Tasting Notes With Robin Sloan

Every time you take a note, ask yourself, “How can I make this as useful as possible for my future self?”

Good notes should behave like memory

At its best, a good collection of notes is like a powerful extended memory. It helps us quickly answer questions like, “What did this person tell me?” “What should I remember about this topic?” “What things am I currently working on?” We think tens of thousands of thoughts every single day, and the job of a good

Every time you take a note, ask yourself, “How can I make this as useful as possible for my future self?” That question will lead you to annotate the words and phrases that explain why you saved a note, what you were thinking, and what exactly caught your attention.

FOCUS ON INSIGHTS. Taking notes by highlighting passages in a book doesn’t work if you highlight every sentence. Don’t try to summarize everything about the article or idea; instead focus on what made the idea memorable or any insights you had at the moment you saved it. ADD LABELS. Use “note boxes” to make your notes easily skimmable. Write a few

Every time you take a note, ask yourself, “How can I make this as useful as possible for my future self?” That question will lead you to annotate the words and phrases that explain why you saved a note, what you were thinking, and what exactly caught your attention.