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The Best Tools for Capturing Different Types of Notes
From analog to digital notebooks — Find the best note-taking tool for your needs.
If you were to see my office, you’d be greeted by a pile of notebooks on my desk. And that would only represent what’s visible — I have another stash of virtual notebooks on my computer.
But my notebook collection isn’t random. Each notebook has a very singular purpose. And while a dream might be to have One Notebook to Rule Them All, I’ve found that it’s better to give each notebook a specific purpose. Especially web-based tools (think Evernote or Notion) that have specific features: I’ve concluded that by using different products, I can take advantage of what they offer without confining myself to a product that doesn’t really work for a particular type of note.
If you feel like your note-taking is all over the place — and I’ve been there — it’s helpful to put your notes into different categories. Then find the best fit for note-taking depending on the type of notes, also considering how you need to reference those notes in the future.
Daily Notes/Habits
I’m in the camp of people who likes to write down what I have going on in my life. During my years of teenage angst, I would fill journal upon journal with my Thoughts about school, my latest crush, or friend drama.
Early in my career, I stopped writing in a journal and I regret that now. I spent several years traveling to small towns, a requirement of my job as a software implementation specialist. The places I visited, the food I ate, the travel mishaps… they’re mostly lost except for the occasional fleeting memory.
Then many years, I read Austin Kleon’s post about keeping a logbook: a simple list of the day’s events. No narrative. No prose. Just a list. He writes:
Keeping a simple list of who/what/where means I write down events that seem mundane at the time, but later on help paint a better portrait of the day, or even become more significant over time. By “sticking to the facts” I don’t pre-judge what was important or what wasn’t, I just write it down.
