Forum Posts Feed
A change in mindset made me drop a lot of my tools
< Next Topic | Back to topic list | Previous Topic >
Posted by Sarah
Apr 16, 2022 at 11:06 PM
Dellu,
I completely agree with everything you’ve expressed, here, although I have almost no articles, just personal notes, instructions and lists. My must important notes are in a notebook (I couldn’t handle a crash or lagging device in an urgent situation).
I’ve cleaned out and deleted Cloud Outliner Pro, and am working on getting through the other platform specific apps - Bear, Apple Notes, Samsung Notes, etc. for reasons you’ve listed, and many more.
Everything is dumped in Evernote or Notion, now & eventually I’ll choose between them. At least, I have colored text where desired, search, and I’m not tied to any specific device.
Your new approach to writing sounds optimal. Very decisive. I hope it all goes well for you.
Sarah
Posted by Dellu
Apr 17, 2022 at 05:47 AM
Thank you for the nice words dear Sarah & steve-rogers.
I am sharing my experience here because some people might find a motivation to get down to the actual production: rather collecting endless notes and information with no clear end result in the sight.
I absolutely dislike the Zellel culture now floating all over the Internet now days. I find it extremely dysfunctional for technical subjects including Linguistics. If you look carefully, all the proponents are using for lighter subjects such as Sociology and the like.—-if you are reading a light book where the points are very spare, Zetteling will work. But for dense subjects, you are going to end up zetteling every line of the book: which defeats its purpose.
And, I think the lure towards it is misguided; and going to misguide a lot of folks.
- waste a lot of time, accumulate a lof of notes and .—finally get no results and trash them all—it is very immature way of life; constant experimentation with no clear end goal.
I think thinking hard on ” what is my the ultimate purpose” is the most important thing before being lured into any flashy and fashionable tool/gadget.
Asking this question hard made me to close my door to a number of new stuffs; not just the software, but on hard wares as well.
- I have now decided to use my old 2011 macbook pro for the next 10 or so years. (note that I have upgraded the Ram and SSD). Why?
Because the new fast computer is not going to write the essay for me. The configuration I have now is more than sufficient to generate great results. What I need is a better brain, not a better computer. If some of the reversed authors used type writers to produce works that stand generations, why can^t I use this old mac for the next 10 or so years?
(so far as it is working fine, there is no real need to change it).
One of the reasons why I want to keep the old mac is because it will not allow me to upgrade software as well. I will be deliberately and happy stuck on MacOS 10.13.
- I am not going to upgrade software. The newer software are harder and heaver for the old hardware; with little or no practical functions for the end user (for me).
- Freeze everything I have right now: Bookends, Devonthink, Foxtrot, Keep it; everything—because they are really perfect in the state they are right now.
- I have uninstalled Chrome, and replaced it with Seamonkey: it is much better for the hardware: never makes the CPU run crazy—can open most websites with no problem. I can run it all day with no impact on memory or CPU.
- Texstudio is also fixed as well on version 2.12: I cannot even upgrade it. It is amazingly perfect piece of software already. why do I need to upgrade it anyways?
And, focus on what matters the most: the end result.
Posted by jsamlarose
Apr 17, 2022 at 08:10 AM
Lots to appreciate here. I think the practice of note-taking has been caught up in a broad sweep of late, a kind of “do you even Zettel, bro?” and lots of people citing Luhmann (who apparently didn’t even originate the practice). Still, there are base principles that I’ve extracted and found useful— the function of “networked thinking” in creating pathways through connected thoughts, the utility of notes vs highlights, etc. I think you’re right in that some of us probably take more notes than we need or will ever use, and that the fetishisation of note systems can get in the way of producing things, much the same way as fiddling with productivity systems can get in the way of actually getting meaningful things done.
I continue to take notes for various reasons, personal and professional, in an app that isn’t often mentioned as a “knowledge management tool” or “second brain” but serves me incredibly well. A relatively small number of my notes are connected and for some (many?) of them the document is less valuable than the process; the thinking I did as I made the note is more valuable than the note that exists by the time I’m finished.
Harking back to Luhmann again: if he was able to be so productive with a stack of index cards, the rest of us mere mortals can probably get by without obsessing about all the contemporary bells and whistles. Progress is a wonderful thing, and I admire what I’ve seen some people with some really involved workflows. Took me a minute to appreciate that my brain works differently from theirs, and that the more moving parts a workflow/system depends on, the less likely it is that I’ll maintain it.
Maybe some of this is about having a really good personal filter, learning how to figure out what actually works for us individually in the face of emergent practices that seem to become ubiquitous and essential (while still being open to improvements and learning from others)?
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Apr 17, 2022 at 11:27 AM
This is a very interesting thread. Thanks, Dellu, for getting it started with your thoughtful posting about your experience.
Your ideas about note taking fit somewhat with my thinking. I’ve always been suspicious of the Zettlekasten method for my note-taking needs. Obsessive linking seems more distracting to me than helpful. I am sure Zettlekasten works well for some, but I have come to doubt its efficacy for most people. Although I will add this caveat: perhaps it gets people who wouldn’t otherwise have decided to take extensive notes to do so, then I would say it is good.
I prefer to take project-directed thoughts. By that I mean I gather notes to tackle a project. Tag- or folder-based organization works better for me than bi-directional links. If I need to “surface” information, I can do so with the search function. This approach also allows me to choose the right information-management tool for the job. Sometimes an outline works great. Other times I need a more visual tool for organizing my ideas and information for the project at hand.
I am more of a project manager than a researcher, so this may account for how my views have evolved.
Steve Z
Posted by Daly de Gagne
Apr 17, 2022 at 12:31 PM
Dellu wrote:
Devonthink
Thanks.