I have a personal wiki (an instance of my custom PmWiki-based wiki platform) that I can access from anywhere, to store ideas, to-do lists, essays in progress, brainstorming, etc., etc.
I use a PDA (a Palm IIIxe, synced to one of my computers) to jot things down.
Tips/tricks:
Find reliable, robust, flexible tools that will last a long time, and are adaptable to your needs.
When it comes to software, avoid the proprietary and the centralized. Where it is unavoidable, look for what is simplest, has a proven track record, and which can export your data in standard formats (and do this regularly).
Don’t overthink it. Don’t start by investing a lot of effort into some fancy workflow or some fancy philosophy. Avoid the urge to yak-shave. Write it down first, organize it later.
I endorse the tips/tricks section here (and it seems like the most important bit because different individuals have idiosyncrasies that make different tools useful).
Yes, the “tools” section of my answer is simply an example, if you like, of tools which (a) fit the criteria I note in the “tips/tricks” section, and (b) fit my specific needs. Others’ needs may be different, so the tools they pick may be different also, but my advice is general.
Extended example, in case anyone is interested:
Before I found PmWiki and built my wiki platform, I wrote everything down in RTF files (edited with nothing more fancy than TextEdit), synced between my various computers via Dropbox.
Note that “RTF files, edited with TextEdit” fits the criteria: RTF is an extremely common format, TextEdit is decades old but constantly maintained (and anyway you can edit RTFs with basically anything), the data was in my possession, convertible to anything, easy to back up, easy to sync, easy to search.
(I have since migrated most of those files to the wiki, which also fits the criteria, in different ways. It was easy to migrate. “Text, saved in some standard format” is something you can always find some way to usefully work with.)
The important thing was that the way I started doing this was just:
Open TextEdit.
Begin typing.
The biggest hurdle is starting. The second biggest hurdle is continuing. Everything else is secondary. Worry about tools, workflows, philosophies, etc., after you’ve got enough content for any of those other things to matter.
Tools:
I use Pinboard to manage my bookmarks.
I have a personal wiki (an instance of my custom PmWiki-based wiki platform) that I can access from anywhere, to store ideas, to-do lists, essays in progress, brainstorming, etc., etc.
I use a PDA (a Palm IIIxe, synced to one of my computers) to jot things down.
Tips/tricks:
Find reliable, robust, flexible tools that will last a long time, and are adaptable to your needs.
When it comes to software, avoid the proprietary and the centralized. Where it is unavoidable, look for what is simplest, has a proven track record, and which can export your data in standard formats (and do this regularly).
Don’t overthink it. Don’t start by investing a lot of effort into some fancy workflow or some fancy philosophy. Avoid the urge to yak-shave. Write it down first, organize it later.
I endorse the tips/tricks section here (and it seems like the most important bit because different individuals have idiosyncrasies that make different tools useful).
Yes, the “tools” section of my answer is simply an example, if you like, of tools which (a) fit the criteria I note in the “tips/tricks” section, and (b) fit my specific needs. Others’ needs may be different, so the tools they pick may be different also, but my advice is general.
Extended example, in case anyone is interested:
Before I found PmWiki and built my wiki platform, I wrote everything down in RTF files (edited with nothing more fancy than TextEdit), synced between my various computers via Dropbox.
Note that “RTF files, edited with TextEdit” fits the criteria: RTF is an extremely common format, TextEdit is decades old but constantly maintained (and anyway you can edit RTFs with basically anything), the data was in my possession, convertible to anything, easy to back up, easy to sync, easy to search.
(I have since migrated most of those files to the wiki, which also fits the criteria, in different ways. It was easy to migrate. “Text, saved in some standard format” is something you can always find some way to usefully work with.)
The important thing was that the way I started doing this was just:
Open TextEdit.
Begin typing.
The biggest hurdle is starting. The second biggest hurdle is continuing. Everything else is secondary. Worry about tools, workflows, philosophies, etc., after you’ve got enough content for any of those other things to matter.