Executive Function as Code: using (Doom) Emacs to script my brain

This is brilliant in an overengineered way. I'd love to put that system up, but I know what it'll end up happening: after a few weeks, I'll stop using it. Writing stuff down can be hard in those low-battery days! And then resuming it seems impossible, for some strange reason...

Great post, anyway. I'm interested in your org-emacs set up too.

Hi @mizule@lemmy.blahaj.zone ,

Hope you’re doing well! I saw your “Executive Function as Code” post and instantly recognised a lot of my own struggles, so I thought I’d drop you a quick note and toss a few questions your way.

A quick intro

I’ve got ADHD too, and I think there’s a tiny bit of OCD hanging around. I’m into home servers, homelabs, FOSS, Linux, programming and privacy, but my tech knowledge is pretty shaky – basically a kid with a hammer and pickaxe trying to dig for gold without a map

How I’m currently organising things

tasks.org Main to‑do list, dates & urgent flags so I get notifications. Nextcloud (Disroot) via davx

Logseq Growing knowledge‑base using Tiago Forte’s PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives). I use the Inbox as a brain‑dump for ideas, tasks, references, etc. Phone ↔ laptop via Syncthing

The pain points Urgent/date‑bound tasks live in tasks.org – works fine, but they’re isolated from the rest of my “brain”

Logseq holds everything else – ideas, loose tasks, resources, but there’s no easy way to surface the stuff that actually needs attention.

TAOAOT – “The anguish of an open task” – even a small backlog can swell enough that I lose motivation, energy, or even forget why a task exists.

I’ve tried loads of task‑apps (including Emacs) and still end up with the same scattered feeling.

A couple of questions Energy‑aware task rating – I loved the “energy” property you added in Doom Emacs.

• Could I do something similar in Logseq? Maybe a property like energy:: high/medium/low and then filter the view?

• Swap “priority” for “energy cost” in tasks.org – instead of A/B/C, I’m thinking of colour‑coding by mental energy:

Red – complex, deep‑focus work (high energy)

Yellow – standard work (medium energy)

Blue – easy, quick wins (low energy)

The most important question ❓

• A low‑tech, beginner‑friendly stack – for folks who love the idea of patching together their own software but don’t have Emacs/Elisp chops, what would you suggest as a “good enough” setup? Something that respects privacy, works offline (or E2E online), and can grow into a more advanced system later on.

Final thoughts Your story gave me hope that a DIY patch can actually work, even when you start from a modest technical base. I’d love any tips you have for a jittery mouse on caffeine trying to tidy up every corner of my digital life without a clear roadmap.

Thanks for reading this long‑winded note – looking forward to any insights you can share!

this was a great read! ive also recently managed to put together an org agenda setup that makes my brain actually do things, but only using priorities which isnt ideal. funny enough, i havent done anything with effort because org has a built in feature for it, but i get overwhelmed every time i look at it because it's also tied in with org clock somehow. using properties to sidestep this is a great idea!