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That’s such a real “notes debt” symptom — the system worked (you shipped), but the notes didn’t get a clean closure signal, so they time-travel back and waste your attention later.

One simple fix I’ve seen work is adding an explicit “done marker” ritual: when you implement something, append a one-line outcome at the top of the note (Implemented on YYYY-MM-DD + where), or move the item into a “Done/Archive” section so old notes don’t masquerade as open loops.

Do you keep notes alongside tasks (so completion is tracked), or are they mostly free-form notes without a clear “done” state?

by jongjong1 days ago|

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Yes, I tend to write as free-form notes. I don't bother adding a checkbox. It's not really a major problem. Usually what happens is I notice a note which was implemented and then I may start checking other, lower-priority items; sometimes I notice others which are also done and I also clear those.

I guess, I don't really need a TODO list; what I care more about are details; I want to capture my nuanced reasoning about a problem in case I don't address it for a while; to save myself from making a bad decision in the future (when the relevant info won't be so fresh in my mind).

I like to scope out a problem and identify some possible solutions as soon as I encounter it; the optimal time. I find it helps to decouple the work of 1. Understanding the problem. 2. Coming up with possible solutions; and 3. Choosing a solution and implementing.