Notes · 3 min read
Notes that still make sense later
A small amount of context can turn a collection of fragments into something useful.
A note is a message to a future reader who has forgotten the surrounding conversation. Often that reader is the person who wrote it.
Leave the reason beside the answer
A command or a number is useful. A sentence explaining why it was needed makes it useful for longer. Record the question, the decision, and the small detail that would otherwise be difficult to recover.
Separate an observation from an assumption. “This worked on this machine today” is a different kind of statement from “this should work everywhere.” Keeping that distinction in the note makes later changes easier to understand.
Use titles that help you find things
Name a note for the question it answers. Keep related files close, use a few familiar categories, and resist making the filing system more complicated than the material.
Review by using
Notes do not all need a regular maintenance appointment. Correct a note when you reach for it and find that something has changed. A brief correction, dated clearly, preserves more context than silently replacing the whole page.