I was reviewing my notes. I wanted to learn more about Stoicism and recalled writing something related to the topic before, but it was buried somewhere. I managed to find a few notes, and I noticed something.
These notes are orphans. Forgotten.
Something was missing in the workflow. There were no clues, no hooks to bring them back.
When I review an old note now, I do one thing before moving on. I turn its core idea into a direct question. Something like: "Where does this concept break down?" or "What would challenge it?" I write the question into the note itself.
Open the note. Read it once without editing.
Write a challenge question. Where does this idea fail? What would push back on it?
Answer it now, or flag it. Add a one-line response or mark it for next review.
Each review adds a new answer or a new question. The note becomes a conversation between you and the idea. This cuts dead review time because you are only responding to one question, not re-reading everything from scratch.
I revisited Andy Matuschak's PKM practice this week. He frames notes as the thinking process itself, not a record of it. Worth a look.
Just another coffee thought from Gav.
