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One question for all users of knowledge-bases like this: How often do you write something down and look it the next day and realize it's not relevant anymore b

by cel1ne 6y ago

One question for all users of knowledge-bases like this: How often do you write something down and look it the next day and realize it's not relevant anymore because of reasons like: • you memorized it • it's not as important as it seemed yesterday • it's a todo and having it there actually nags you and prevents you from completing it • it creates some other kind of mental load: while skipping over it, it grabs your attention, which then prevents you from attending to other tasks on the list. I have a theory that GTD helps only few, for most people it just makes them feel better because they are now spending time creating lists instead of doing what's on them.

read_if_gay_ 6y ago
I mostly use my wiki as a place to store actual information and use a different system for managing todos. I would agree that wikis aren’t really fit for that, if that’s what you’re saying, but that’s also not their intended purpose.
raytracer 6y ago
> it creates some other kind of mental load: I find it's actually the opposite. Writing things down means I can forget about whatever it is and focus on the task at hand. > it's not as important as it seemed yesterday This is a good thing in some situations. I generally write down ideas whenever they appear. Coming back to the ideas in days/weeks/months helps to provide some perspective. If it still looks like a good idea, it can be acted on. Bad ideas can be discard or ignored. It's a better outcome than spending a day getting side tracked only to wake up the next day to realise the idea was rubbish. It doesn't hurt to have a backlog of things for those slow, inspiration free days either.
kavir 6y ago
> it creates some other kind of mental load Agree with raytracer, that it works contrary to this. Writing things down in a system that you can reliably go back and check, tells your brain to calm down about this thought. If required, you can always reference it later. You will need to classify points as either tasks or general information you want to store for later. The cool part of tools like Roam, Obsidian, is that you can create bi-directional links. So if you are intentional about this and if you're referencing something related later, you will come across this point and it may be useful then.
fragileone 6y ago
A knowledgebase is very different from a GTD/to-do list. My personal encyclopaedia is full of so many citations and interlinked factoids that I can honestly say I wouldn't be half as learned as I am without it. Almost everything I write down no longer gives me a mental burden once I offload it from my memory. It's something that builds on itself over time as you gradually learn more and more about various topics.
qmmmur 6y ago
I'm writing a PhD which is a three year project. There is no way I can memorise everything I need to know.
gregwebs 6y ago
GTD and a knowledge base are 2 separate things that shouldn't be conflated. So your criticism of GTD could be valid, but it doesn't have any relevance to a knowledge base.
theon144 6y ago
Without exaggeration, I'd say about 5% of the cases? > • you memorized it This means I've got about a day or two at most while I still have it memorized - but my plans usually span longer than that. > • it's not as important as it seemed yesterday That would account for most of the irrelevant 5% of my notes, I suppose; but most of the time, it will still provide important context when I come back to it weeks later. >• it's a todo and having it there actually nags you and prevents you from completing it Never really understood these sorts of todo issues. If a task is sitting somewhere for longer than necessary, it's likely unimportant. If it is important, I'm more than glad to be "nagged". >• it creates some other kind of mental load: while skipping over it, it grabs your attention, which then prevents you from attending to other tasks on the list. Move it to the bottom, or to another list outright ("To do later"). >I have a theory that GTD helps only few, for most people it just makes them feel better because they are now spending time creating lists instead of doing what's on them. I have a theory that people like to riff on organizational tools when they do not know how to utilize them properly - which is why most are drawn to utilize them in ineffective and inefficient ways, generalizing this as a property of the tool. Besides, GTD/task management is a miniscule portion of why it makes sense to construct knowledge bases.

by cel1ne 6y ago

read_if_gay_ 6y ago

I mostly use my wiki as a place to store actual information and use a different system for managing todos. I would agree that wikis aren’t really fit for that, if that’s what you’re saying, but that’s also not their intended purpose.

raytracer 6y ago

> it creates some other kind of mental load: I find it's actually the opposite. Writing things down means I can forget about whatever it is and focus on the task at hand. > it's not as important as it seemed yesterday This is a good thing in some situations. I generally write down ideas whenever they appear. Coming back to the ideas in days/weeks/months helps to provide some perspective. If it still looks like a good idea, it can be acted on. Bad ideas can be discard or ignored. It's a better outcome than spending a day getting side tracked only to wake up the next day to realise the idea was rubbish. It doesn't hurt to have a backlog of things for those slow, inspiration free days either.

kavir 6y ago

> it creates some other kind of mental load Agree with raytracer, that it works contrary to this. Writing things down in a system that you can reliably go back and check, tells your brain to calm down about this thought. If required, you can always reference it later. You will need to classify points as either tasks or general information you want to store for later. The cool part of tools like Roam, Obsidian, is that you can create bi-directional links. So if you are intentional about this and if you're referencing something related later, you will come across this point and it may be useful then.

fragileone 6y ago

A knowledgebase is very different from a GTD/to-do list. My personal encyclopaedia is full of so many citations and interlinked factoids that I can honestly say I wouldn't be half as learned as I am without it. Almost everything I write down no longer gives me a mental burden once I offload it from my memory. It's something that builds on itself over time as you gradually learn more and more about various topics.

qmmmur 6y ago

I'm writing a PhD which is a three year project. There is no way I can memorise everything I need to know.

gregwebs 6y ago

GTD and a knowledge base are 2 separate things that shouldn't be conflated. So your criticism of GTD could be valid, but it doesn't have any relevance to a knowledge base.

theon144 6y ago

Without exaggeration, I'd say about 5% of the cases? > • you memorized it This means I've got about a day or two at most while I still have it memorized - but my plans usually span longer than that. > • it's not as important as it seemed yesterday That would account for most of the irrelevant 5% of my notes, I suppose; but most of the time, it will still provide important context when I come back to it weeks later. >• it's a todo and having it there actually nags you and prevents you from completing it Never really understood these sorts of todo issues. If a task is sitting somewhere for longer than necessary, it's likely unimportant. If it is important, I'm more than glad to be "nagged". >• it creates some other kind of mental load: while skipping over it, it grabs your attention, which then prevents you from attending to other tasks on the list. Move it to the bottom, or to another list outright ("To do later"). >I have a theory that GTD helps only few, for most people it just makes them feel better because they are now spending time creating lists instead of doing what's on them. I have a theory that people like to riff on organizational tools when they do not know how to utilize them properly - which is why most are drawn to utilize them in ineffective and inefficient ways, generalizing this as a property of the tool. Besides, GTD/task management is a miniscule portion of why it makes sense to construct knowledge bases.