This is exactly the problem that I seem to have. I'm looking for a way to turn that unfocused research into something productive, and it's a tough problem to solve.
Me too, especially with books. I kept getting the feeling it was a waste to read all this great stuff and not use it. Even when I took notes, I never went back to them.
So I started doing this:
- Create 1 file per book (I keep it all in Google Drive)
- The problem is my notes are huge, so at the top of the file I include a TL;DR
- Include in the TL;DR a list of actions: things I can put to use straight away. I copy stuff onto a personal Trello too, so I don't forget
- Also when I'm working on something relevant I can go back to the TL;DR (instead of searching through all the notes)
On top of this, I try to read books that are relevant to what I'm currently working on. I have a huge backlog of books I'd like to read on all sorts of things, but I'll hold back if I think it'll make more sense to read them later on.
Same. Especially with ideas I have a mental map. For instance I find myself revisiting the topic of type systems every 3-4 years (don't me ask me why - I just am a sucker that way) and each time I find it a lot easier to revisit my last mental breadcrumbs rather falling back on books or notes I may have taken. I think laziness has honed me this way.
Yes I do. I keep everything in a single Google Docs document and re-read it from time to time. Maybe it's just me, but I always find it a rewarding experience. (ymmv)
How do you go back to your tactics/strategy notes? For me, I never stumble across old ideas when they would actually be relevant, but systemic review of these ideas seems like a big hassle.
This is where you would add in other techniques to aid you.
I don't know how well it works but the zettelkasten method is a way to organise your notes contextually, with only a little manual overhead. You can also add in what they call "structural notes" (i.e. tables of content) to let you quickly find your way. This would aid you in building up a mental map if you will of what notes you have, and to let you quickly find whatever you can't remember.
Then you can do things like SRS flashcards to continually refresh your memory about topics. They're originally meant for just learning things in the first place but they could easily be adapted to keep throwing back your ideas at you at irregular intervals. That keeps the ideas floating around in your mind without you having to manually go and read them.
I read this specific file weekly (or when lost) and as I read it I’ll often erase stuff that aren’t too useful anymore (or move to other file). It’s important to keep this file in a size small enough for me to enjoy reading it often, and so I force myself to only keep the winners there.
I read the other 20 or so files monthly or when looking for something specific.
Our ideas of memory come from our previous ideas of memory. It's much more malleable than you may have grown to understand.
It really is like bread crumbs when you have deal with things like information overload. There's that whole idea of a 'memory palace' that I like to think about before I go to sleep, because it gives me a structure to meditate on at the end of the day, the thoughts I want to retain and arrange in the ways I'm curious about retaining and arranging them.
A lot of the information we collect can appear ordered, but unless it's a rigorous order proven mathematically, there's no real way to prove anything about the efficiency of our memory. Some thoughts may be useful tomorrow and others may be useful 10 years from now.
So I think it's fun to give it a structure I remember and can travel into, because I chose how to organize it over a very long period of time.
But ultimately I think it depends on ways you are most comfortable thinking about information. My imagination tends to be very visual.
Does anybody think it would be a good idea to use AI to automate reminders of the information when it becomes relevant? How would something like that be implemented?
Very, but you have to be patient. It seems to take around 18 months for the market to catch up with reality. It is really hard to pick when the market will turn, so I just buy and hold until it does.
What does “very” mean? Do you mind quantifying that with a percentage? As it stands it doesn’t really answer the question: “very” is an imprecise measurement.
How would giving an example hurt? You've given away your strategy, a specific example of one of your successes wouldn't hurt you as they'd have recovered their stock price now.
