Here’s the missing piece that changes everything.

Why Your Note-Taking System Is Holding You Back (And the One Shift You Need to Make)

Ev Chapman
5 min readSep 15, 2024

Most people do note-taking in a passive way.

Traditional note-taking methods mostly feel like information storage. You spend so much time organising, categorising, and filing rather than the real work of exploring & working with ideas.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

It’s why so many fail when it comes to building a meaningful note-taking system that you’ll actually want to use.

Because our ideas aren’t passive.

They shift, evolve, and often connect in ways we don’t see coming.

And it’s why I abandoned traditional methods for a new way of organising my notes that has helped me take more notes, remember & connect with my ideas and build a library of ideas that have been actually useful.

Here’s My Bottom’s Up Approach To Organising My Notes:

Step 1: Capture & Actually Review Your Notes

This step is deceptively simple but so often overlooked: review your notes before connecting them.

I used to stash quotes and highlights into my system, thinking I was doing the…

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Ev Chapman
Ev Chapman

Written by Ev Chapman

Personal Knowledge Coach | I help professionals package their expertise into content & products that generate independent income 💸

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