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Comment by iamwpj | Hacker News Reader

Anti-note advocate here!

Your notes should either be updates on tickets, documentation, or comments in code/git readme. You shouldn't be isolating information on separate platform and outside of the tools that you share with your team to manage a codebase/software stack/etc. You're doing a disservice to your team if you're withholding access to knowledge!

If you're not a natural notetaker don't worry about becoming one. Update tickets/tasks, docs, etc.

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Counterpoint, most of my notes are gibberish and exploratory. For me the note taking process allows me to eventually synthesise a coherent idea. The idea makes its way to the team. If they read my notes it would confuse them, just like how I experience a mixture of confusion and familiarity when I reread my old notes.

I read in a 'how to improve executive functioning' book that it can be helpful to have one unified TODO list. So that's what I do. I don't think I should make myself a JIRA ticket for 'buy peanut butter and milk'. I also don't think I should make a Confluence page about 'random idea for blog post I had last night while I was falling asleep'. So for things that I need to share that are relevant to work, sure. Otherwise, my notes are generally a very very very long TODO list (bullet journal method has worked for me), punctuated by things that won't quite fit into working memory that I know I'll need to remember in like 20 mins. Also random doodles that I use to help myself pay attention during meetings.

Notes are for you. Updates to tickets/tasks/docs, etc. are for the people you work with.

Counterpoint, I take notes on paper that I seldom read. The process of writing (nice pen, A5 legal pad) slows down my thinking and stops me from interrupting people. I remember things better when I have written them down, even if I don’t read what I wrote.

I agree w/ you. I saw a quote about this that says, "If you think without writing, you only think you're thinking."

I’m not writing to remember it later, I’m writing to remember it now.

Nonsense. My notes are for me, a synthesis of my observations or things of utility to me, why obligate the effort to everyone to make it all make sense to anyone else?

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