# There’s no “right” way to take notes. There’s just your way. ## After talking with thousands of people about their notetaking needs and habits, I've seen some patterns Published [[ Atomic Essay]] on Idea Waypoints --- For the past four years, I've been a moderator in the Obsidian community. And during this experience, it has allowed me to talk with (literally) thousands of people from across the world, each with different needs and approaches. One of the things I'd love to do with this Substack is distill some of this knowledge, as I love sharing what I've learned, and love listening to people's experiences. This will be the first of likely many notes – so if you have questions about my vault (which I keep online) – or my process – please leave them in the comments! If you haven't heard of Obsidian, it's a highly customizable notes app that allows you to connect your notes with \[\[wikilinks]]. Whether you're a writer, a student, a developer, a D&D player – or anything in between – it's a tool that allows flexibility. (And while Obsidian works for me, I'm also the first to tell anyone that it's a a single tool in your toolkit… and the important thing is finding the right tool for you. There are plenty of options as we're seemingly living in this golden age of notetaking apps.) I've met many folks who are trying to figure out what works for them, often bouncing between tools or systems that looked promising but didn't quite land. The truth is, a system or software can make perfect sense on paper — and still not feel right in practice. ## Some systems just don’t fit your brain — and that’s okay. Whether you’re neurodivergent or neurotypical, we all have different cognitive defaults, energy levels, and motivations. What clicks for one person can feel like friction for someone else. (Not all friction is bad… but I'll expand on that another day.) The trap is assuming that friction means _you’re doing it wrong_. More often, it just means the system wasn’t made with _your_ brain in mind. And even if something _did_ work for you once, that doesn’t mean it will always work. I take notes differently when I’m in grad school mode vs. work mode vs. prepping to run a tabletop roleplaying game vs. writing thoughts in the digital margins of a book… I could go on. Within the 10,000 notes in my vault, I cover a lot of ground. The important thing — and something I always caution folks — is there isn't a one-size fits all solution. Context changes everything — and your system should flex with it. --- ## Also? You don’t have to wait until it’s “ready.” I see so many people stall out because they’re waiting for their system to be perfectly organized or aesthetically pleasing. They want the right folders, the right tags, the right graph. I get it. I love good structure. I love beautiful interfaces. But those things are _supporting players_, not the main event. And both can take time. In my case, I'm still using some organizing principles for my own collection of stuff that I used back in the early 2010s, in my Evernote days. And my visual style has adjusted with small tweaks and development over months and years – definitely not when I first started. Notes don’t have to be optimized to be useful. They just have to _work for you, right now_. Start with what you need today. Adjust when it stops working – after reflection on what worked, what didn't, and what you apply to the next prototype. That’s the real system. --- **Today’s question:** What system did you try that didn’t fit — and, importantly, what did you learn from it? # There’s No “Right Way” to Take Notes. There’s Just Your Way. ## After speaking with thousands of people about their note-taking needs and habits, I've seen some patterns. For the past four years, I’ve been a moderator in the [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) community. This experience has let me connect with literally thousands of people worldwide – all with different needs and approaches. Some are just starting out, and some have notes in their system dating back decades. One of the things I want to do with my writing is share what I’ve learned and hear your experiences. This is the first of many notes – so if you have questions about my vault ([which I keep online](https://notes.leahferguson.com/Home)) or my process, please drop them in the comments! If you haven’t heard of [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md), it’s a highly customizable notes app that uses \[\[wikilinks]] to connect ideas. Writers, students, developers, tabletop role playing game masters and players — it works for all kinds of people, and that's barely scratching the surface of who uses it. That said, Obsidian is just one tool in your toolkit. It works for my needs, but I use it in tandem with other software too. The key is finding the right tool for you. And we’re lucky — it’s a golden age of note-taking apps. ## Some systems don’t fit your brain – and that’s okay Whether neurodivergent or neurotypical, we all have different cognitive defaults, energy levels, and motivations. What clicks for one person can feel like friction for another. (Not all friction is bad – but I’ll expand on that another day.) The trap is assuming that friction means _you’re doing it wrong_. More often, it just means the system wasn’t made with _your_ brain in mind. And even if something _did_ work for you once, that doesn’t mean it will always work the way it is today. I wear many hats. I design airports and stadiums. I'm finishing grad school. I'm a design educator. I'm researching accessibility symbols. I'm prepping to run [Call of Cthulhu's](https://notes.leahferguson.com/60+Games/61+Tabletop/Call+of+Cthulhu/Call+of+Cthulhu) *[Masks of Nyarlathotep](https://notes.leahferguson.com/60+Games/61+Tabletop/Call+of+Cthulhu/Sources/Masks+of+Nyarlathotep)* because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment (or my players and friends are…) The reason I mention this: These are all different contexts and notes in my vault – and the templates I use for them are adapted to meet my needs. Within the 10,000+ notes in my vault, I cover a lot of ground. The important thing – and something I always caution folks – is there isn't a one-size fits all solution. Context changes everything – and your system should flex with it. ## You don’t have to wait until it’s “ready.” I see so many people stall because they’re waiting for the perfect file structure, tags, or aesthetic. I get it. I nerd out about structure something fierce, and continue to finetune the appearance of my vault – but they’re supporting players, not the main event. Both structure and style take time to develop. For example, I still use organizing principles from my Evernote days in the early 2010s, and my visual style has evolved slowly over the years. Notes don’t need to be optimized to be useful. They just have to work for you, _right now._ And you need to be able to find them again some day – but search helps with that too! Start with what you need today. Adjust when it stops working – after reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to try next. That’s the real system. --- **Today’s question:** What system did you try that didn’t fit – and, importantly, what did you learn from it?