Some folks fear a blank slate. I relish them — they represent endless possibility, a chance to create something from nothing. That theme runs through everything I do, whether it's standing up a program in corporate America or creating a home that's both functional and beautiful.
I've spent over a decade in tech building systems where none existed — knowledge management programs, business processes, applications. I identify what's missing, define the requirements, build the foundation, and get it to a steady state to hand off for long-term maintenance. Then it's on to the next thing. The same instinct shows up at home — efficient work zones, life maintenance routines, spaces designed to stand the test of time. Digital or physical, work or personal, it's all the same principle. Establish order and efficiency, make it sustainable, repeat.
But underneath all that building is a simpler question: in a world of infinite options, how do we choose well? How do we allocate and make the most of our finite resources — time, attention, energy, money? I'm interested in the discipline of thinking, deciding, planning, and then executing with focus. I'm interested in living with intention.
These experiences led me to build an extended mind system — one that helps me think, remember, maintain, prioritize, and do. I hesitate to call it a “productivity system” because that description makes me recoil a bit. It goes deeper than productivity. Used well, it becomes a tool for introspection, lifelong learning, and living a good life (however you choose to define it).
I am now in the process of documenting my extended mind system to share with the world. The project is in its infancy — the infrastructure is in place, and now I'm cleaning up 50,000 words of drafts and sharing them here:
docs.amandamashburn.comThe system is not a prescription. It's an opinionated starting point and source of inspiration — something concrete to react to, adapt, and make your own. The methodology itself is tool-agnostic, but I'm sharing implementations for Notion and Obsidian along with working examples, templates, and ways to apply AI — coupling theory with practice.
When I'm not writing or tinkering with AI, you can find me exploring Appalachia or Northwest Florida — the places I go to spend time in nature and ponder.