Talk:Timeline of personal productivity

Excluded events from the timeline

Year	Event type	Details	Location
1968	Research	3M chemist Spencer Silver develops a low-tack, reusable pressure-sensitive adhesive (microsphere acrylate), later enabling Post-it Notes.	United States
1980	Artifact/Tool	National U.S. launch of Post-it Notes, popularizing quick, low-friction capture for reminders, task triage, and lightweight workflows.	United States
1995 (August 24)	Software	Release of Windows 95, introducing the Start menu, taskbar, and Plug and Play—mainstreaming GUI computing and home/office productivity.	United States
1996 (March)	Artifact/Tool	Launch of PalmPilot 1000/5000; Graffiti handwriting and HotSync make PDAs a portable hub for contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes.	United States
1999	Corporate productivity trend	“Lean management” spreads from manufacturing into knowledge work, with emphasis on workflow mapping and waste reduction.	Japan
2004 (April 1)	Software/Service	Launch of Gmail, offering large storage, search, labels, and threaded conversations; email becomes faster to triage and retrieve.	United States
2006 (April)	Software/Service	Google Calendar debuts with sharable calendars, invites, and reminders, easing coordination and time-blocking across teams.	United States
2006 (October)	Software/Service	Early Google Docs & Spreadsheets enable real-time, web-based co-editing, reducing version chaos and email attachments.	United States
2007	Method/Framework	“Inbox Zero” (Merlin Mann) popularizes aggressive email triage to minimize inbox cognitive load via processing, not perpetual checking.	United States
2008	Software/Service	Evernote launches cross-platform notes with sync and image OCR, centralizing capture across devices.	United States
2011 (September)	Software	Trello introduces visual Kanban boards, cards, and lists for lightweight project tracking and WIP visibility.	United States
2013 (August)	Software/Service	Slack launches team channels with search and integrations, shifting knowledge work from email threads to persistent, searchable chat.	United States
2013	Method/Framework	Bullet Journal (Ryder Carroll) popularizes an analog system for tasks, notes, and reflection using rapid logging and modular collections.	United States
2016	Software	Notion 1.x emerges as an all-in-one workspace (notes, databases, wikis), later expanding via templates and APIs.	United States
2018	Software	Notion 2.0 broadens databases/relations and team workflows, accelerating adoption as a flexible productivity platform.	United States
2020	Software	Roam Research popularizes networked note-taking with bidirectional links and daily notes, influencing tools-for-thought workflows.	United States
2020	Software	Obsidian introduces local-first markdown with backlink graphs and plugins, enabling extensible personal knowledge systems.	United States
2007 (November 20)		Ali Abdaal opens his Youtube channel.	United Kingdom
2020	Literature	Cal Newport publishes "The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done" in The New Yorker, discussing the challenges and limitations of personal productivity in the knowledge work era.
2021 (March 2)	Literature	Cal Newport publishes A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload, which challenges the prevailing email-centric approach to work and advocates for a more productive and fulfilling work environment. Newport argues that constant digital communication has created a counterproductive "hyperactive hive mind" workflow, leading to reduced profitability and overall dissatisfaction. Drawing on investigative reporting, he proposes clear processes, reduced administrative tasks, and streamlined communication to redefine how tasks are managed. Newport envisions a future where the knowledge sector evolves beyond email dependence.	United States