Aside from my notoriously illegible handwriting (which becomes even worse after just a few seconds, but more on that later), my main gripe with using paper is that I end up with smudges all over my hand—being left-handed doesn’t help. The smudging often makes my already hard-to-read handwriting even more of a mess. (This issue even contributed to my struggles in English classes back then.) These days, the only time I…
Paper. Then take a photo of it (*) Then use a serverless lambda to OCR it and store it in a vector database. Then use speech recognition and RAG to display it wherever you discuss anything related. Simple and effective. Sorted. You are welcome.
(*) Ideally use Google glass or another always on camera here
Paper. Then take a photo of it (*) Then use a serverless lambda to OCR it and store it in a vector database. Then use speech recognition and RAG to display it wherever you discuss anything related. Simple and effective. Sorted. You are welcome. (*) Ideally use Google glass or another always on camera here
I’m not saying this is a bad idea but it’s hilarious given the point of the post is to uncomplicate note taking.
I use the BOOX NoteAir, just to keep from having a dozen scattered notebooks and having to replenish the paper/ink supply. I use it just like paper. I don't do any handwriting recognition or anything, and at most will split ideas off into their own notebooks. Personally, I've found that it is the act of writing things down, more so than the act of looking through notebook archives, that helps me with retention and creativity. The VERY IMPORTANT THINGS are kept on a whiteboard I look at multiple times a day, because I WILL FORGET dates and appointments (and I'll forget to put them into an alarm on my phone, and I'll dismiss those alarms multiple times and re-forget) no matter how critically important it may be. So the whiteboard keeps those items literally in my face.
I think you're onto something! I'm still on-device because I joke that I'm allergic to paper (seriously, I actively dislike the experience of using pen & paper…just a me thing I guess), but I've basically taken a similar route lately of just having a very small collection of Markdown files and I simply jot stuff down in them, check things off, and then delete bits that aren't relevant. Sync via Dropbox and away you go.
Plain text is enormously useful, as it turns out, and the fewer bells & whistles, the better!
There's only one method of doing to-dos that has worked for me. This method can be used with paper, Obsidian, Apple Notes, or any other app. Every week I create a weekly note, and write my to-dos for the week. I may add more items to it during the week. If any items didn’t get done I roll them over to the next weekly note or drop them. That’s it. I usually write my to-dos from scratch without looking at the previous…
BallerToDo is pretty nifty if you want something simple and web-based that uses the Eisenhower Matrix: https://ballertodo.com/
Aside from my notoriously illegible handwriting (which becomes even worse after just a few seconds, but more on that later), my main gripe with using paper is that I end up with smudges all over my hand—being left-handed doesn’t help. The smudging often makes my already hard-to-read handwriting even more of a mess. (This issue even contributed to my struggles in English classes back then.) These days, the only time I…
Get a different brand of fountain pen recharges ? Use a pencil instead ??
Well, fountain pens are actually worse for lefties because the "push" motion tends to tear the paper. If only there were truly functional, smudge-free inks! While some brands claim to be "smudge-free," they don’t dry quickly enough to prevent smudging from a lefty’s own hand—they seem more focused on preventing smudges from other objects rather than the writer's hand.
As for pencils, they’re not much better than pens in this regard. The smudging issue persists, just in a different form.