Programmable Notes

Of course, software can only take you so far. I still don’t write down most of the thoughts that I have, even on subjects I have written multiple columns about. Nor do I try to disstill these thoughts into sharp-edged little maxims the way Matuschak does in his own note-taking practice. He says he spends two hours a day refining notes he has previo... See more

We’re seeing the progressive unbundling of human agency in memory creation, and I think it’s happening in clear phases.

The first phase started a very long time ago. Cameras, voice recorders, and digital notebooks were primitive tools for documentation. Sure, each of these tools were enhanced by technology. We chose what to capture and the tools ju... See more

Tiago Forte, creator of Building a Second Brain , argues that a knowledge system isn’t about hoarding information; it’s about making it useful. His C.O.D.E. framework (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express) breaks this down:

• Capture the ideas and insights that spark your interest. A sticky note, a voice memo, or an app like Notion—whatever works.


• Org

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How Can We Learn Better? To start answering the question, I dove into the notes and work of @andy_matuschak, who is a full-time researcher on learning, and an advocate of 1. Deliberate Practice and 2. Spaced Repetition in knowledge work. I have to be honest: though I love learning, I find both of these methods difficult and unwieldy in most cases... See more

For decades now, software tools have promised to make working life easier. But on one critical dimension — their ability to improve our thinking — they don’t seem to be making much progress at all.

Meanwhile, the arrival of generative artificial intelligence could make the tools we use more powerful than ever — or they could turn out to be just ano... See more