TL;DR: Don’t clutter your notes, avoid mindless copying. Use simple tools instead of overloaded systems. Structure your text into blocks.
My name is Jen, and I practice conscious, deep, and slow productivity because I’m tired of superficial products, startups that burn out quickly due to a lack of long-term motivation, and the shameless approach of entrepreneurs trying to make quick money.
I stand for depth and meaning, so I’m trying to make this article as human and useful as possible.
In this article, I will share principles specifically for digital note taking.
1. Don’t allow unconscious copying of text from external sources into your notes.
Before copying text, think whether you actually need it, otherwise your notes will quickly become cluttered because of it.
If you do copy something, then refine the inserted text aesthetically to make it “yours.”
For example, highlight key words in dusty rose, and fundamental conclusions present in the text in Atlantic storm color.
2. Don’t use complex note taking systems and overloaded apps.
Can you imagine a successful businessman or an active person sitting for hours figuring out endless app settings? It’s hard for me to imagine. That’s why I never use bulky applications. An abundance of “interesting” features only wastes time and creates a false sense of productivity.
3. Keep information in your notes well portioned.
To make information easy to scan and improve visual navigation in long notes, the text should be broken into blocks.
For this, build a habit of making a paragraph break every 4 to 6 sentences, adding numbering, or formatting a thought as a quote.
Conclusion
I used to write notes in a way that wasn’t always clear, either too complex or without context, because it felt like I would remember everything anyway.
But notes should be written as if you are explaining them to another person or, as the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann said:
“Notes should be written as if you are explaining the idea to your future self.”
To read more about my main 5 principles of note taking, I wrote about it in this article: Principles of Note-Taking.
Some ideas in my articles about note taking principles are partly shaped under the influence of Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten method, but overall the principles are based on my personal approach to working with information and practical experience.