Same; I've been using various note taking approaches over the years, but my "problem" is that I rarely actually have to go back to a note, they are usually only relevant for one task like e.g. writing a blog post or implementing a feature.
So while I'd like to retain my knowledge and research somewhere, at the same time I don't actually use it???
But some writing I've done that will be relevant in the next years is writing ADR's (Architecture Decision Records) in my application about technology and architecture choices I've made, so I can look them up later, use it to train new people, and have a basis to challenge a decision on as well. That's more practical for my personal situation.
But maybe one day I'll be doing something more academic and will need a way to collate research and the like.
I would say that one of the goals of note taking is to make it so that you don't need to go back to them. If you write notes about a book you read, not copy-pasting the exact quotes, but writing your understanding, you'll be more likely to remember it later. And if, at some point you want to remember more, then you actually go to the note and check.
I completely agree. Note apps are focused on categorization when 90% of note taking is creation, not retrieval. I have a new app that’s focused on creating notes as quickly as possible, working offline, and syncing to all your devices (web too). I’d love to include you in the alpha we’re launching this week, just send me an email and we’ll add you. This is open to anyone else as well!
This is why I always come back to Apple's humble Notes app after trying the others. It's simple and dumb enough that it gets out of the way and just lets me write notes on my mac or my phone and everything is quietly synced for offline use.
Once I start thinking about how I'm going to use the note, I go down a rabbit hole of style / format considerations and it gets in the way of the idea I was trying to capture. So now I give myself permission to just write a note and if it does need to morph into something more structured, it's only a copy-paste away to a fancier tool.
So while I'd like to retain my knowledge and research somewhere, at the same time I don't actually use it???
But some writing I've done that will be relevant in the next years is writing ADR's (Architecture Decision Records) in my application about technology and architecture choices I've made, so I can look them up later, use it to train new people, and have a basis to challenge a decision on as well. That's more practical for my personal situation.
But maybe one day I'll be doing something more academic and will need a way to collate research and the like.