Ask HN: How often do you take notes and where?
Do you come up with an idea and put it on Trello or is there a better feel to using pen and paper when you need to remember something?
16 comments
Pen and paper for the last 10+ years.
I loosely follow the lab logbook format (I’m a programmer, senior/principal level)
Typically I note decisions, information, and goals from meetings.
I also start the day with a todo list that also serves as the basis for my status in standup.
Additionally, I will also note my own problems, goals, and ideas throughout the day.
I keep pen and paper with my at all times during the workday. At my desk it is always within reach and open to the day’s log. Before COVID, I would only bring pen/paper with me to meetings. Now with zoom meetings I position myself so that I still only have pen/paper in front of me.
pen/paper allows me to more easily express and work on complex concepts than a computer. The act of writing also helps me with my memory and focus. And it helps me to refine my thoughts and thinking. for example, taking the time to think, write, and list my todo for the day results with a well-formed and short standup status.
It does take some time to figure out which format works best for you. One thing that I have learned is to always date and title, even when it seems insignificant.
Lastly, I find that people are more receptive to pen/paper than a computer or smartphone. It’s low tech, reliable, and uncomplicated. For me and my social challenges, It helps with showing people that I’m listening to what they are saying, and that I’m interested to hear what they have to say. It also helps me with processing and comprehending what is being said. When I don’t understand, I can quickly note that and circle back when appropriate.
cheers.
I loosely follow the lab logbook format (I’m a programmer, senior/principal level)
Typically I note decisions, information, and goals from meetings.
I also start the day with a todo list that also serves as the basis for my status in standup.
Additionally, I will also note my own problems, goals, and ideas throughout the day.
I keep pen and paper with my at all times during the workday. At my desk it is always within reach and open to the day’s log. Before COVID, I would only bring pen/paper with me to meetings. Now with zoom meetings I position myself so that I still only have pen/paper in front of me.
pen/paper allows me to more easily express and work on complex concepts than a computer. The act of writing also helps me with my memory and focus. And it helps me to refine my thoughts and thinking. for example, taking the time to think, write, and list my todo for the day results with a well-formed and short standup status.
It does take some time to figure out which format works best for you. One thing that I have learned is to always date and title, even when it seems insignificant.
Lastly, I find that people are more receptive to pen/paper than a computer or smartphone. It’s low tech, reliable, and uncomplicated. For me and my social challenges, It helps with showing people that I’m listening to what they are saying, and that I’m interested to hear what they have to say. It also helps me with processing and comprehending what is being said. When I don’t understand, I can quickly note that and circle back when appropriate.
cheers.
This sounds pretty close to my setup as well (senior data scientist, managing a small group of data scientists/statisticians).
Additional thoughts:
For meetings, my notes are pretty much shorthand and messy/scattered. I try to spend ~5 mins after to rewrite the important bits so that I am not confused after. It is sometimes difficult if the day is mostly meetings though. Occasionally if the meeting is exceptionally eventful/contentious/paradigm shifting, I will try to spend a little more time and explicitly write out what happened.
I also keep just one notebook for work. There are trade offs, but I have found it best to have everything in a known spot.
For meetings, my notes are pretty much shorthand and messy/scattered. I try to spend ~5 mins after to rewrite the important bits so that I am not confused after. It is sometimes difficult if the day is mostly meetings though. Occasionally if the meeting is exceptionally eventful/contentious/paradigm shifting, I will try to spend a little more time and explicitly write out what happened.
I also keep just one notebook for work. There are trade offs, but I have found it best to have everything in a known spot.
Excellent points.
I mostly use pen and paper, but I systematize it. The most important thing I've learned came from "Getting Things Done," which has the idea that you should separate capture (have some kind of inbox to drop ideas into quickly) and refinement.
I recently borrowed a technique that somebody here mentioned. In any meeting, I track tasks, decisions (made or needing to be made), and information. Each of those three groups gets a different color sticky note. Then later, usually once a week, I sit down for a couple hours and figure out what to do with any of the ones still lying around. It's a good way to not lose track of anything and those three categories are pretty low overhead while also suggesting what you should do to move each one forward.
I recently borrowed a technique that somebody here mentioned. In any meeting, I track tasks, decisions (made or needing to be made), and information. Each of those three groups gets a different color sticky note. Then later, usually once a week, I sit down for a couple hours and figure out what to do with any of the ones still lying around. It's a good way to not lose track of anything and those three categories are pretty low overhead while also suggesting what you should do to move each one forward.
Once been using Dendron after a brief flirtation with logseq.
I take notes for personal reasons and at work.
I mingle TODO items with journal notes using a daily journal format. I log important events, daily trivia, and TODO items.
The key is that these lists be reviewed (easy with Dendron, just use a vs code search).
Calendar items go in Google calendar. I tried using a good old agenda book for that and other solutions but it is just easier and I have a nice phone app that creates alarms from calendar entries, so that's handy (AM Droid).
I take notes for personal reasons and at work.
I mingle TODO items with journal notes using a daily journal format. I log important events, daily trivia, and TODO items.
The key is that these lists be reviewed (easy with Dendron, just use a vs code search).
Calendar items go in Google calendar. I tried using a good old agenda book for that and other solutions but it is just easier and I have a nice phone app that creates alarms from calendar entries, so that's handy (AM Droid).
GSuite, currently. Mostly because I use Android, ChromeOS and Linux devices. And sync'ing is automatic.
Also evaluating Github Codespaces. I like the idea of a fully automated system. Code itself as the document. User docs generated from code. Config as code. Design docs as formatted markdown that can be instantly published to Github Pages, etc.
Also evaluating Github Codespaces. I like the idea of a fully automated system. Code itself as the document. User docs generated from code. Config as code. Design docs as formatted markdown that can be instantly published to Github Pages, etc.
Dotted notecards.
Dotted stationary is a good tradeoff-between guidelines for writing and free space for drawing.
Dotted stationary is a good tradeoff-between guidelines for writing and free space for drawing.
Standard Notes. I have a single item for each day, dated today, with additional tags as they become relevant.
Open source. Multiplatform. Stable.
My only beef is that the Android client is slow when the number of notes is high.
Open source. Multiplatform. Stable.
My only beef is that the Android client is slow when the number of notes is high.
Mainly OneNote, I have work notebook on the work account and a private one on my personal account.
Google Keep works better on mobile for small, on the go, notes though
Google Keep works better on mobile for small, on the go, notes though
Bear Notes for work, Apple Notes for personal, and one of those really thin Field Notes 3x5 booklets on the go, along with a cheap Pilot G2 pen.
for important meetings, I use pen and paper and then jot down the most important details in an google doc
For scribbling self thoughts and details while reading, I directly write them down in Evernote or another google doc. Evernote helps in saving multimedia snippets as well
Org mode at the moment, but anything that is plaintext/markdown works fine for me.
typical IT staff on some .adoc text, folding via vim, so its nice organised, casual notes: on a pocket Filofax.
nvAlt on my computer, pen and paper anywhere else.