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Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#191

Post by octorian »

item007 wrote: post #119
octorian wrote: post #12

Do I hoard notes/links? Yes. Do I struggle to turn them into actions? No. Do I struggle to keep them organized for later reference? All the time. Do I use Obsidian? No. I actually use Joplin, which I switched to after deciding I needed to dump Evernote. And before then (and somewhat simultaneously with), I used a pile of disorganized text files (sometimes shared via DropBox).

That’s a really clear split: “actions are fine, reference organization is the pain” — and Joplin/text files is a very real workflow. If the goal is later reference (not task generation), the most useful thing to validate for me is: what “organized” means in practice for you. Is the biggest failure mode: 1. you can’t find it because you don’t remember the right keywords, or 2. you remember it exists but it’s scattered…

Mostly some version of 2. Or more specifically, I have a lot of top-level note documents with somewhat clear titles and organizations. And then there are a lot of "thing to remember" snippets that frequently have no obvious place, and are often related to the greater topic of multiple note documents.

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#192

Post by item007 »

inetknght wrote: post #188
item007 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for your free comments. That makes sense. Local-first seems like the only viable starting point for “important” notes. On pricing: would you prefer a one-time purchase, or “bring your own model” (Ollama etc.) so the ongoing cost is basically compute you already own? Also: what would be an acceptable failure mode — missing suggestions vs occasional wrong suggestions?

One-time purchase for an existing model (eg, works right out of the box) OR bring-your-own-model would be great. As far as failure mode -- missing suggestions is rather unavoidable, isn't it? So occasional wrong suggestions would be fun as long as they're clearly shown. Something like "I'm not sure, but there might be a solution with..." would be ideal; it lets me explore knowing that it might be a wrong direction.

I like your “I’m not sure, but there might be a solution…” phrasing because it sets the right expectation and invites exploration without pretending certainty. One thing I’m thinking about is making every suggestion come with a short confidence signal plus the specific evidence it’s based on (so you can sanity-check fast), and keeping the interaction pull-based so it never interrupts you.

Re pricing: one-time purchase or BYO model makes a lot of sense for this kind of personal workflow tool.

More context on the direction I’m validating is in my HN profile/bio if you want to compare notes.

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#193

Post by item007 »

fathermarz wrote: post #190
item007 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for sharing—it seems you have an extraordinary brain! I'm also very curious, what makes a retrieval moment “great” and how often it happens.If someone could help you increase the likelihood of it happening, would you find that valuable?

The greatness happens when: 1. I actually saved it in the one place I should save links 2. The thing that I remember seeing actually fits with my current train of thought or understanding 3. I tagged the link meaningfully. I have tried a lot of twin brain, second mind, etc etc. but I find myself doing the same thing no matter what layer is on top of the link fetching.

I think (2) is the hardest: even if you saved it, it only feels “great” when it matches your current context and mental model.

When you tried the twin brain/second mind approaches, what specifically failed for you? Was it capture overhead, inconsistent tagging, not knowing where to put things, or simply that nothing resurfaced at the right moment without you searching?

Also, what did “tagged meaningfully” look like in your system — topic tags, project tags, or “why I saved this” tags?

I’m exploring an approach centered on “active targets/projects as the context signal” to improve resurfacing without more organization work (more context in my HN profile/bio if you want to compare).

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#194

Post by item007 »

phippsytech wrote: post #189
item007 wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This resonates a lot. “Save now so I don’t derail myself” is rational in the moment, but it creates a pile that later feels like a commitment (attention + follow-up work), so you avoid it. I think you’re pointing at two separate problems that get tangled: 1. Re-entry: how to resurface the right item when you’re actually in the right mode 2. Filtering: deciding what’s worth keeping so the backlog doesn’t become guilt…

I am mostly imagining using the radio while driving, so I would not be able to actually act on anything in the moment. For me, “listen later” or “read later” only really works when I am in a curious or exploratory headspace. That headspace is not always there. A good example is when I sit down to watch something on a streaming service and end up browsing for ages instead of committing to anything. In theory, that wou…

A fixed daily slot really can turn into another obligation (and then the backlog becomes guilt again), whereas a lightweight “I’m in curiosity mode” toggle matches how attention actually works. The driving “radio” use case also suggests the output should be low-friction: short, self-contained, and not demanding follow-up right now.

