What my choices told me about my priorities

2020-04-04 :: life, tiddlywiki

This was a useful exercise for me. I think I’ll try and check in again sometime soon. Here were my thoughts from today.

I was prioritizing long-term storage

When I started using plain text files to store my notes as Org mode files (which I am trying to replace)
When I started using TiddlyWiki, which can be opened/reused wherever I have access to a browser that executes Javascript. It doesn’t necessarily have the longevity of plain text, but it’s close.

I was prioritizing (re-)reading and reflection

When I stopped transcribing my notes into Org mode file, where I would never happen across them unless I specifically went looking for them.
When I started transcribing my handwritten notes into TiddlyWiki, breaking my notes into smaller, more reusable chunks (tiddlers), organizing them all, and making small changes to TiddlyWiki’s interface to encourage exploration.

I am prioritizing focus

When I step away from the computer to think with pen and paper.
When I write notes by hand while reading papers or watching talks.
When I close Slack after realizing I’ve wasted too much time clicking on unread channels and not enough time working.