202209091141 The goal of note-taking is not to be better at taking notes, it's to be better at thinking

There are plenty of systems out there for note-taking. Many of these systems emphasize "lifehacks", focusing on questions like "how should I organize my notes", "what kind of journal should I use", and "how can I make it easy to capture things I read?"

Answering these questions will not help us get to a place where our notes are more useful for us because they miss the fundamental point. Note taking is about being better at thinking, not writing things down.¹

Better questions we could ask ourselves:

• How can I take notes that will help me to reliably develop insights over time?
• How can I shepherd my attention effectively?
• How can I surprise myself with unimagined connections?
• How can I make sure that my notes are adding up to something?

In this context, we can see how we come to the conclusion that 202209091142 Notes are the fundamental unit of knowledge work. 202109091129 Evergreen notes answer those questions.

Technology can play a large role in these misguided attempts to get better at note-taking. New technologies and techniques are available that make it easier for us to shove information into the computer. But as we know 202209091140 Transient notes don't create knowledge. We should be helping ourselves develop computer supported thinking instead of computer supported note-taking.