Transclude of cloud
Insight or Idea
Background
Note-taking and writing have many frameworks and some are going to work better for other people. A lot of time peers ask me how I take notes, what I suggest, what tools I use, what I automate etc.
gap-between-notes#^framedsgwsiip2biryigin725oUnfortunately any answer I provide fails to provide lasting value as it’s my note taking system. It works for me. It was emergent from years of trying things, adapting them, and taking portions of certain processes and putting them together.
But even more so, it’s adaptive to my current interests and focus. When I first started taking many more notes I started using PARA because I wasn’t able to find a structure that was clear to me where notes went. When I wanted to create and write I introduced Zettelkasten because I was unable to work backwards from an end result. These tools are more useful within the context of your needs rather than some holy aggregate of the best techniques around.
This extends to tooling. Obsidian, bear, evernote, M365, these all can provide value depending on what you need. A comparison on which is the best will never work. A comparison of features will always work.
The key insight is this: I recommend continuously learning and experiencing new systems, testing them, and implementing the parts that do work while throwing out the parts that don’t. That frankestein you create is the perfect note taking system.
My Note Taking System
My note taking system is formed from a combination of experience and my goals. I want to create technical content, I want to make novel emergent content that isn’t restating things without adding something new. I also want to take notes in a way that could be useful to myself in the future, even small insights or thoughts. I don’t want to feel restricted by any processes, when I hit motivation to write or learn, I don’t want to remember my tagging system or make connections to old notes.
my-note-taking-system#^framexwzcdy142xo1cuwjzdhhpAfter you know your goals and requirements you can create the following:
- An organization system
- A note creation system
- A note processing system These should all aim to achieve the goals of your note taking
This is how I come across things like Zettelkasten and PARA. Not with the explicit aim to change my note taking system, but consuming it, testing it, and considering new approaches.