It was amazing for me to see how popular the Daily Notes Page is. I have also used the DNP for a long-time and find it a valuable tool.
But recently I had a switch. Primarily due to some work issues (data privacy, etc) I had to stop using my DNP.
But recently I had a switch. Primarily due to some work issues (data privacy, etc) I had to stop using my DNP.
The DNP wasn’t working since I couldn’t use it all day both in work and personal life. Well I could use it, but I couldn’t mix these two universes into one note-taking system.
So it lost its value since I could not have my entire life in one place.
So it lost its value since I could not have my entire life in one place.
I am now DNP free for a few months and I miss some things and I don’t miss some things. Let me tell you what I miss:
DNP is of course a great log of activities that you can go back to in the future.
The DNP gives you a place to write, without thinking about the place to write.
DNP is of course a great log of activities that you can go back to in the future.
The DNP gives you a place to write, without thinking about the place to write.
The DNP is also a mental focusing tool. It gave me a place to log my activities and tasks, and some how served as a quiet partner in the day, pulling me from one thing to the next.
In other words, the DNP has a power to help you be more productive and enhance your mental focus.
In other words, the DNP has a power to help you be more productive and enhance your mental focus.
Not using a DNP now for some months has made me realize a few things:
The DNP was also a fair amount of work. I felt obligated to journal things that really never provided future value. I didn’t go back to these notes as much as I hoped I would.
The DNP was also a fair amount of work. I felt obligated to journal things that really never provided future value. I didn’t go back to these notes as much as I hoped I would.
For the DNP to work well, I had to do a lot of linking to make backlinks work and resurface information. This is not a negative thing, but I realized something:
I relied on backlinks as a “cure-all” for relating information, like if I simply link in my DNP then when I view a topic later through backlinks that the contexts & greater meaning would be clear from events logged in my DNP. But important details were missing.
What?
What?
I realized that rather than taking good intentional notes, being specific about what happened, what I expected and I needed to remember in the future, I just hoped the backlink would help me remember/connect it all.
As if Serendipity would always come to my rescue.
As if Serendipity would always come to my rescue.
So being forced to work without the DNP has led to one important thing: taking much more intentional notes (what do I need from my notes later) and not relying on some “magic” of the note-taking tools to fill in the blanks for me later.
Also since I don’t have a DNP just to “DUMP” into, I am more intentional about where I put those notes, also taking the time to link into (not out of) the note. This forces me to index the note into a greater system for easy access and rediscovery.
In summary, I am not discouraging the use of the DNP. I will likely return to it the future, but hopefully wiser.
The Daily Notes Page can become a black hole of knowledge.
I recommend evaluating its role in your thinking/note-taking life strategy.
The Daily Notes Page can become a black hole of knowledge.
I recommend evaluating its role in your thinking/note-taking life strategy.
Loading suggestions...