Productivity Messiness
Illusions. Roam Research. Notion. The Database Wars. Zettelkasten. Mistborn. Cardinals First Base Statistics. Entropy. Copyright and Fair Use.
Warning, the next thousand plus words are technical-style wonky and include boring topics touching on government social programs, the 1990s database wars, and system-level thinking. But it’s predominately about taking notes. Is your excitement building? Or have you deleted this already?
I’m okay either way. Personally, I geek out over writing productivity and Get Things Done task management (GTD) solutions; these keep my thoughts in a crazy chaotic, loose order to easily access things I often forget like furnace filter sizes in the house. I have nightmares about driving to Home Depot, waltzing down an aisle, and forgetting the dimensions. Rest assured, that’s never happened to me. More importantly, though, I use certain tools to track my writing projects. What I’m thinking about. Why it matters. Where I’m trying to go with it. The problem is, these systems also have a simple trap: We cling to our illusions.
Yes, I’m here typing, but is anything happening? Is this getting me any closer to a finished product? Sometimes it feels like a fight between freedom and the structure I’m trying to build. And I’m not always sure which side’s winning.
Sigh.
Years back, to solve this challenge, I adopted Roam Research, a beautiful service that you can mold to do what you want. For me, that’s a Zettelkasten-lite approach to note-taking. What is this? It’s complicated. I read a book; I learned something from said book.
But I don’t follow its rules perfectly.
You see, my mind jumps. So, I leverage bulleted lists to jot my ideas down on a digital canvas. One never knows when you may find that Jerry Maguire inspiration and write all night. It happens. Roam works great for this. I type. And when I lose the flow, or an idea, I hit enter and move on. Next bullet. It’s easy. I can go from drafting a paragraph on the next Jason Sheridan book to my lunch plans.
Categorizing Chaos and Tools A Plenty
But what makes the system a wonder is that I review my work and categorize each bullet—eventually. Does this belong in a blog post? High-minded literature? Maybe a hiking trail to take or a restaurant to try? If you’re in professional sales, you might want to highlight a contact or update an account plan. A nurse? Use it to document a work process.
One day, if this fledgling idea graduates to a full article or book, I can just adjust the tag and track accordingly. It’s not uncommon to have multiple bullets correlate around the same idea.
When this happens, trumpets sound, and angels descend down upon high.
And the system is portable, Roam isn’t required. I could do this with note cards (stack and sort)—some folks do. It’s an easy way to get started. There are infinite options.
All businesses gravitate toward certain tools due to licensing, security, or legal constraints. If you work for Google, they want the employees using Docs or Keep instead of OneNote. Because I’ve logged stops across Big Tech and writers will grasp at straws to improve their work, I tend to tinker with everything. Some I’ve abandoned due to fit—SimpleNote, Bear, AppleNotes (granted, Apple is quickly changing the game, and the pencil integration is fantastic).
All Roads Lead to Roam, Until They Don’t
Then, there is Notion.
I’ve tried to love it. The company has built a legion of diehard fans and iterates quickly. But its structure has limited the Zettelkasten in me. Why? The lack of an easy Daily Note featureobs. In Roam (and Obsidian), you just bullet. At end of day, nobody wants to see an empty page. It’s a motivator. A strong one, it turns out. I drafted two books last year. That doesn’t mean they are masterpieces, but they are on paper.
Again, I just start typing; when my idea loses steam I hit enter and move to the next one.
Day end, I go back and tag the output using backlinks. If the snippets are related to an upcoming post, I tag them. If my brain hops to researching details on Alexander the Great for no particular reason, I bullet the details and save them for later—the last JPLA newsletter took three months before finish. If I have no idea what I’m doing, I’ll save it for later. The workflow is simple and powerful.
And Notion doesn’t have it, not really.
I tried resolving the problem by downloading templates. There are hundreds of these; a regular economy has been built around Notion productivity systems. None landed. There were no Eureka moments. I almost abandoned switching, but one thing made the tool click, at least for me.
Database Structure Matters
Yes, it’s the database—the greatest technology created over the last fifty years. No, it’s not AI. For me, it’s all about rows and columns. I lived through the ‘90s database wars between IBM, Sybase, Microsoft, Informix, and Oracle, flowing into the early 2000s. The technology has been a part of my career—like an old glove, now and then you do get to go home again. Both Roam and Notion use databases but with entirely different approaches.
Roam Research is an interconnected graph database where information flows through bidirectional links. Each bullet is an entry. The loose categories link the bullets together. There is a spontaneity in using it.
But Notion is structured more like a yesteryear database; here, each page or entry functions as a record with fields (properties) attached to it. Basically, it’s a text blob. It took time to wrap my head around this, but I was off and running once that clicked. What I like about switching tools is that it allows me to reexamine my workflow. Systems matter.
With pen in hand, I wrote down my Roam categories—writing snippets, article ideas, projects considering, books to read, things to remember (those furnace filter sizes again), movies to watch, famous quotes, etc., With the initial mapping documented, I built a global tag database. Here, it’s a big, one-column table with simple descriptions.
Then, I created another database called the Slip Box—a Zettelkasten concept—that links to the global tag database. In Roam, this is just a category where I toss everything. If an idea hasn’t boiled enough yet it stays here, but it’s important to check these remnants because every idea needs a place. That crazy dream kicking around inside your head has to find a home. Also, I created another database to track tasks around the messiness inside my Slip Box, leveraging the same interconnected tags and tables.
