Note-taking is very individual
When we compare the notes people take and the tools they use, we usually see a broad spectrum:
- Tools: everything from digital note-taking apps to paper notebooks and sticky notes
- Purposes: personal organization, project management, meetings, reference/reading notes, ideas, thoughts, …
- Time horizons: some notes are short-term (e.g., daily to-dos), others are long-term (months or even years)
This shows that note-taking is highly individual. No two notebooks will look the same.
What makes notes useful?
There are some general principles that tend to make notes more useful:
- 🔎 searchable: it should be easy to find information again (digital notes often help here)
- 📆 sustainable: You should still be read and understand your notes in a few years. This relates to how you write your notes, but also to the software that you use and whether it will still exist in a few years.
- 🧱 open and simple formats: avoid being locked into a proprietary format that only works in one app
- 🔗 connected : links help you see relationships between ideas
- 😃 easy and enjoyable to write: Having a low-friction system is important. If it’s hard or complicated to take notes, you won’t do it.
The good news is that Obsidian supports all of these principles well.
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