Whatever tools you use (and there are plenty of them), the important thing is to pick something and get started Couldn't agree more. I've spent many years tryi

Whatever tools you use (and there are plenty of them), the important thing is to pick something and get started Couldn't agree more. I've spent many years trying to find the ideal note taking solution. I basically tried it all: TiddlyWiki, Evernote, blog posts, wordpress, MindManager, Trello, text scripts on a remote server, Google Docs. None felt good enough for me. I got annoyed by the features, distracted by formatting, frustrated with performance. I finally realized it's not the tool, but the habit. While a half decent tool goes a long way, after a certain threshold what really matters is the discipline and the frequency you take notes. After months/years, you start to see the same benefits the OP describes. It's great to look back in time at your own thoughts/comments and what changed since then. (for the record: I ended adopting Markdown notes, on a shared Dropbox folder. Things are there whenever I need it, and doesn't require any custom client to read/edit the notes. And Trello for things that are transient, like task lists, GTD-stuff, short term ideas, etc)