Do you think anyone, anywhere, is actually happy with how they take notes? I doubt it.
The moment you start thinking about your system, you stop being content with it.
What’s the right approach?
A carbon-based notebook that gives you all the fuzzy, tactile feelings? A digital setup that lets you search everything in seconds? Which notebook? Which app?
Every few months, I come up with a new “best system.” The result: my notes are scattered everywhere.
I’m torn. I love the idea of a romantic, analog notebook. But I also want everything searchable, connected, and in one place. Luhmann built a system that was both tactile and interconnected. But at what cost?
I tried a Zettelkasten in Obsidian, based on Bob Doto’s A System for Writing. It felt slow and convoluted. Tried index cards like Luhmann. Felt like I was losing my mind.
Maybe I’ll never find the perfect system. Maybe I need to accept: my method is just lots of notes, in lots of places.
There’s some beauty in that chaos, I guess.
