We find ; take a photo ;
forget ; and remember again.
What about idea in our mind? An idea is
abstract and invisible : It is impossible to take a photo.
But we have indexcard and fieldnote. We can take a snapshot of our
idea with them, like taking snapshot of scene.
According to the statistics of my
system, at the beginning this year, it was only 20 cards per
month. But in March, it jumps to 400 cards, which records the
maximum through this year.
The differences in February and March are,
- hipsterPDA format (portrait) to PoI format
(landscape)
- Pigment pen ; black ink to blue ink
- implementation of four card rule
- implementation of Icon and Tag rule
- chronological
order in a card box
It followed by minimum in May (besides February) when my job had been busy. Then it gradually increased until August. In the beginning of July, I introduced Flickr, and in late August, I started start this blog. The number of cards reflects my mental state as well. Main reason of decrease in September was, according to my Record Card, I was mentally depressed. After that, the number gradually recovered.
It seems the number converge and approaches to equilibrium now. The equilibrium point is about 10 cards/day (300 cards/month). If I include cards for "work", then the number is doubled, 20 cards/day. Perhaps it is comfort number for me.
As a summary of this year, as well as a sample of introducing the PoI system/method
ref. : Divergence, convergence,
a discussion related to indexcard @ Flickr
I call a state of my Dock like this title. I
have never think my Dock as gem box. There are gems, but not all.
And it's totally o.k.
See a Pyramid in Egypt. It is constructed by pile of stones. The
stones is useless if it is divided one by one. But if a stone is
uniform block and well organized, even though single block is
useless, it is possible to become such a great construction.
Even group of several stones, it is possible to metamorphose into a
gem. As Josh and Jamie wrote before (here and here), we are trying to find pattern between our
individual thoughts, events around us. If we could find a pattern
from several "stone" cards, the knowledge generate new "gem"
card.
Conversely, if my Dock is full bunch of gems, it means I try to
write and select only gem all time. It will be stressful. And the
system doesn't succeed to function as capturing "any" idea.
There are tons of stone card, tiny and apparently useless ideas, in
my Dock. But I don't know their true worth at the time I write
them. As Steve Jobs
said, all we can do is to connect dots (cards) backward. So I
don't trash any single card. Rather, I keep all of them for future
use.
ref. : Indexcard Survey @
Shinjyuku
and @ San
Francisco
What is surprise for me with quad
(short for "quadrille") card in U.S. is, as Lepard and Gregkise pointed out, the cut is not
associated with the grid. As a result, if I see the card's edge
from top, the grid is totally random. This quad card could not be
use for the PoI system, especially for "tag".
Another difference is grid spacing. For Office Depot's : 6 mm each,
and for Correct's : 5 mm each. Since I have been using 5 mm grid,
the Correct's one looks more tight, tense, and compact for
me.
I have never imagine how different the quad card in U.S. and Japan.
I realize that how difficult to obtain quad card like the
Correct's. Long time I had thought indexcard like the Correct's is
easy to get even in abroad ; but it's not.
Summarize various reports from my friends (Leopard, Gregkise, John, Ayalan, and David) and my research, only the Correct achieve this marvelous,
state-of-the-art work. And I realized that my method won't be
achieved without the Correct's products. This is one large key of
the PoI system.
As a simple solution for this problem, I decide to provide
"Starter Kit"
to you in abroad.
Revised 2007.01.02 12:01
Revised 2006.12.22 08:25 : Added photos and description about grid
spacing.
0 - 1,000 (0 - teenage) : When I just started using indexcard. I just enjoy writing card day by day. I simply enjoy the Dock is filled by written card. This resembles when I was child. I enjoyed to get new information, knowledge from outside of me. Through family, friend, school, adventure, etc.
1,000 - 2,000 (20- 30 years old) : Keep up writing card. The number of card exceed a thousand. It can be reorganized/reused to find further knowledge. The system starts to function as knowledge database.
1,000 - 5,000 (30 - 40 years old) : Cards in the Dock is full. I added new Dock. Getting more and more difficult handle all cards in the Dock because of huge number. It takes an hour to flip through all cards. Same time, card and card is connected like organ. I find a pattern between card and card; which we call as "wisdom" in our life.
