Why note-taking apps don't make us smarter

thinking is an active pursuit — one that often happens when you are spending long stretches of time staring into space, then writing a bit, and then staring into space a bit more. It’s here that the connections are made and the insights are formed. And it is a process that stubbornly resists automation.

it is probably a mistake, in the end, to ask software to improve our thinking. Even if you can rescue your attention from the acid bath of the internet; even if you can gather the most interesting data and observations into the app of your choosing; even if you revisit that data from time to time — this will not be enough. It might not even be wort... See more

Some note-taking software will now show you a subset of your notes at regular intervals to help you jog your memory; a third-party plug-in for this is now available for Roam. To my mind, though, this needs a first-party solution: Roam should show me old concepts, ideas, and even people and places when I open it each day, and encourage me to do more... See more