I’ve tried quite a few systems and tools to manage my projects and ideas, and switching gets tiring. I don’t think I’ll stop switching anytime soon though, so here are some guidelines to help me choose which tools to use whenever I feel the urge to try something new.
Stick to plaintext - preferably Markdown
Plaintext files are easy to write in, maintain and switch formats when needed. When I am looking at a new tool to try, my main decision to use it would be on the basis of whether it supports plaintext or not. If I really feel the urge to try a tool that is backed by cloud storage and/or databases, I export the notes back to plaintext eventually.
After having tried custom formats, Markdown and org mode, I keep coming back to Markdown as my format of choice. It’s well supported by most editors and I’m used to the syntax, so it makes sense to stick to it.
It’s boring, but it works.
Keep short-term context extremely brief when overwhelmed
Combining notes and actionable items is tempting, acting as a single source of truth to refer to. However, seeing everything together (even when structured) gets overwhelming for me on some days, so I would like the option to have a focused view of what I have to work on in that moment.
This could look like creating a file or post-it note for each day or each work session, with only relevant tasks and information in that document. I could then process the document when I feel less overwhelmed.
Have multiple places for capturing notes
I like to write things in different places depending on my mood (see point above) and what I have access to in that moment - it could be a laptop, a notebook, sticky notes or my phone. In that case, having multiple capture systems is essential, without caring about their format or organization.
One place would be ideal, but in a system that combines digital and analog tools, having multiple places is realistic, reduces friction to writing and scratches the novelty itch.
Add useful context to a captured note
I’ve saved links to read or watch or written an idea, and then forgot why I captured them when revisiting them weeks or months later. Adding the reason behind why I saved something makes it easier to process a note, especially if I reference it way after I wrote it. It could bring back the spark in the idea or I can delete if the idea no longer interests me.
Have a strict review process
Capture systems have to be supported with a strong review process, otherwise finding stuff is going to be a struggle, something that happens often. I have made time for reviewing in the past, but I either get overwhelmed or choose to leave notes thinking they’ll be useful sometime in the future. That sometime rarely comes, and I’m left with a pile of semi-processed and unprocessed notes.
Create strong indications of which notes have been processed and which haven’t. This could look like adding a symbol next to a note or deleting the note all together. If I cannot decide what to do with a note, revisit it for a maximum of three times. If I still don’t know what to do with the note or if the note has lost its relevance till then, delete.
Schedule regular reviews - weekly and whenever I reach a checkpoint in my projects. Despite my best efforts, there will be times where regular reviews may not happen and I end up with a huge backlog. In those cases, it would be best to leave the backlog as is, rely on search and filtering to get the relevant information, and process the rest when I have the time and energy.
I would also like to extend this process to long-form notes. Rather than letting them collect in a folder, I would like to consider publishing more of them to this site.