How I take notes
How I take notes: two notebooks, a good pen, and writing things down by hand. And why that still matters now that AI hands us every answer.
Today I want to talk about my mental process and the method I use to take notes or simply jot down thoughts.
Let's start with the equipment. Very simple:
What I actually do is very simple. I have two types of notebooks. One where I write all my thoughts and reflections. Kind of like a diary where I put down in black and white the things I'm grateful for that day, or if any special events happened. It's not like an agenda. It's more a way to note my thoughts.
I have to say that writing thoughts down in black and white helps you focus on what you really want in life. It makes us reflect on many things that maybe we take for granted.
I know, I'm a bit of a romantic :)
Now let's get to the juicy part. How I write down what I need for work.
The first thing is in the morning when I wake up. I try to note ideas or just make a list of things that came to my attention during the night. After that I keep the notebook on my desk during the whole workday.
Every time I read something interesting, even before saving the article to Obsidian, the first thing I do is quickly save it to Stik.ink (my app, no ads, it's free, open source and under MIT license). Then I also write it down in the notebook, because as the Latins said, scripta manent, what is written remains.
I use this notebook for my developer work too. If you flip through it you would see lots of diagrams, schemes and concept maps. That's because I usually write the whole project architecture on paper first before I move to digital tools to make the diagrams.
Anyway, the flow is very simple. This notebook is really for noting whatever comes up during the workday. Ideas, schemes, todos. But one fundamental thing in my opinion (Cal Newport talks about this in his book Deep Work too): in the evening when I finish working I write down on the notebook everything that maybe I didn't finish. This helps the brain to switch off completely, saying "Hey, we've really finished working and we've noted the things, so let's relax".
That's pretty much what I do. Nothing complicated. Of course in my Obsidian vault I have all the digital versions organized for everything. But I'll leave you with this thought.
I think it's important, especially in the AI era where people are losing more and more the ability to think with their own head because now every answer is ready for them. Doing something like this helps a lot. Also because remember, neurons form new connections every time you do or solve something difficult or that you're not used to.
That's it. Let me know how you take notes today. Feel free to send me an email with your workflows at: massimianivalerio1@gmail.com
Ciao