On keeping or discarding fleeting notes
In chapter 6, Simplicity is Paramount of How to Take Smart Notes three types of notes are discussed:
- Fleeting notes
- Permanent notes
- Project-specific notes
Sönke argues you should not keep fleeting notes, but process and then discard them. He explains that, if you don’t delete fleeting notes, they will clutter up the system and later prevent you from finding the actual relevant, permanent notes.
This has me thinking about to what extent I capture fleeting notes, how I distinguish these from permanent notes, and whether to archive them versus completely deleting them.
I currently timestamp notes that capture more fleeting, context-specific information and keep them in an Archives folder.
This clearly distinguishes them from more permanent notes, which don’t have a timestamp and live in the Notes folder.
For now I will continue to stick to this system, though I may revisit this as my collection grows.