The Sprawl of Spiderweb Views
But evildoers and do-good nicks beware, flexibility can lead to complexity. Interconnected tables have their place, sure. But the bigger the system gets, it’s easy to lose the plot amidst a growing maze. Take, for example, the controversy with the US Treasury where online trolls shouted how the government pays out social security to impossibly old people.
Be skeptical. Isolated records rarely tell the entire story.
Effective applications and databases use interconnected tables with cross-referenced records, lookup tables for validation, and indexes to prevent fraud and minimize large-scale errors. Data might mistakenly associate a SSN with my 125-year-doppelgänger; however, COBOL logic can reference another table to prevent an erroneous or fraudulent payment.
Similarly, with Notion using far-less complexity (I’m only tracking my own mess), I created individual views in each defined category on separate pages. A corresponding view for accepted projects. And another view that also links to a database to track tasks. Between both, I can review each project, where I spend my time, and, more importantly, if I’m falling behind.
Yes, it happens. Writing happens in spurts. So does being productive.
Letting Go
What makes Roam work is that it’s a consistent changing flow. Notion hardens the process but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Still, the lack of the daily page bothered me a touch. I resolved this by creating a simple static page called, yes, The Daily Note. Now, I do miss being able to see each day how much I’ve written (and how little, also important). But what I do love here is that I can right-click each bullet and simply send the snippet to the project or post or whatever. If I don’t have a place for thought/idea, I leave it. Or I move it into the Slip Box for later.
Remember a productivity system doesn’t have to be in Roam, Evernote, Bear, or Notion. These could be ideas on a stack of notecards waiting to be sorted.
And if you can’t find a place for a thought? Sadly, some ideas deserve to die. I don’t do this enough. Writing takes time—books even more so. There is no need to hoard every insight. The muses of myth and legend are generous; trust that what you let go will find another eager soul ready to run with it. Writing—and life—demands such honesty. I guess… maybe… I don’t know. Onward.
Other Thoughts:
This is a companion update post to Zettelkasten Wasn’t Built In A Day, which highlights my Roam Research setup from three years ago. The setup in Notion is similar with some tweaks.
For the header image, I ran the original picture from the 2022 post through OpenAI’s service before touching up in Adobe. I will say the new OpenAI image creator has raised its game this week. Before the update, it was only okay, but, after, the improvements its about on par with what I can do in Adobe. And it’s scary fast too.
Note, I ended up cutting out an extensive section on mainframe look-up tables that was boring; I used to have a fascination on optimizers, etc., comparing database products on the market. Those were the days… And yes, mainframes are secure systems. In time, we’ll probably praise the government for outperforming publicly traded banks. And those shouting fraud into the internet void can move on to the next conspiracy.
Be Cool, Pass The JPLA On …
What I’m Reading (Mistborn):
I’ve been reading and listening to writers lately, talking about their approach and best practices. I didn’t have any aha moment here from the books or podcasts, but I did discover Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series. Here, the lead character Vin joins a daring plan to overthrow the tyrant Lord Ruler (what a great name for a villain).
I loved Terry Brooks growing up (the first three Shannara books are classics); Sanderson’s style reminds of these straight-forward fairy-tales. Fast-moving, despite the length.
But the twist is that Sanderson’s Final Empire is part fantasy mixed in with a dash of Ocean’s 11. And the final turn I somewhat saw coming, but it was so well-executed I couldn’t help but smile. The complexity makes the world.
A worthy read.
What I’m Watching (Cardinals Spring Training):
I don’t know Redbird fans.
Choices are complicated. In December 2022, the Cardinals signed catcher Wilson Contreras to a 5 year / 87M contract to replace future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina. And then, the team realized he couldn’t catch to their expectations—often criticizing how he managed a game before injury limited his playing time. To solve this problem, they’ve made him the full-time first baseman, which means the team will break camp with two backups at the position (Luken Baker and Alex Burleson) and two catchers (Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages). Yes, I know the DH is there too. But unless he slashes 24HRs / 64RBIs, better than his 2019 season, he’s expensive compared to the average NL first baseman.
I’m not even touching on the pitching dilemma, sending arguably their best tools to the minors. Yes, there is always a balance in managing a team for the future. However, Yoda said it best about Luke Skywalker, “This one, a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was.”
That’s why we play the games. And we should always play to win, putting the best team on the field. If the season ended today, we’d be in first place, but there is a long road ahead.
What I’m Tinkering With (Pacing and Entropy):
Writing has a certain rhythm.
I’ve been pondering entropy—it’s one of those laws of thermodynamics that measures disorder and chaos—while researching a book. Then, I went on a hike and stumbled upon an application idea/feature to measure changes within plot progression. It’s nothing too complicated, and I’m not sure if it’s valuable yet. But I’m going to run measurements on public domain books, just to see if the shifts highlight any trends.
Technically, you could use entropy algorithms on any datapoint to determine slow downs—sales pipeline, inventory levels, projects hours, etc., I’m sure someone has tried this before; no idea is new, it’s all about execution.
Other Random Articles and Notes:
Beating Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream in Nintendo’s Punch-Out? Challenging. But I never thought it could be done in the first round, let alone in less than two minutes. Only took over 75,000 attempts over a five-year span.
New Monopoly, coming soon.
Information loops. Thoughts on data.
When Words Fail (For the Sake of National Security Edition):
“The initiative is supposed to “enhance America’s position as an AI powerhouse,” while preventing “burdensome requirements” from impacting innovation.”
The Verge | OpenAI and Google ask the government to let them train AI on content they don’t own without penalty
