LockIn Method – Simple notebook system to stop freezing from overwhelm

I was working full-time as a software engineer while building side projects. The mental load was crushing me. Work tasks, side project features, personal chores, bugs to fix. It all piled up in my head. Some days I’d get so overwhelmed by everything I needed to do that I’d just freeze. Check out completely.

I tried different systems. Apps, digital tools, elaborate planning methods. None stuck. They added more overhead instead of reducing it.

So I built something simpler. I’ve been using it for two years now. It’s called the LockIn Method.

LockIn is a notebook system that does three things:

1. Externalizes your work queue so you’re not holding it all in your head

2. Forces you to commit to one thing at a time when you start working

3. Gives you tangible evidence of what you actually finished

It’s not project planning. It’s not productivity optimization. It’s personal work tracking that keeps you from drowning.

I use A3 notebooks (plain, no lines). Each page has two sections:

Top ~1/3: Mini-Tracker Your active backlog. Everything competing for attention. Work tasks, side projects, personal chores, whatever needs doing.

Bottom ~2/3: Log Time Where you record when you start and stop working.

Both sections span the full width of the page. When you run out of vertical space, continue in a new column on the right side of the page.

Write your Mini-Tracker at the top. Just list what needs doing:

Mini-Tracker - Design system tokens - Auth module implementation - UX copy pass - Laundry - App infra bug

No labels yet. Just the items.

Scan the list. Pick what you’re going to work on right now.

Give it the next sequential letter: A, B, C, etc.

Write the date on the left side (if it’s a new day), then write your session in the Log Time section:

Log Time 10/03 S1 5:41 PM (B)

S1 = Session 1

5:41 PM = Start time

(B) = The label you just assigned to “Auth module implementation”

The act of writing this is you locking in. You’ve declared: “I’m working on B now, not the other stuff.”

Do the work.

When you stop (whether it’s done, you need a break, or you got distracted), write:

E1 6:45 PM

That’s one session logged.

If you take a break and come back to the same work:

S2 7:05 PM

No label needed. It’s still B.

If you switch to different work, give it a new label:

S3 9:40 PM (C)

Now you’re working on “UX copy pass.”

When something’s done, mark it in the Mini-Tracker with a double tick at the start:

- Design system tokens ✓✓Auth module implementation (B) - UX copy pass (C) - Laundry - App infra bug

Draw a horizontal line in the log:

S4 10:36 PM E4 12:02 AM ────────────

This marks one “cluster.” Your personal day boundary. It might cross midnight. The line defines what you consider one unit of work.

After the line, session numbers reset. Tomorrow starts at S1 again.

Some pages last 3 days, some last a week. When the log section is full, start a new page. Copy forward any unfinished items from the old Mini-Tracker.

Mini-Tracker - Design system tokens ✓✓Auth module implementation (B) - UX copy pass (C) ✓✓App infra bug (D) - Think through IA changes (E) - Laundry Log Time 10/03 S1 5:41 PM (B) E1 6:45 PM S2 7:05 PM E2 9:12 PM S3 9:40 PM (C) E3 10:18 PM S4 10:36 PM (B) 10/04 E4 12:02 AM ─────────────── S1 10:30 AM (D) E1 11:45 AM S2 2:15 PM (C) E2 3:50 PM S3 4:00 PM E3 5:20 PM S4 6:00 PM (E) E4 6:35 PM ───────────────

Looking at this page, I can see:

• Day 1: Mostly worked on B (auth module), touched C briefly

• Day 2: Finished D (bug fix), continued C, labeled and worked on E (IA changes)

• B and D are crossed off. Done.

• C, E, and other items still open

The Mini-Tracker gets everything out of your head. You don’t have to remember what needs doing. Just glance at the top of the page.

Writing S creates commitment. That moment when you write “S1 5:41 PM (B)” is not just logging. You’re declaring: “I’m doing this now.” It fights the paralysis of too many options.

Labels show your pattern. Looking back at a day, you can see: started with B, switched to C, came back to B, jumped to D. The log shows what actually happened. Focused work, reactive chaos, whatever it was.

Honest stops keep you real. If you worked for 20 minutes then checked out for an hour, the log shows it: E1 at 6:05, S2 at 7:05. The system doesn’t judge. It just reflects reality.

Crossing things off gives you wins. At the end of a page, flip through and count: 6 things done. Knowledge work often feels like pushing fog. This makes it concrete.

Physical = always there. No app to open. No login. No “let me just check this one notification.” The notebook is there. Write S, lock in, work.

This is not project planning. I use Notion for that. Roadmaps, specs, timelines. LockIn is different. It’s personal work tracking that keeps me from freezing when everything feels like too much.

There are no metrics. I don’t calculate efficiency or optimize my sessions. The value isn’t in analyzing myself. It’s in working clearly.

Get a notebook. Start a page. Write what needs doing at the top. Pick one. Write S1, the time, and a letter. Lock in. Work. Write E1 when you stop.

That’s it.

I invented this two years ago when I was drowning in work. I’ve used it every day since. Maybe it helps you too.