If I were to design around your constraints, it would look like:

* a manual toggle for “curiosity mode”

* a queue that plays 1–3 small “snack” insights (not full summaries)

* and a single “save this to revisit” action that you can do in 1 second, so you don’t lose it while driving

One question: when you hear something interesting in that mode, what’s the most natural next step for you later—open the original link/video, add it to an “active project/topic”, or capture a single note like “try X / look up Y”? (More context on the direction I’m validating is in my HN profile/bio if you want to compare.)

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#195

Post by item007 »

octorian wrote: post #191
item007 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s a really clear split: “actions are fine, reference organization is the pain” — and Joplin/text files is a very real workflow. If the goal is later reference (not task generation), the most useful thing to validate for me is: what “organized” means in practice for you. Is the biggest failure mode: 1. you can’t find it because you don’t remember the right keywords, or 2. you remember it exists but it’s scattered…

Mostly some version of 2. Or more specifically, I have a lot of top-level note documents with somewhat clear titles and organizations. And then there are a lot of "thing to remember" snippets that frequently have no obvious place, and are often related to the greater topic of multiple note documents.

One pattern that may help (without heavy re-org) is to treat those snippets as first-class items with a stable home, and only link them out:

- keep an “inbox / snippets” note (or a single folder) where every orphan snippet goes

- give each snippet a short, searchable handle (one line title)

- add 1–2 lightweight links: related topics, and optionally “why it matters / when I’d need this”

Then when you’re in a top-level doc, you can embed/query “snippets linked to this topic” instead of trying to decide the perfect location for each one.

In your case, are those “things to remember” mostly time-bound (follow up, renew, schedule), or more like evergreen reference (commands, ideas, reminders)?

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#196

Post by item007 »

koakuma-chan wrote: post #183
item007 wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Concerns the “action” isn’t generic, it’s anchored to a target/project you set first. The flow I’m exploring is: you define a small number of active targets (e.g. “ship feature X”, “prepare for interview Y”). Then when you save/read something, the system searches your existing library (notes/links/email/posts/etc.) against that target and suggests a few candidate next steps or plans that are specifically useful fo…

I feel like you could just use AI for that without managing your own library (plus it got pretty good at web searches). At the very least, I probably don't collect enough articles for that to work. Maybe if there is like a shared managed collection.

I think we might be talking past each other a bit. I’m not trying to build “a better personal library manager” or “AI search over your notes”. The core idea is goal-first: you set a small number of active targets/projects, and the system uses whatever sources you already have (even a small amount) to propose concrete options you can choose from: a plan, a checklist, tradeoffs, or a next experiment that moves that target forward. The value isn’t “organizing”, it’s reducing the thinking overhead of turning scattered inputs into an executable next step.

And you’re right that many people don’t collect enough personally — that’s why I’m also considering a hybrid where your own saves provide personalization, but a shared/managed collection (or public sources) fills the gaps.

In your case, would you find this useful if the output was “one good plan/next step per target” even when your personal saves are sparse, or do you prefer it to be entirely web-driven unless you opt in?

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#197

Post by item007 »

hahahahhaah wrote: post #158

1.Where does your “second brain” break down the most? At work my 2nd brain is confluence. Most info goes into shared spaces. Often search doesn't find what I need easily so search becomes a context switch (sub mission) Rovo can be helpful though. Where I work has good culture of documenting things which helps. 2.What best represents “active project context” for you today? Jira task status 80%; Plus Slack save for lat…

This is super helpful, thanks. The “search as a context switch” point is real, and the 80/15/5 split (Jira/Slack/Confluence) matches what I’ve seen too.

