Getting Stuck In the Weeds of Note Taking Apps

Tired of wasting time, I highly recommend this video by Sam Matla.

With the advent of so many personal knowledge management systems out there (also known as “PKM” or note taking applications), such as Notion, Obsidian RoamResearch, Logsec, Drafts, etc. It can get increasingly confusing as to which tool to use.

There’s no doubt, these tools are fantastic and each one varies in what they bring to the table. It’s probably best to spend a bit of time in discovery mode to see which ones work best for you. The trouble arises when we start jumping from one tool to the next, in search of the magic bullet that gives us superpowers, that one application that masterfully expedites and elevates our levels of production and creative capacity.

However fantastic to discover the many conveniences and features of these awesome tools, it’s easy to get lost in endless curation mode which can be a form of hidden procrastination. A better approach is to first do the work. The brainstorming, the reflection, the outlining of the goals or projects in mind.

I love this article by Tiago Forte who talks about how best to use note taking apps to create a second brain.

Building a Second Brain is a methodology for saving and systematically reminding us of the ideas, inspirations, insights, and connections we’ve gained through our experience. It expands our memory and our intellect using the modern tools of technology and networks.

The first step in building a second brain is “capturing” the ideas and insights you think are worth saving. Ask yourself:

What are the recurring themes and questions that I always seem to return to in my work and life?

What insightful, high-value, impactful information do I already have access to that could be valuable?

Which knowledge do I want to interconnect, mix and match, and periodically resurface to stimulate future thinking on these subjects?

Actionable Steps

1)Do the work: —relax, allowing yourself to brainstorm, reflect, write, take an inner deep dive to discover what you’re most interested in and / or what resonates with you. This will help you to create a list of ideas that you can categorize as projects.

A rule of thumb should be to save anything that “resonates” with you on an intuitive level. This is often because it connects to something you care about, wonder about, or find inherently intriguing. By training ourselves to notice when something resonates with us at a deeper level, we improve not only our ability to see opportunities, but also our understanding of ourselves and how we work.

2) Curate and organize your content by project: — as you come across articles, podcasts, social media posts, tweets, etc…that you’d like to keep for future reference, add and categorize them by project.

Instead of organizing your files primarily by topic (for example, web design or psychology), which is time-consuming and mentally taxing, organize them according to the projects you are actively working on. This ensures that you are consuming information with a purpose — to advance your projects and goals —

3) Connecting the Dots — Noticing Patterns & Connections: — By having your notes in a central place you’re better able to notice patterns and make unseen connections gaining you valuable insights.

An article you read on gardening will give you an insight into online marketing. An offhand comment by a client will give you the idea of creating a webpage with client testimonials. A business card you saved from a conference will remind you to follow up and propose a collaboration.

4) Creation: — The Final Destination & Ultimate Purpose

Never face an empty page again. As you slowly curate and build your content around your projects, you’ll have a repository of self created inspiration, knowledge, and guidance to support you along your creation journey. Don’t wait for perfection, share your work with the world, even if it’s a work in progress. Trust that it’s good enough and that others will benefit!

Reading widely and applying knowledge to problems is what empowers us to take ownership of our lives. The world starts to look like a place of possibility when you can adopt new viewpoints and learn new skills.

Creating things is not only deeply fulfilling, it can also bring us unexpected opportunities, introduce us to new friends or collaborators, and have a positive impact on others — by inspiring them, entertaining them, or informing them

Sir Isaac Newton, the famous English scientist, once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Of course, Newton wasn’t literally standing on the shoulders of giants. Newton was explaining that his ideas didn’t come from him alone. He relied on the ideas of those who came before him.

Good note taking is an art in itself and is an acquired skillset. The trick is to start and experiment. With time, you’ll adopt optimal methods and tools that work for you.

Tiago Forte summarized the need for structure in his summary of Ahrens’ book:

“By standardizing and streamlining both the format of our notes and the steps by which we process them, the real work can come to the forefront: thinking, reflecting, writing, discussing, testing, and sharing. This is the work that adds value, and now we have the time to do it more effectively.”

Some Note Taking Hacks:

1. Highlighting essential excerpts and adding them into your notes. Read this great article series by Ramses Oudt, a 3 part series.
2. Create tags that will allow you to pull up and sort your notes with interesting and fresh viewpoints.
3. Build your notes over time instead of investing a lot of time and effort upfront.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.”
— Steve Jobs

Some Resources For Smart Note Taking

A)https://www.nateliason.com/blog/smart-notes

B)Cornell method, mind mapping method, and flow method,

C)The outlining Method

D)The Zettelkasten — Sonke Ahrens on smart note taking

E)Follow Tiego Forte. Take his quiz and discover his free indispensable resources

I also love this video that explains how too much note taking can easily become procrastination instead of doing the work.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=baKCC2uTbRc&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE…

As I’m in the process of learning all this myself, stay tuned for a future article on some handy tools as well as how to brilliantly and efficiently create great results from your curated notes.

Thanks for reading, cheers!