5,000 - (40 - years old) : A complexity of system being maximum. Difficult to handle all cards (ref. : Known issue). Now problem is how to reduce card. I should choose how to write, how not to write. How to keep, how to discard. Perhaps "forgetfulness" is an important feature of human in order to reduce information in a brain. For human, only high quality information survive by forgetting small things. Bunch of wisdom.
It makes me feel some kind of accomplishment. It says "Well done! Let's go to next card" to me, and triggers next card.
I miss this sound when I use computer. Rather, a computer makes sound when I do something wrong (beep). Perhaps this makes big difference to my productivity. In fact, I usually use computer without sound.
The sound of indexcard attracts me to analog world so strongly.
# The only computer beep I love is startup sound of Macintosh
ref. : Writing manual from
indexcards
As this blog do, implementing the
"analog" PoI system to "digital" blog system is easily done.
Feature of the PoI system is,
- Icon and
Tag (Record, Discovery, Reference + GTD)
- Title and
contents
- Date and Time
stamp
- Chronological
order
- Link between
cards
- Revision Rule (Capability of modification)
- Capability of
Reorganization
- Star
system
- Reduce Tag to only 3-4 kinds (Record,
Discovery, Reference + GTD)
- Make title exact and short
- Write the contents piece by piece
- Allow revision/modification of the contents
(revised time should be recorded)
- Link between card and card, to external world,
by using hyperlink
- the blog should/must be private
# Wish-list and problems-to-be-solved should be discussed. Any idea?
ref. : Inertia of
writing
ref. : Avalanche writing
Every single morning, I feel difficulty
with start writing. Consciously or subconsciously, whatever. I used
to spent long time to start writing with thinking "what I should
write...". In terrible case, I couldn't write even single
card.
One day, I found there is a tip to overcome it. The answer is
simple : just start writing. Anything is o.k. All I need is just
pick up a pen and card, and start.
But same time, if I say "let's start writing", I feel a certain
resistance. Rather, I say for myself "let's start from
diary". More precisely, I start from a weather of the day,
like "Fine", "Cloudy" etc. In Japanese, it is just two or three
letters (晴れ or
くもり).
Then record what happen in the morning, say "got up 7:00" "arrive
at office 8:30", on the same card. It's not difficult, too. Just
describe without thinking. That way, I fill a first card of the
day. And it's enough to start avalanche of writing.
ref. : Strict chronological
order
The revision rule of Noguchi filing system sounds quite useful to keep
system "alive". I think there is another way to implement it into
the PoI system.
For example, when you pick up an indexcard from the dock, mark the
top edge with a color pen, say red, then return to it's original
position the dock. The order is unchanged. When you use the
indexcard again, you put one more mark. Like a star for soldiers.
Consequently, there are many mark for indexcard that you use
frequently. Then you'll clearly see which card you used before.
For example, when I upload new photos,
they appear in the top-left of the page, where people view first
and frequently (that is, V=1, x=t=0 -> A = 1 = maximum). Older
photos are pushed down down down to the bottom of the page. This
looks like I put indexcards I just write on card stand or box where
I can see all time.
For classification, flicker basically doesn't need classification.
Just upload first, and sometime later, classify them for
convenience. This makes us free from a load of classification at
very first stage of photo sharing process.
# Did you notice that? I hadn't notice at all!
Revised : 2006.11.26 Title is changed
Ref. : Article, If you want, then start to
laugh
I mentioned there are only two kind of
job : want to do, and must do. We cannot escape from 'must do' kind
of job in daily life. Here is a small trick to change your
mood.
Just replace 'must' to 'want to' in your mind, even you don't want
to do it so much. The title of this article means a replacement in
'sed' command on UNIX. It works as filter like,
- I must go to city hall tomorrow. -> s/must/want to/
->
I want to go to city hall tomorrow. - I must finish this paper work until tomorrow. ->
s/must/want to/ ->
I want to finish this paper work until tomorrow.
