There is a lot of flexibility when taking notes for a personal system. It is very easy to intake a lot of data without results coming out, as there is no process to organize, clean up, and review existing notes. There are a few things that are important to consider when writing notes to help.

Note apps

Understand that there are 2 primary goals for any note taking application;

• Take notes
• Recall notes

Each option has trade of and often either option can be accomplished with the same system but different organization and habits. It is important to consider recall and actionability of a note over the process of taking a many notes.

Focus on your thoughts

Prioritize your notes. Instead of writing down information as it comes in, it is much more important to prioritize how it resonated with you. Although it is often important to add a link to the context of where the note came from, whether that be a video or blog, it is more important to take notes on the thoughts that came to you.

Unhindered note taking

Every note should start by just taking notes. Don't worry about adding links or where to place them. Considering that in advance could cause important information to be missed. Take notes very simply, with the requirement to come back and make them actionable.

Remember the reader

Keep in mind who you are writing these notes for, which in most cases is your future self. Remember that your future self won't remember the context. Include any necessary details to help understand the previous thought process and considerations put into the note. Additionally, when tagging notes, try to think about what future you will be considering.