Note-taking in 2025

This is part one of a series on note-taking.

Note-taking is an integral part of daily life for the majority of people, be it for personal or professional needs, but the way we take notes is deeply personal to how we were taught to take notes and what tools were available at the time. Nonetheless, in our current technology-focused world, the expectation is that all of us naturally understand the various options and work them into our lives, regardless of how it jives with our preferences and abilities.

I carry a notebook and pencil everywhere. It's not that I use it all the time or even that it is the only way I take notes, but in a world where we are sucked into devices constantly, having a notebook nearby anchors me to the physical world. Admittedly, I grew up prior to the proliferation of cell phones (it wasn't that long ago), so note-taking was taught with paper and a writing implement (as a parent, I really hope that is still technically true).

Now, in addition to the physical option, I have an iPhone with at least three notes apps installed, an iPad with various apps for notes and annotations, and a Mac with at least five apps that could feasibly be used for notes (in addition to all the ones I don't use and most people don't know even exist on their computers). Additionally, in all of these contexts, I may take notes in different ways for different purposes or outcomes.

Not only is this an area of much variety when it comes to apps (including the addition or intentional lack of AI-focused features), but there is also the natural bifurcation between analog and digital notes. Our brains crave the tactility of physical note-taking and studies have shown that we retain information better when we write things down.

As a technology leader, I am always thinking about where information is captures, communicated, and stored and how to ensure that the short- and long-term needs of the information are met. So too from a personal perspective, I need to capture information; intentionally keep or dispose of it; and be able to share it as needed from there.

As trivial as a notes app can seem on the surface, I started writing today with the intention of explaining the apps I use and the underlying methodologies that help me to stay organized as the world continuously complicates (and overcomplicates) this topic. Instead (as noted at the top of this post), it is now a series. See you next time.