhone. You can, again, create a widget, or go straight from quick access to create a note or a

12:54

Speaker A

checklist, or you can even record audio . In short, there really are a lot of possibilities. You will definitely find what works for you, the main thing is to try. The third tool is the Apple Calendar. You can add your various

13:03

Speaker A

calendars to it. For example, I have my work calendar pulled in here. And in my Apple Calendar, I can see my work calendar, family calendar, YouTube calendar, when I have shoots or other tasks, or when I need to write a script

13:15

Speaker A

. In general, everything that takes time must definitely end up in your calendar so that you understand what is going on. And this isn't just about meetings, it's about everything that takes time: sports, trips with the family, appointments, the filming of

13:27

Speaker A

this video were all in my calendar. And here is a very important point: your beautiful lists will remain just to-do lists, because a list tells you what needs to be done, but not when it needs to be done. And if no time is set aside

13:40

Speaker A

for your task, it won't get done. And now I will show a technique I use that solves this problem, and at the same time, I’ll show my real calendar.

13:47

Speaker A

This is one approach to productivity, task management, and so on. It’s called time blocking. And it works like this. Every task is described in blocks . Work, filming this video, sports, personal life, all of this—each has its own separate block that takes up

14:01

Speaker A

space in your day or week. I know what you’re thinking: do I really have to live minute by minute by the calendar now, without a single step to the left or right? It looks very stifling and intimidating, but on the contrary, it

14:12

Speaker A

actually gives you a sense of freedom, because you don't have to waste time deciding what to do at a specific time, since your calendar already knows what you need to do. My calendar has my sleep schedule and dog walking times,

14:24

Speaker A

because I get a notification half an hour before that I'll need to go walk the dog, so I don't forget and don't miss that time. And preparing for sleep , then sleeping, because not getting enough sleep is also a rather dangerous

14:36

Speaker A

thing. But for the most part, it's not so I don't forget to go to bed, but to understand when I have free time left.

14:44

Speaker A

So here is my block for when I sleep, then when I walk the dog, and then when I commute to work and work. Once I’ve finished working, I have free time until I go to sleep. So I don't have to

14:54

Speaker A

keep it in my head, I can open the calendar and see that I have a block of two free hours, into which I then decide what to insert. Will I go somewhere with my family at that time?

15:03

Speaker A

Maybe I'll exercise, or work on the app . or do something else for this YouTube channel. This gives me an understanding of what tasks I have during the workday that I can't move, and when I have tasks that I can shift, and when I have

15:18

Speaker A

free time to insert some task from the list we talked about earlier. So, for example, I set a one-hour slot to edit a productivity video for YouTube. When the time comes, I know exactly what I'll be doing for the next hour. But

15:31

Speaker A

it's very easy to bail here, because, well, it's just your own task; you can move it forward or back, or maybe cancel it altogether for today because, well, I don't feel great, and so on.

15:40

Speaker A

I'm not in the mood to edit, and it's very easy to just bail. But it is important to treat this like a real meeting. If you have a work call or some meeting at your job that you are

15:49

Speaker A

definitely going to, regardless of whether you are in the mood or not, it is important to treat your calendar responsibly. Look at the calendar, if there's a meeting or a task there, you do everything and go do it. Whether

15:59

Speaker A

it's sports, a chore, or a work meeting , all these things are of equal importance. So, treat this time block like a very important meeting with a very important person: yourself. I'll be honest, my first version of this

16:11

Speaker A

time blocking, well, it fell apart after just a few days because I made a mistake. I was filling every single free slot with some task. As a result, I got delayed here, it took a bit longer to travel there, and eventually

16:21

Speaker A

I didn't make it to this, and the whole calendar went off the rails. I realized that you shouldn't schedule tasks one after another. You need to leave some kind of buffer as free time between blocks, or at least not plan too much

16:31

Speaker A

for one day—for example, today I only have one task: filming this video. Also , don't worry if you don't get your estimates right at first. You’ll need to get the hang of it and understand how much time each task will take you.

