3 ms·
I love legal pads instead of bound notebooks because you can tear off and rearrange pages so they can be with other relevant notes, also the top spiral makes it
by StrangeATractor 4y ago
I love legal pads instead of bound notebooks because you can tear off and rearrange pages so they can be with other relevant notes, also the top spiral makes it easy to put in my backpack.
Do yourself a favor though, and time stamp each page down to the minute when you start writing (eg: 20230310T1029).
You can:
- Link between notes. Also enables you to specify the previous or next page in your notes which is useful if they get shuffled.
- Save a stack of relevant notes by making a list of their links on a separate page before filing the notes away chronologically -- you can link to the list itself if you want to link to the group of notes.
- Have a TODO list for a certain date? Link to it from your calendar.
- You can save time by writing only the significant digits (eg: if the note page you're writing on and the page you're linking to share the same year and month, only write the day and time in the link).
- You can add line numbers or paragraph numbers if the situation demands it, and append, say, "LN23," or "¶5" to the timestamp to get specific.
It's a simple system but enables a lot of complex patterns in your note taking system.
- theideaofcoffee 4y agoThis is reminiscent of the zettelkasten system with the links between notes and topics, though ZK takes it a bit further and does away with the chronological sorting files by topic. Indexes have links to individual topics and topics can link among themselves. It tickles that part of my brain that is unsatisfied with top-down/chronological notebooks and the like and replaces it with www-like hyperlinks.
- StrangeATractor 4y agoI have to confess I was partly inspired by ZK to start doing this, but by doing it for transitory notes and putting it into my day-to-day habits I feel like I've gained super powers. It's less effort to use a timestamp as a UUID for everything and I don't have to think about how to organize them until natural patterns emerge which I can sort by with lists, or refine into a more focused note. I can also remember roughly when I was thinking of something, even years later, and zero in on the note based off of that if I can't find it through links or lists. ZK, to me, requires a lot more focus and energy. It's not very well suited for, say, taking notes while you're on the phone or in teleconference. They aren't mutually exclusive, they just have different uses (I also have a ZK).
- theideaofcoffee 4y agoUse and adapt tools to work best for you! I may have to experiment with this system a bit, sounds like it may fill in some gaps here and there.