I'm a notes nerd, as should be evident by this blog. Everyone's style is different. Here's mine:

Balancing Physical and Digital

Both have their pros.

Digital notes are searchable, easy to reorganize, tag, group, link back to, and edit. In my case, a huge benefit is that I can actually read what I wrote later. (I have terrible handwriting.)

Physical notes, however, encourage a different kind of writing. It's more free, loose, and sketch-like. Since it's so far away from where a finished essay would land, it feels much more organic. It's easier to get emotions out on a physical page than a text file.

Something about brainstorming is easier on paper as well. I used to be a big fan of huge sketch pads for ideating. Something about moving the arm and laying things out broadly really makes the material feel alive.

I know some people swear by keeping most of their notes and organization in written systems like the Zattelkasten system. The only problem for me is that, compared to digital tools, organizing physical media is cumbersome. I know some people find it theraputic. But it's not for me, personally.

Balancing Organized and Free Flowing

If your notes aren't a mess, you're doing it wrong. Not everything that you commit to writing should be organized the moment it flows from your fingers. It's highly necessary that a part of your note-taking process be a mess. It simply clogs up creative space if you think about form right from the get-go.

For me, handwriting is great for this. I used to keep a notebook, but then I'd get precious about it. Now, I use printer paper, legal pads, and sticky notes.

It's not important that these notes are organized. They're oftentimes stream of consciousness. Once an idea needs to be cleaned up, then it will move to another system, such as a markdown file or a draft on my blog.

Then, the organization happens. I can tag pages, place documents in specific topic folders, link to other areas, and edit to my heart's content.

I'm taking the time to explain this because, for a long time, I thought note keeping and journaling was supposed to be highly organized from the start. I blame bullet journal Instagram accounts and social media Sketchbook tours of what are essentially portfolio pieces.

Sometimes, I'm able to stay loose in a text editor. It's not a hard and fast rule. The important thing is the spirit of a sketch, digital or physical. (Marshall Vandruff and Stan Prokopenko have a nice long discussion that ends with the same conclusion.)

Whatever your system, if I can give you one takeaway, it's to be sure that you have space to keep things loose.