16:42

Speaker A

I mean, it might seem like a one-hour workout will be one hour in your calendar, but in reality, it takes an hour and a half or maybe even more because you have to get there and change clothes. Well, you know how it

16:49

Speaker A

is. So, here’s a life hack for you. Leave a buffer in your calendar, or in Apple Calendars, you can use the " travel time" feature. This is the time you need to get to the task, and the calendar will automatically add it as

17:01

Speaker A

part of the event time. That’s normal . You need to calibrate and understand. This is, in general, a normal thing.

17:07

Speaker A

Time blocks, or time blocking, is just one of the methods for productivity and managing your time and tasks. I’m not selling it to you; it just works well for me, so I’m sharing it with you.

17:16

Speaker A

How do I manage to get so much done? It worked for me because it removes the question of what to grab next. I have half an hour free now, what should I do ? The calendar solves this problem. And

17:25

Speaker A

yes, it’s one of the most underrated things in this whole system. It not only tells you what you need to do, it also tells you what you don't need to do. And whatever isn't scheduled in your calendar is stuff you can legally

17:36

Speaker A

skip today. As a result, at the end of the evening, you don't feel guilty thinking, "Oh, I didn't finish this task, I didn't get enough done today, the day wasn't productive, I'm just a slacker." That feeling of guilt goes

17:48

Speaker A

away because, first, you see on the calendar what you did today, and second , you put the most important things you actually planned to get done into it.

17:54

Speaker A

That’s a nice bonus. So my system is as clear and simple as possible, based on three tools, but I know exactly what comes next. Half of you will go and open reminders, throw in a couple of tasks, forget about it, and then

18:04

Speaker A

everything will fall apart. Because I understand that you need to spend time setting it all up for yourself and building the habit, too. And what I’ve shown and talked about is the result of several years of learning the

18:13

Speaker A

hard way. I’ve been working in IT for almost 10 years now. All kinds of dead Notion setups, broken calendars, missed deadlines. That all happened. But it all gave me the experience to build a system that suits me, one that started

18:25

Speaker A

working for me, within which tasks actually get done. You don't have to learn those lessons the hard way. I'm sharing this experience with you for exactly that reason. But if it's still a bit hard to do on your own—where to

18:35

Speaker A

offload things, how to break down tasks properly, how to set up your calendar, and where to even start. I help with all these questions in one-on-one consultations. We sit down together. I look at how your day is structured,

18:46

Speaker A

what you need to get done, and together we build a system for you—not mine, not one that’s convenient for me, but one that will work for you. Usually, in just one session, it becomes clear where your time is leaking and what to

18:56

Speaker A

actually do about it. The link to the consultation is in the description. There are limited spots because I do this alongside my day job. So, it's first come, first served. See you there . The system doesn't give you 30 hours

19:05

Speaker A

in a day. It does two things: it shows you what needs to be done, and it shows you what doesn't need to be done.

19:11

Speaker A

It’s impossible to do everything, but it is quite realistic to get everything important done. A quick recap. Offload everything from your head using the 30- second rule. Three important places for tasks: reminders. For ideas and information: notes. If it takes more

19:24

Speaker A

than 5 minutes, put it in the calendar. A task without a time attached to it effectively doesn't exist. That’s all about time blocking. And a time block is an appointment with yourself that shouldn't be moved. And one last thing.

19:34

Speaker A

Today we talked about what to do and when to do it. But there is a third problem we haven't touched on at all today, and which this whole system doesn't address. Meaning, you know all the things you need to do, the time for

19:46

Speaker A

them is allocated, but you have absolutely no energy to actually do them. You pick up your phone to check your to-do list, and 40 minutes later, you're watching Reels. It's not laziness, and it's not a lack of willpower. It's special algorithms and

19:58

Speaker A

mechanics that pull you in and are designed to keep you scrolling as long as possible. But this mechanic can be broken. I explained why this happens and what to do about it in this video right here. So, I'll see you there. And

20:11

Speaker A

, well, that's about it. Oh.

Topics: productivity time management task management Apple Reminders Apple Notes Apple Calendar to-do list productivity system TechnoMike work-life balance


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