Your Note-Taking System Isn't the Problem (This Is)

Stop hoarding information. Start writing about it (and build your audience)

You've maybe tried them all.

Obsidian. Notion. Roam Research. Maybe even that fancy $300 leather notebook.

You watch YouTube videos about the "perfect productivity system." You read blog posts and books about "second brains" and "knowledge management." You spend hours setting up templates and organizing your notes.

Yet, your "productivity" didn't improve one bit.

You're still:

• overwhelmed

• drowning in information

• confused about where to find that "important" note when you actually need it.

For the past decade, I've been obsessed with finding the perfect note-taking system.

And here's my conclusion: The issue isn't your notes. But it's something completely different.

What happens to your brain when you consume too much

Your brain turns into a hoarder's garage.

You save every interesting article. You bookmark every "must-read" thread. You download every PDF that promises to change your life.

Pretty soon, you have 2,847 saved items and zero clue what to do with any of them.

Information overload doesn't make you smarter. It makes you stupid.

When you're drowning in info, you can't think clearly. You can't make decisions. And you certainly can't take action.

I used to save 20+ articles per day. I told myself I was "researching." But what I really did was procrastinate.

The more I consumed, the more confused I became. Every expert had a different opinion. Every article contradicts the last one I read.

Analysis paralysis set in hard.

Quality > Quantity

Most people think they need to read everything to stay informed.

That's garbage.

You don't need to read 50 articles about productivity. You need to read one good one and actually implement what it teaches.

You don't need 847 notes about marketing. You need 5 solid principles that you can execute on today.

Ever heard of the Lindy effect? If not, Google or ChatGPT it.

Action is key

Most of your notes will never be useful.

That profound insight you captured from a podcast? You'll never look at it again.

Your Kindle highlights? Pointless.

The only notes that matter are the ones that lead to action.

When I consume information now, I ask myself one question: "What am I going to do with this RIGHT NOW?"

Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now.

If I can't answer that question, I don't take the note.

Every piece of information I capture has a purpose. It's either something I'm going to:

• Write about

• Implement immediately

If it doesn't fit one of these categories, it doesn't make the cut.

Action is the antidote to information overload.

The best note-taking system is worthless

You could have the most sophisticated note-taking system in the world.

Perfect organization. Beautiful templates. Cool icons.

It's all worthless if you're clogging it with garbage.

I see people obsessing over the perfect setup while their notes are filled with random quotes, half-baked thoughts, and information they'll never use.

The real problem? Your intake.

Think of your note-taking system like a water filter. If you pour muddy water through the best filter money can buy, you'll still get dirty water. But if you start with clean water, even a basic filter just does the job.

The same applies to information.

If you're mindlessly consuming everything that crosses your path, no color-labeled system will save you.

Consume good information first

Random consumption leads to random results.

You need to be intentional about what you're learning and why.

There are dozens of emails that hit my inbox every day. And the simple question I'm asking myself is what to consume and what to pass on.

If you're working on improving your email marketing, you don't need to read articles about social media strategy.

If you're focused on course creation, you don't need to consume content about affiliate marketing.

This might sound obvious, but most people violate this principle daily.

They read whatever lands in their inbox. They consume whatever appears in their feed.

They have no filter, no focus, no purpose.

When I feel like I just wasted my time consuming information, it's usually because I didn't have a clear learning goal.

But when I distill information and rewrite the interesting bits in my own terms and words, it becomes a building block for another piece of content. That's when consumption becomes creation.

That's when notes become valuable.