On the compliance point: totally fair. To clarify, I’m not assuming a company-wide deployment — I’m primarily thinking about a personal tool/workflow where you control what it can read (and for many people that means local-only or only non-sensitive sources). Your environment is a good reminder that “enterprise-ready” integrations are a different game.

If you could improve your personal workflow, what would save you the most time: pulling the right Confluence page when a Jira task is active, extracting a short “what’s the current state + next step” from scattered Slack threads, or something else?

More context on what I’m validating is in my HN profile/bio if you’re curious.

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#198

Post by item007 »

exe34 wrote: post #187
item007 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s honestly a great baseline: org files + grep is fast, local, durable, and zero “system overhead”. If you could improve just one thing without abandoning grep, would it be: 1. fuzzy/semantic search when you don’t remember the exact term, or 2. better resurfacing (a lightweight way to recall relevant notes when a project becomes active)?

Probably 1. All my notes for a project are usually under one or two org files. An idea I've had though, which I hope somebody steals, is for a search engine that follows up all the links in my notes (and one or two degrees of separation from there), and allows me to end up in those places again next time I search for something.

You’re basically describing “search that expands context”: start from the matches, then follow outbound links (and maybe one more hop), index the linked pages/snippets, and treat that neighborhood as the result set. The killer feature is the re-entry part: “take me back to the same cluster of places I ended up last time I looked into this.”

Two quick questions:

1. Are your links mostly local files, web URLs, or a mix? 2. When you say “end up in those places again”, do you want it to save a trail/session automatically (like a breadcrumb graph), or just learn “these links co-occur with this query” over time?

I’m exploring a similar “context neighborhood” retrieval loop (more context in my HN profile/bio if you want to compare notes).

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#199

Post by item007 »

tonymet wrote: post #186
item007 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree — tools don’t beat rituals. A review cadence is what turns notes from “storage” into outcomes. What I’m exploring is designing the tool around that ritual: make the review session the first-class UX, and keep everything else quiet. For example, during a scheduled review it can help you: identify the few notes worth acting on, extract 1–3 next actions, and link them to a small set of active projects—then…

weekly is better since it takes a few days to solidify various efforts into something worth developing. I encourage new tool development, I’m more calling attention to Tool optimizers who are continuously migrating task systems and obsessing over “productivity”. A daily pen and paper journal with weekly check in would suffice.

Weekly is often the sweet spot because it gives ideas/time to “gel” into something worth acting on, without turning your life into a constant triage loop.

And +1 on not rewarding tool-churn. The goal isn’t a more elaborate system, it’s a simple ritual that reliably produces real output. If a pen-and-paper journal plus a weekly check-in works, that’s already the whole game.

What does your weekly check look like in practice: are you mainly pruning (delete/ignore), distilling (rewrite what matters), or committing (pick 1–3 actions for the next week)?

Re: Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?

#200

Post by item007 »

komali2 wrote: post #159
item007 wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m with you on “systems don’t guarantee outcomes” — the only reliable commonality is shipping (or at least producing something real) over time. One thing I did take away from your posts is the distinction between the medium you think in (pen/paper) and an “authoritative knowledge system” that’s the source of truth for your life/work. That framing resonates: capture can be messy and human, but “what is true / what is…

> what’s the smallest digital thing you’d accept as the authoritative source of truth The atom of unassailable truth in my system is the calendar event, especially if it's in the calendar managed by my PA, or one of the automatic calendars fed by cal.com. I trust it without question, since it takes a fairly concrete, verifiable event to get something on the calendar e.g. adding my next therapy appointment at the end…

On “notes are all actions”: I think we’re using the word “action” differently. I don’t mean “notes should become todos”. I mean “notes should resolve into an explicit state”: either it becomes a commitment (calendar/todo), or it becomes reference with a clear home, or it gets discarded on purpose. Your system already does that digestion, which is why it works.

On your last question: the “smallest xyz that abc” phrasing isn’t a special framework or guru thing. It’s just a way to force a constraint so the answer becomes practical instead of aspirational. Did I use it here?

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