Productivity Tools & Methods — 2026-09-23
This issue focuses on consolidation: one writer's all-in Obsidian setup that replaced several separate apps, plus how Obsidian's Bases feature turns notes into live project databases. On the updates side, Notion developers face a September 30 deadline to migrate off private alpha API routes. Our method section covers time blocking, one of the most research-backed scheduling techniques available.
Productivity Tools & Methods — 2026-09-23
Tool Updates
Obsidian consolidates your stack. A new XDA Developers piece describes an Obsidian setup so complete that the author stopped opening half their productivity apps — replacing separate tools for notes, tasks, project planning, journaling, and idea capture with a single vault. The key enabler is Bases, Obsidian's database feature: rather than maintaining a separate database, Bases builds project boards directly from your existing notes, sitting beside them in the same file.
Notion API migration deadline approaches. Per Releasebot's September release notes, Notion is sunsetting the private alpha routes for agents, threads, messages, and chat. Developers must migrate to the public beta — which uses JSON request bodies and returns sessions and events instead of threads and messages — by September 30, 2026, leaving less than a week to act.
Obsidian mobile polish. Obsidian 1.13.6 (desktop and mobile) brings swipe-to-close in the tab switcher, smoother tab animations, clearer mobile toolbar options, better checkbox scaling, and fixes for local graph and iOS editor issues.
Method
Time blocking. Popularized by Cal Newport in Deep Work (he calls it "the most productive thing I do"), time blocking means assigning every task to a specific slot on your calendar rather than working from an open-ended to-do list. The payoff is measurable: a 2018 study in the Journal of Consumer Research — cited by Rize — found that people who time block complete 30% more tasks than those who work from unstructured lists. Compared with complex systems like GTD, which need weeks of setup, simpler scheduling methods tend to stick faster.
Weekly Hack
This week, pick one recurring block of work and schedule it on your calendar as a named appointment — then build your Obsidian Bases (or Notion database) views to surface exactly those tasks in that slot. The idea: stop keeping tasks and projects in one tool and your schedule in another; let your notes generate your project boards so nothing needs updating twice.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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