On Keeping a Logbook (2010)

I always keep a notebook around. But I use it an extremely short-term external cache system to offset my brain.

I jot down stuff I need exclusively for the current day. An issue number. The phrase " Bob about the thing". A doodle I make in order to give my hand something to do while I attend a meeting.

The pages become completely unintelligible very soon, sometimes during the same day. It is useful - taking something out of the head and putting it in paper allows me to spend less time worrying "I must make sure I don't forget that issue, I must email bob about the thing". Once the issue is addressed, or bob is emailed, 80% of the time the task is done, and the notebook has fulfilled its primary function.

Months from now, it will have become complete jibberish, I won't be able to understand any of it. But I can still enjoy the doodles.

You described my exact process and results until a few years ago.

I added dates once in while. Then I started to write down was the plan at the beginning of the sprint somewhere. Then some type of personal bullet journaling stuff irregularly. Then personal todo list ended up there, not sure why.

So, it more crowded now. And it’s nice to be able to get slightly more details than “bob about the thing”

I love to see how todo lists in their context.

I use Logseq for this.

Every task or conversation gets a todo. “Meet with bob about x” “Work on pdf forms” etc.

Those that I’m doing get set to “doing” which helps keep me on task. When I’m done with a task it’s marked “done” and I get the elapsed time that it took.

Anything not done gets cut and pasted to the next day.

When it’s time to meet with my manager I have what happened on what day very neatly laid out and I simply scroll down.

I kind of do this. I keep an engineering notebook of all the progress made on a side project. It is helpful for when you need to come back to it after a week or two.

Because there is a whole industry around hyping PKM systems and note taking systems with pretty weak evidence to support their actual utility. Calling them essential creates the impression that those not using them are deficient.

Yet, given that people are both massively productive with and without these systems, it really calls into question the effusive marketing and community promotion of these tools.

I use obsidian everyday, but I recognize that I could do just as well with some other tool. It's preferential, not essential.

Exaggeration is not necessary for communication of value.