When I was a child, I desperately wanted to be a writer. I hung around book signings and listened to authors talk about their processes. Many of them mentioned notes. Do you have an idea? Make a note. Hear something interesting? Mark it down. I was confused because I didn’t understand how you could RELATED notes and then, weeks later, magically remember they exist and use them in your writing. As a process-oriented person, I wanted to know every step. Where do you write notes? What kind of detail should they have? When do you see them? How does a note go from a thought to something more substantial?
Now that I’m both an adult and a real writer (yes!), I take a ton of notes about a lot more things than writing. What I’ve learned is that the purpose of notes is to improve your life.
So what kind of notes can change your life?
1. Postmortems of the past
For starters, I make notes about big life events that might happen more than once, like moving house and changing jobs (or, for some people, “having a baby” is a great example). When a big life event happens, I write down what went well and what could have gone better so that the next time I experience it, I can learn from my past experiences.
I call them posthumous notes because I worked at a magazine about the video game production business; in every issue, we had a “postmortem” feature. Some people from a video game company were writing an article about what went right and what went wrong during the development of a certain game. That way, the team could learn lessons for next time, and every game developer reading the article would learn as well. I did the same practice and started making notes about my personal life whenever it seemed relevant.
The main thing for me is moving house, which I do very often and sometimes even across borders. Getting the moving details right, like what I put in my suitcases versus what I pack and ship, makes a huge difference in both my moving comfort and how much it costs.
All I do is create a new text note in my note-taking app, which is Joplin at the moment, and make points in two sections: What went right and what went wrong.
Looking at these notes, I can see that moving pets is always stressful and that unexpected problems arise no matter how hard I try to perfect the process. Another highlight says I need to stock up on prescription medications and contact lenses (which I mail order) before a move so I don’t get caught without them while my mail is being delivered. It seems like years ago I regretted packing my dog brush instead of carrying it in my purse. Hitting these notes before one move always makes the next one easier, better, and more comfortable.
2. Journal Entries for Emotional Growth
Another type of entry is a journal entry. I have kept a daily journal regularly for 10 years, which sounds like more than it is. I record the events of the day and my reaction to them. More often than I’d like to admit, I turn to those sites to prove myself right about something, like who was at an event or what happened. My journal is digital, which means I can easily search it and I don’t need to flip through pages of paper.
Another and more important way my journals have been helpful is my emotional growth. A few years ago, I read some journal entries that made me realize that some very stressful things happened back to back. It was just after COVID-19 had started to spread globally. I was in the process of moving from Europe to the US. That I remember. But going through my journals, I realized that I also had a major medical problem that started just a few days after that. Then one of my dogs was seriously injured. Then, I learned that I needed surgery, but that the hospital wouldn’t schedule it until June because of COVID-19.
When we are in the middle of things, we don’t always realize that one trauma was followed by another and another in succession. Our brain does not always associate bad events, but treats them as separate and unrelated events. Being able to see and acknowledge that you’ve been through a bombshell of experiences can help you process them differently and with more self-compassion.
3. Calendar events to be a better adult
Whether you’re forgetful or not, it doesn’t matter if you keep your calendar ticking important dates and recording upcoming events. I rely on my calendar all the time, not only for appointment reminders, but also to improve my growth.
(Credit: Google/Jill Duffy)
When a friend or extended family member mentions their birthday, I make a calendar entry for them and try to text them that day. I make the calendar event yellow to make it stand out more. When I can’t remember the last time I went to the dentist or a certain doctor, I look it up on my calendar so I can schedule my next visit in a timely manner, both for health and health insurance. If I make a calendar event for someone’s wedding, then I always know when their anniversary is. If I mark a pregnant woman’s due date, I see it on my calendar and remember to ask how they are doing until then.
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I also set calendar events for bets I make with my partner who told me in 2018 that weed would be federally legal within five years or I’d get $100 (which I did). Cashing out bets may not make me a better adult, but it does give me some money.
4. Photo notes for quick reference
Occasionally, my notes take the form of photographs. Usually, it’s something I don’t need to save for the rest of my life, but need to refer to quickly while on the go.
For example, my favorite grocery store has a large bin in the front for recycling all kinds of things (pictured below). But what things exactly? I always forget. That’s why I took a picture. Now I know to take an old pair of sneakers with me next time I go shopping.
(Credit: Jill Duffy)
If there is a store I go to regularly, I take a picture of the sign showing its hours. If I have a particularly good bottle of wine, I take a picture – I can write the details in my notes, but I don’t want to take the time to do that if I’m socializing. A quick photo is best in this case.
The last time I bought a bike, I took pictures of the price tags on the ones I tested because they had the make and model on them. Again, I could have made notes about them, but that would be hard to do in a busy bike shop. It was much easier and quicker to take some photos and look up more information about each bike when I got home.
(Credit: Jill Duffy)
Connecting the dots
Of course, I’m more organized than the average person. I write down all kinds of important things to make sure I’m on top of them. After years of doing it, I finally connected the dots to see how taking the right kinds of notes makes my life significantly better. It’s a far cry from what I expected note-taking to be like as a kid listening to writers talk about their creative process (although I certainly take creative notes too), but these other notes are more valuable to me—and maybe it will be for you too.
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About Jill Duffy
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