Keeping useful information with you

Back in the day when I was studying at uni, I would carry with me little notes on anything that I would happen to be studying at the moment. Little summaries of what I was studying such that I didn’t have to open a book and read about it in case I just wanted to refresh my memory.

These days, with the overflow of information about anything compter-related I attack the problem in a similar way, although in a more techie way: I usually keep text files with important information about the matter. The idea is that I keep information that I know I’ll easily forget in those files, so that I can go back and refresh my memory without having to have a look at a book, search google, or ask a friend. Obviously I use text files because they are the most universal format, as they can be accessed and read with anything, so I don’t fall in the trap of having it on a format that is proprietary or difficult to read from other devices.

Now, I put these files in my Dropbox folder so that it’s spread across all my devices. Simply, effective and easy. Also, if you update it on the spot, it magically appears on all your other devices.

For example, now I’m trying to learn more about how to manage and work with Adobe Lightroom, and I find the amount of toggles, switches, options and procedures simply too much, something I’m pretty sure I’ll forget the moment I stop using it for more than 2 weeks. So while I’m learning I always keep these notes up to date.

This has helped me save time many times, so I hope that you find it useful too!