Why Having an Imperfect Note-Taking System Is Better Than Not Having a System at All
For Writers and Creators
Are you someone who creates daily? How do you come up with your ideas? Do you have an idea bank, a system or do you wing it?
Yesterday, I completed 120 days of publishing straight. My longest publishing streak ever. It feels surreal.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is the importance of having an idea bank. The ease with which I can publish daily improves 10X when I’ve my idea ironed out the night before.
I’ve always struggled to find new ideas to write about consistently. It was one of the biggest hindrances to avoid writing online. For a while, I’ve been trying to figure out what my note-taking system should look like.
I’ve scorched the internet to replicate existing systems. Tried to borrow ideas from other creators. I’ve collected notes digitally, in notebooks, etc. only to fail.
I was hoping for a miracle. I was delusional that I’d find a note-taking system served on a platter to me. But that wasn’t the case.
The cognitive load of collecting and retrieving my notes was so untidy that I abandoned note-taking altogether.
Thankfully, I found the Zettelkasten system a couple of months ago and I’ve stuck to it even if it meant my system was imperfect.
Do Any of These Sound Familiar?
- You take notes in multiple places.
- You cannot retrieve them.
- You want to log every idea you come across. Thanks to FOMO.
- You are waiting to discover the perfect note-taking app.
- You are waiting for the conditions to be perfect.
I’ve struggled with each one of these. If you struggle with your note-taking system, I’d suggest you start with a few resources I’ve found useful.
- YouTube — This channel has been a game-changer for me.
- Article — This is a great starting point as well.
Once you’ve gone through this, you can also check out my step-by-step process for note-taking.
Tweaks I’ve Made
Since discovering these resources, I’ve made tweaks to the way I think about my note-taking system. This has helped a lot.
- I’m prioritizing making notes and not thinking about the outcome.
- I’m fine with an imperfect system.
- I’ve stopped fussing over the tools I’m using for my note-taking.
- I’m not desperate in the act of note-taking.
- I’ve limited my note collection to 2 sources at the moment. (Books & Podcasts). I don’t care about any other sources till I get in this mindset.
- I’m collecting notes in a single location.
- I’m only concerned with the input and not the output from those notes. This reduces the judgement I have on my note-taking system.
- In the past 2 months, I’ve taken notes on 3 books and 40 episodes of the Tim Ferris Show.
- In 2 months, I’ve got 160 atomic notes. (160 more than I’ve ever had)
My Note-Taking Process
It is important to realize that just like you, your note-taking system is also going to be unique. It is going to be suited to your needs. So if you’ve been avoiding it, you might want to start small.
Below is my process. It is different for books and podcasts.
Books
Step 1: Read and highlight parts that resonate with you.
Step 2: Refer to the book 2–3 weeks after you’ve finished reading.
Step 3: Review your highlighted sections. Note down in your own words on a 4X6 flashcard for analogue notes or on Obsidian for digital notes. I have a hybrid system at the moment. I plan on moving everything to Obsidian soon. I try to write about 4–5 notes a day.
Step 4: Repeat.
So far, I’ve only been focused on my inputs. I’ve not yet started making connections between my notes. This is one of the reasons I do not have any ideas coming out of my system yet. Once I’ve touched about 200 ideas is when I plan to play with my ideas to develop further notes from them.
Podcasts
Step 1: Listen to a podcast and take active notes. I listen to a podcast every day for 30 minutes on my walk and jot down notes.
Step 2: After my walk, I refine my notes further. Any thoughts or ideas I had while taking a note, I add into this refined section.
Step 3: Repeat step 3 from my book note-taking system.
Step 4: Repeat.
Despite investing 50+ hours into these systems without seeing immediate benefits, I’m feeling more in control. My anxiety and stress levels have reduced, and I’m starting to enjoy the process more than I thought I would.
Although I still ‘wing it’ with my articles on most days, jotting down these ideas is shaping my thoughts and ideas.
To me, having this imperfect system is better than not having a system and stressing about it every day.
If you have a system that is different from mine, I’d love to hear about it. After all, I’m only trying to improve my system and learn from it.
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