My Open Source Productivity Stack After 1 Year: What I Kept, What I Ditched

Description and use

The author achieved a stable, privacy‑centric productivity stack using open‑source tools, meeting key criteria of single‑purpose design, lightweight footprint, plain data formats, and active maintenance. Proprietary tools were retained only where unique features were irreplaceable.

Problem

Choosing a privacy‑focused, stable productivity stack without proprietary lock‑in.

Outcome

Workflow

1. Select a privacy‑by‑default browser (Firefox).
2. Replace new‑tab with Weather & Clock Dashboard for quick context.
3. Install uBlock Origin and Firefox Multi‑Account Containers for ad blocking and cookie isolation.
4. Choose note‑taking: Obsidian (open format) or Joplin (fully open‑source, E2E).
5. Pick task manager: Vikunja (self‑hostable) or Planka (self‑hosted Trello alternative).
6. Configure terminal: Zsh with Oh My Zsh and z plugin; use Neovim for quick edits.
7. Set up file sync with Syncthing for peer‑to‑peer, encrypted sharing.
8. Evaluate tools against criteria: single‑purpose, small footprint, plain data formats, active maintenance.
9. Discard proprietary tools where open‑source alternatives suffice; retain proprietary where unique features are essential (e.g., Notion, Figma).

Evidence

The obvious reason is privacy. When your tools are auditable, you can verify what they do with your data.

Source

Open-source tools don't get acquired and shut down, don't add dark patterns to the free tier, and don't suddenly become subscription-only.

Source

Weather & Clock Dashboard (new tab replacement) Replaces your Firefox new tab with live weather, world clocks, and a search bar. MIT licensed, pure HTML/CSS/JS, no data collection.

Source

The world clock feature eliminated my habit of googling "time in London."

Source

Open-source alternative: Logseq is fully open-source and has a similar graph-based approach.

Source

Record date: 2026-10-21T14:41:17.974Z