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My thoughts are so all over the place that I've settled on 3x5 note cards. It also makes the transition to the computer much easier, because I can re-arrange th

My thoughts are so all over the place that I've settled on 3x5 note cards. It also makes the transition to the computer much easier, because I can re-arrange them in a way that is somewhat organized before taking a picture that gets transcribed

SanjayMehta 4mo ago
You might want to check out Scrivener (Mac and Windows). I use that in lieu of note cards. The cork board function lets you re-arrange text and media to your hearts content and then compile the final output to Word, PDF whatever. It's designed for non-linear writing. https://literatureandlatte.com https://literatureandlatte.com
- sixtyj 4mo ago
  The point here is imho that you intentionally remove the computer from the path (in some part of your work) if you want to achieve some focused deep work (in case that you aren’t coding ofc :)
  - SanjayMehta 4mo ago
    I started out using the back of punched cards, when those ran out, made my own out of scrap paper. Scrivener just matched my workflow - usually for technical reports. Lot of cut/paste from a variety of sources.
  - obsidianbases1 4mo ago
    I agree with this. It's not that the digital tools don't exist, it's that my best think gets done when I go for a walk with nothing but a pen and a stack of blank 3x5s.
sixtyj 4mo ago
Possibility to re-arrange is ofc good when working on something in progress. But how do you archive these cards? That always drove me mad so I use them only for something “encyclopaedical” otherwise it is too much messy.
- obsidianbases1 4mo ago
  At one point I had a physical filing system, but now they get converted to digital pretty quickly since I don't have to pay 10/hr to get it done. I also usually keep a daily card, and sometimes a few weekly/current lists on the note cards and just carry them around until I'm done with them. It's mainly the capturing of the ideas that I prefer writing physically. After that, being able to move them around my digital system makes them most useful because I can have dynamic views that surface priorities and related notes without having to physically sift through the stacks.

SanjayMehta 4mo ago

You might want to check out Scrivener (Mac and Windows). I use that in lieu of note cards. The cork board function lets you re-arrange text and media to your hearts content and then compile the final output to Word, PDF whatever. It's designed for non-linear writing. https://literatureandlatte.com https://literatureandlatte.com

sixtyj 4mo ago
The point here is imho that you intentionally remove the computer from the path (in some part of your work) if you want to achieve some focused deep work (in case that you aren’t coding ofc :)
- SanjayMehta 4mo ago
  I started out using the back of punched cards, when those ran out, made my own out of scrap paper. Scrivener just matched my workflow - usually for technical reports. Lot of cut/paste from a variety of sources.
- obsidianbases1 4mo ago
  I agree with this. It's not that the digital tools don't exist, it's that my best think gets done when I go for a walk with nothing but a pen and a stack of blank 3x5s.

sixtyj 4mo ago

Possibility to re-arrange is ofc good when working on something in progress. But how do you archive these cards? That always drove me mad so I use them only for something “encyclopaedical” otherwise it is too much messy.

obsidianbases1 4mo ago
At one point I had a physical filing system, but now they get converted to digital pretty quickly since I don't have to pay 10/hr to get it done. I also usually keep a daily card, and sometimes a few weekly/current lists on the note cards and just carry them around until I'm done with them. It's mainly the capturing of the ideas that I prefer writing physically. After that, being able to move them around my digital system makes them most useful because I can have dynamic views that surface priorities and related notes without having to physically sift through the stacks.