Nat Eliason is Living in The Matrix

Tell me if this sounds like you.

You read something in a book, or you hear something in a meeting, or you have some experience in your life and you want to remember it. So you write it down. Maybe you write it in a paper notebook, or maybe you write it in a note-taking system.

As you’re writing, a nagging feeling pops up: where do I put this? You want to put this golden nugget of information somewhere that you’ll find it again. You want to put it somewhere that it will be useful when you need it.

But the problem is: when? When will you need it? You can’t predict. You can’t predict, so you don’t know where to put it. 

Should you put it in the notebook of the project it’s most directly related to? Should you file it under your book notes? Should you file it away under the author’s name? Or maybe under the subject?

The possibilities are endless and overwhelming. 

So you satisfice. You stick it somewhere and forget about it. You do that over and over again. Soon, your Evernote, Notion, and Apple Notes all become a black hole of unread and totally forgotten notes. 

The nagging feeling persists, though you try to ignore it. Your life becomes gray, and lifeless. You dream of something more.