The problem I’ve had with using physical notebooks is that I never close the loop of actually reviewing them and converting the information into a more useable format (anki, connecting related information, etc).
What I’ve settled on for the last few years is just emailing myself notes throughout the day from my phone. I empty my inbox each day so every note is moved into its appropriate location (calendar for events, files by topic for general thoughts, or to do lists for tasks).
The “sexy” factor is something I’ve noticed though. I’m regularly tempted to move back to physical notebooks because it somehow feels more legitimate. It also can feel rude sometimes to take out my phone and make a note if I’m talking to someone. All in all though I’ve found the benefits of converting the information into a digital format as quickly as possible to outweigh other factors.
The problem I’ve had with using physical notebooks is that I never close the loop of actually reviewing them and converting the information into a more useable format (anki, connecting related information, etc).
What I’ve settled on for the last few years is just emailing myself notes throughout the day from my phone. I empty my inbox each day so every note is moved into its appropriate location (calendar for events, files by topic for general thoughts, or to do lists for tasks).
The “sexy” factor is something I’ve noticed though. I’m regularly tempted to move back to physical notebooks because it somehow feels more legitimate. It also can feel rude sometimes to take out my phone and make a note if I’m talking to someone. All in all though I’ve found the benefits of converting the information into a digital format as quickly as possible to outweigh other factors.
A good step between physical and digital are Livescribe pens. With them you can take physcial notes that get automatically synced into Evernote.