note-taking(8/1)

Keep notes for longer than reasonable

I don’t have to be smart about a topic, I just have to have been keeping notes for longer than most people would think reasonable. (Reminds me of Bob Goldmann)

Note taking answers three questions

Baldur sees note-taking as answering one of three questions: How do I manage my creativity? Generate ideas in a structured way through research and sketching. Preserve those ideas. Explore the ideas until they have gelled into a cohesive plan or solved a problem. How do I manage my knowledge? Extend your memory to help you keep track of useful information (client data, meeting notes, references). Connect that information to your current tasks or projects so that you can find it when you need it.…

Notes are a means to an end

Notes are a means to an end, or telos. The ‘end’ might be visualized by either a concrete object or a formative experience. Concrete Telos Most note-taking is for the purpose of a deliverable. A thesis perhaps, or some other concrete project. Note-taking that has no end in mind lacks a context and is in danger of what Baldur calls “an intimidating database of opaque words and alien ideas” (The Different Kinds of Notes).…

Note taking process towards an end

Purpose is one perspective you might take when researching note-taking and the tools at your disposal. Another is process. Baldur reduces all note-taking into three steps: Collect, Contextualize, and Map. Collect The first step is simply to get the note into your repository. Whether it’s a cardboard box or a digital Kanban board, the priority is speed and reference. Contextualize This step will have different needs depending on the writer’s purpose.…

Note taking tools and strategies

A broad review of note-taking strategies for long-form writing was conducted by Baldur Bjarnason in a three-part series as part of his Colophon Cards project. Before reading Baldur’s excellent research, you should know that notes are a means to an end. Much of note-taking is a form of idea-hoarding, but Baldur’s research is sourced from writers who use note-taking for something, whether a thesis, a book, or some other project.…

Notes as maps or boxes

In The Different Kinds of Notes, Baldur concludes that there are essentially two organizational strategies, Boxes and Maps. Baldur deduces the two strategies differ only in what must be internalized. Boxes A box is a context-external organizational unit. A cardboard box, a digital folder, a binder and a desk drawer might all qualify. Anything which matches the context label of the box can be found inside. In my system, tags are a type of box.…

Learning Methodologies

Influenced by my own interests and the needs of my two boys, learning methodologies are becoming an important subject. Not sure where this’ll lead, but it’s a start. Note-taking Research

Epistemic notes reveal growth

Of the many cool features of Maggie Appleton’s personal site, one of my favorite is the use of plants as epistemological indicators. I’ve adopted my own slightly modified version. Here’s how it works: If my content is new, it gets a 🌱 (seedling). This communicates that, not only is the content unfinished, it’s also not fully conceived. It could grow into a substantial idea, I may prune the note entirely, or I may later contradict the core idea.…

Thoughts on online note taking

There’s a magic in Andy Matuschak’s Digital Garden. The glory of it’s deeply-linked organization is greatly aided by his custom viewport. Navigation happens like this: To browse the contents of a linked note, hover over for a snapshot. To review the full note, click the link and it’ll appear to the right as though it’s been added to a stack of notecards. One can follow links down a thought-path, viewing the last note and the present note side-by-side, or peruse several nodes off the same note without ever using the browser’s Back button.…