Field Notes / Essay
Notes you can return to
Write for the person who will read the page later.
A useful note preserves a thought with enough context to recover it. Give the page a clear title, put the main point near the beginning, and explain unfamiliar references. The future reader may be you, after the details have faded.
Separate an observation from a next step. An observation describes what happened; a next step names something you can do. Keeping them distinct makes a notebook useful for both reflection and action without turning every page into a task list.
Use a small index when a notebook grows. A few topic names and page numbers are often sufficient. The aim is to find an idea again, not to construct an elaborate classification system that takes longer to maintain than the notes themselves.
Review occasionally. Cross out what no longer matters, add context where a thought is unclear, and carry forward only the ideas you still need. A notebook can be a working object, with revisions and empty space, rather than a finished performance.