The Future of Note Taking: From Organizing to Intelligence

The Future of Note Taking: From Organizing to Intelligence

As we move towards the future, the way we take notes and organize them is changing. No longer will we have to spend time organizing our notes manually, as large language models (LLMs) like GPT-3 will do it for us. Note taking is building a relationship with a future version of yourself, and AI changes the equation by surfacing the right note, at the right time, and in the right format for you to use it most effectively. LLMs can automatically tag and link notes together, enrich notes as you’re writing them, synthesize them into research reports, and resurface key information from previous notes into a CoPilot-like experience for note-taking. In the future, notes won’t be organized by us—they’ll be organized for us. The ultimate tool for thought is tools that think.

Building a Digital Garden: The Importance of Stock and Flow

Stock is the durable stuff, the content you produce that’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’s what people discover via search and what spreads slowly but surely, building fans over time. Flow is the ephemeral stuff, the everyday thoughts and ideas that keep the ball bouncing. The real magic trick is to put them both together, to maintain that open channel of communication while you work on some kick-ass stock in the background. Sacrifice neither. This hybrid strategy is crucial for creative research, which is all about collecting the dots. A space for collecting (and organizing) the dots is a crucial foundation for thinking, creativity, and more.

The Importance of Collecting Raw Material

Ideas don’t appear out of nowhere. They come from raw material, other ideas, or observations about the world. Hence, a two-step creative process: collect raw material, then think about it. Folders and files have been deemed as the “best in class” tool for personal information management, but information scientists suggest other methods such as search and tags. However, research shows that these other methods work best for public information management and not as well for personal information management.

Connecting the Dots

In summary, the future of note-taking is moving towards intelligence-based organization, while building a digital garden requires a hybrid approach of stock and flow. Collecting raw material is essential for creative research, and information management tools must be tailored to personal needs. The key is to connect the dots and use these tools to their full potential, allowing us to unlock the value in our old notes and ideas, and ultimately help us understand ourselves and our world better.