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Tools versus Systems

scottnesbitt.online · 380 words · saved by 1 readers

In a previous post, I shared my opinion about why I don’t think most people need a system for taking notes. That post received more than a few reactions. Some of those reactions seemed to conflate tools for taking notes with systems for taking notes. Yes, the two are different. Tools are just that. Software, online services, mobile apps, even the venerable combination of pen and paper. They’re implements for jotting down thoughts, ideas, snippets, and more. Systems, on the other hand, have more moving parts. Tools are components of a system, but a system consists of more than just tools. And, it’s not uncommon for some folks to push their note taking systems into intricate territory. Here’s an example: Capture whatever in a Midori notebook using a Lamy pen. Then, at some point, transfer what’s in the notebook to Emacs + org-mode or Obsidian or something else. There, tag and classify and link those notes. Unless, of course, you’re taking notes while reading — those notes are saved on a

In a previous post , I shared my opinion about why I don’t think most people need a system for taking notes. That post received more than a few reactions. Some of those reactions seemed to conflate tools for taking notes with systems for taking notes. Yes, the two are different. Tools are just that. Software, online services, mobile apps, even the venerable combination of pen and paper. They’re implements for jotting down thoughts, ideas, snippets, and more. Systems, on the other hand, have more moving parts. Tools are components of a system, but a system consists of more than just tools. And,

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