Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I've done the same several times with different media. I've used notebooks, wikis, post-its, Obsidian, etc, to organize my thoughts and ideas, but in the end, I've rarely revisited them.

Don't get me wrong - it's still critical to keep track of important information in one way or another. But your own thoughts usually aren't part of that. You are always you, so given the same situation, your future self will likely come up with the same idea you have now (or something even better). That's why keeping track of quick ideas rarely bears fruit.

What you really need to track is unusual information:

- something not from you

- something you can't easily reproduce

- something that sparks new ideas you wouldn't have on your own

In other words, keep the sources of your ideas, not the ideas themselves. This leads to a much lower noise-to-signal ratio because you're more likely to consume well-formulated information, at least much better written than your scattered quick notes.



Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: