Evernote Archaeology

There are a lot of good reasons to write things down. It helps improve retention (as long as you take notes by hand, anyway) and functions as a rough record of events, conversations, ideas, etc.

Apps like Evernote, OneNote, Apple Notes, and other alternatives make it easy to keep all your notes in one place. But what good are all those notes if you never do anything with them?

Every once in a while, you should do a little archaeology on your notes. Dig into them to refresh your recollection of the events, conversations, ideas, and anything else you saw fit to write down or save.

Evernote archaeology isn’t complicated. Just start at the bottom of your notebook and review your notes one at a time. As you go through them, take notes on your notes, pulling out anything worth further consideration.

You can probably delete many of your old notes (although not if they are notes in a client file; those you should keep). Make a note of anything that might be important from your old notes in your new one(s). Use it as an opportunity to put things back on your to-do list, to renew conversations, to spark new ideas, or just to remind yourself of things to keep in the back of your mind.

A little Evernote archaeology now and then will keep you sharp and ensure your best thoughts don’t get lost in your archives.

Evernote Archaeology was originally published on Lawyerist.com.