Anabolic Note-Taking

Note-taking and productivity systems such as index cards, Roam, and Getting Things Done tend to fail because they demand heavy maintenance and offer no plan for repair, the author argues. The author says these systems are overly catabolic, focusing on breaking information down rather than using it, and that failures go uncorrected because they are embarrassing and bad for marketing. Proposed remedy: "Anabolic Note-Taking," which emphasizes building ideas into articles and frameworks, and starting by summarizing old notes instead of abandoning them.