As an entrepreneur, you probably have a habit of taking notes. But have you ever experienced this: you write something down, only to forget about it later? Or perhaps you record your thoughts, but when you need them, you can’t figure out how to use them effectively.
Regularly organising your notes seems like a good idea, but often it doesn’t help much. The process itself is time-consuming and mentally draining. Even after you’ve sorted through everything, it’s easy to forget what you’ve organised.
So, is there a better way? Here’s a method I’d like to share: Start by recording questions instead of just notes. Then, look for which of your notes can help answer those questions.
What Kind of Questions Should You Record?
Here are three types of questions that work especially well:
- Decision-making
For example: Should I pursue this project? What are the criteria for making this decision? - Confusion or Uncertainty
For example: Why are the costs for this project so high? What are the underlying reasons? (Think of Elon Musk’s “first principles” approach.) - Curiosity
For example: How did someone achieve this? What can I learn from their process?
You can even go back and transform your previous notes into a series of questions and answers.
Why This Works
A good question is the key to capturing and focusing your attention—whether it’s your own attention, or someone else’s. Real thinking doesn’t come from endlessly organising notes, but from exploring with questions in mind. Often, it’s not that we don’t have enough notes, but rather that we don’t have enough good questions.
The value of note-taking isn’t in the act of recording, but in whether your brain can recall the right information at the right time to help solve a problem.
Remember: Your brain is a CPU, not a hard drive. Stop trying to store everything. Instead, learn how to call up knowledge intelligently, just when you need it.
Final Thoughts
Turn your notes into a toolkit of questions and answers. Let questions guide your exploration and learning. With this approach, you’ll find that knowledge management becomes less about storage and more about smart, active retrieval—and that’s what truly empowers entrepreneurs to solve problems and grow.