Working on Your Backup Brain?

Dear Stella,

I'm anxious to hear what you're working on, out in the real world!

Hey, when was the last time you kept a three-ring binder for notes, with tabbed sections?

I was an adult. Learning video and sound editing. No clue what I was doing, so I had to keep a log of every step. The logs found their way into an old binder, which soon got tabbed dividers. What a fun learning phase.

Now. Not so much learning, but a constant campaign against forgetting. Even in retirement here on the icy north coast, I have to keep track of home improvements, valuables, family history research, equipment troubleshooting. It never ends.

So I keep notes. Digitally, of course, in stolid old Microsoft OneNote. Its pages and tabs are perfect for the three-ring binder crowd. I love it because I can create links to other files on my hard-drive—spreadsheets, documents, photos, etc.* as well as links to online resources. (I hate losing files in the vast outback of my hard drive. Links in OneNote help a lot.)

Little did I know that these note collections are called Personal Knowledge Management systems. Tiago Forte popularized PKMs in his 2022 book Building a Second Brain. His message: writing things down helps you get things done. In my case, it helps me remember things I swore I'd never forget!

Now, here's a twist. OneNote is great for capturing info that's linear and hierarchical. But I have a couple of writing projects in mind that are currently just a big stew of notes, images, and research. I'm trying out new tools to help make interesting connections AND to help me remember what I read. More on that next letter.

Write soon, xoxo Susan
2 Feb 2025

*For amazingly fast 1- and 2-sided scanning, go get a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1600. It'll clean up your desk fast!

---

Books from Mad in Pursuit and Susan Barrett Price: KITTY'S PEOPLE: the Irish Family Saga about the Rise of a Generous Woman (2022)| HEADLONG: Over the Edge in Pakistan and China (2018) | THE SUDDEN SILENCE: A Tale of Suspense and Found Treasure (2015) | TRIBE OF THE BREAKAWAY BEADS: Book of Exits and Fresh Starts (2011) | PASSION AND PERIL ON THE SILK ROAD: A Thriller in Pakistan and China (2008). Available at Amazon.