Ask HN: What Do You Note? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What Do You Note?

15 pointsOtek13 comments

There is clearly some bandwagon on taking notes with huge market of note taking apps (like Notion or OneNote) and more sophisticated approach with things like org-mode, Vimwiki or customized solutions.

It's not clear to me what you're recording in all these systems. What kind of knowledge you keep there.

Of course, taking notes while learning is obvious, but I am interested in how you approach this in your everyday life. What is worth noting down in your work? What in your private life? It seems to me that I have a bad idea of what can be written down in everyday life, which is why I am trying to build a very toxic and time-consuming workflow and for over a year I have been unable to solve this puzzle. Only recently I realized that the problem is not in the application, but in my approach and my idea of what I want to write down.

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I have basic notetaking needs and I use Google Keep. Here are the major things I note down:

- blog post ideas

- book ideas

- drafts or text fragments of blog posts or other writings I'm working on

- people or company names, phone numbers, or addresses

- to do items

- things to remember from phone calls

- grocery lists

- links to interesting articles or online resources (I use Google Keep also as a read later or web clipper tool)

To me the key benefit of a notetaking app or process is permanently storing ideas or other information I'd otherwise forget if not recorded immediately.

I’m an org mode guy. For a long time, I didn’t understand the point of notes. How am I supposed to remember where the note is? And if I do know, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the note (bc I already have some recall in my head)? And like you said, what do I write?

I like org mode bc it fits on one screen. It’s just a collapsible tree outline with no excessive UI. So I write whatever I want now. And, since memory works through spaced repetition, and since I see my main headings every day, I remember where my notes are. Everything from saved recipes to books read to Japanese grammar tips.

Basically, it functions as a notebook, a journal, and a planner/agenda, without being impossible to navigate, and without imposing any note taking philosophy on you (looking at you, phone apps!)

For me what's important to remember is not so much what a note says, but that I took it. Then I can look it up and see what it's about.

I use org-mode to record a "work diary". Every day I have a new block I insert:

     * DD/MM/YYYY
     ** Administrivia
     None.
     ** Desktop Setup
     None.
     ** Meetings
     None.
     ** Tickets / Stories / Projects
     None.
     ** Problems
     None.

That gives a decent overview, but when it comes to stories/work-items I'll often include commands I've executed, links to internal resources and free-form notes.

Meeting-summaries are very useful, though sometimes I don't record very much details beyond "title" and "attendees".

I have written an AHK script which brings a textbox on a shortcut; and I write some tasks I did which I may have to remember date/time of. Like sending money to somewhere (by this i can easily learn when i did it, and i store the text in a dropbox folder so that I can read it on mobile too)

Whatever and however much I feel like on any given day. Letting go of trying to take notes consistently (in style, topics, format, amount ...) was extremely liberating.

I ended up using a physical notebook for notes. I think it's the best option. I write down my thoughts, ideas and beliefs in it. I also write advice for my future self.

It’s not too hard for you to find stuff in your notebook? Or you just never going back to your notes?

It's not. It's almost opposite. I find myself valuing these notes more. I have few pages at the start for special indexes. :)

Anything and everything. My notes folder has become my second brain.

That’s not an answer at all. You just making notes 24/7?

I am using Notes as a daily ToDo list.

I need it because without a deadline I am never going to accomplish any task.

If the task looks big and I am afraid of the complexity, break it into small tasks and do it one by one.

So when I finish/tick off the task and review completed tasks in my ToDo list, I will gain confidence, empowerment, happiness, and, most important, I will increase my productivity level too.

I will be in momentum to proceed further.

What with access to your tasks on your phone? What with reminders about specific tasks? Do you find managing not too time consuming?

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