- If a stuff is far from me, I don't access (dependency on
spacial distance)
- I easily forget about a stuff (dependency on elapsed
time)
- Frequency of access drastically decrease with space and
time
- If I don't see a stuff, I forget it (dependency on
visibility)
where A is frequency of access (or just "accessibility"), V is visibility (0 <= V <= 1), x is spacial distance, and t is elapsed time.
 |
 |
| In case you see it (V = 1) | In case you don't see it (V = 0.1) |
This equation is visually understand through above two graphs. Assume you are at origin (x=0, t=0). Accessibility is maximum at the origin, and it decrease exponentially with spatial distance and elapsed time. The left graph is for V = 1, that is you see a stuff all time. Something just in front of you. Then the accessibility is the highest. The right graph is for V = 0.1, that is you don't see a stuff. For example, a stuff in a closed drawer. In this case, the accessibility is almost zero even though the stuff is spatially and temporally close to you.
Dale Carnegie quoted this words in his book "How to stop worrying and start living (or Japanese version)". He suggested that we must live in more simple way. Before I read this book, I had had meal just because of hungry. Just as daily custom. There is no special meaning for me.
Now I have been trying to have meal If I could feel satisfaction for my work. I don't eat while I achieve a certain objective. Sometime it takes long to finish the work, and then I have lunch at 17:00, for example.
If I could finish the work in satisfaction, on the other hand, the meal have special meaning for me : it is given to the achievement. This story may sounds primitive. But it really works good for me.
What is important here is that the previous indexcard must be in my sight. It makes easy to trigger new idea. If I don't (or can't) see the card, the chain may be broken.
I had used the KM2P as indexcard holder. A problem, however, is that it is difficult to see inside the pockets.
Lately I start to use card stand to make indexcard stand and visible. In case I have to take indexcards I pick up indexcards from the stand and put it in the KM2P as before.
A classification of indexcard by
project is tiny tiny matter. It takes only few second in time
maybe. But it incredibly reduced number of indexcard I write.
Same is true for text editor on computer. I do love to use Vim for programming. The Vim
(or just vi) enables to move line to line only with keyboard. It
helps to connect thinking and writing, brain and hand more
seamlessly. I also use TextMate because of it's friendly interface and useful
templates. If I use it for programming, however, I feel I don't
want to write program anymore with TextMate. This is not due to
TextMate, of course, but I'm just frustrated every moment I use
mouse.
Difference between using mouse or not may be less than a second in
time, and few tens of centimeter in distance. This sounds really
tiny matter. But my subconscious honestly react for it.
Ordinary card system is based on
classification. It is 2-dimensional in space (x and y). On the
other hand, my method, chronological sequence, is 1-dimensional in
time (t).
A degree of freedom is less then ordinary system. A matter of
concern is only one degree. It keeps my system simple, easy and
comfort to manage indexcards.
After several months later, the difference of the two system become clear. Indexcard for life increase successfully, and doesn't for work... The only difference is classification of the indexcard. But the effect is obvious.
I found what is important for writing is not convenience by classification, but keep capturing idea sequentially in simple chronological order.
I used Apple's Keynote for this purpose. I thought that is the best way because Keynote's scheme resembles to indexcard. After while, I found major problem with this method.
Idea is not only text, of course, but also image. Rather, image is more powerful than text to express one's idea. But how should I put drawings with Keynote? I know the Adobe Illustrator is the best choice for drawing. But how long does it take to draw ideas in my head with it, especially with PowerBooks's Track Pad? Omni Graffle is better? I don't think so. I thought to get pen tablet as natural. But I have to take it everywhere? No way.
If I concentrate to draw better enough picture, I will forget what I am thinking at that moment. All I need is speed and freedom, and not beauty and detail. From view point of idea capture, paper plus pen posses extremely high degree of freedom than computer. That is one of major reason I switch back from computer to paper.
A computer is good for present one's idea for someone else. But for personal idea capture, I think a paper and pen is still (and forever?) the best.
Ideas in my brain are invisible, of
course. Once I capture it on indexcard, then it become visible in
this real world.
This is simple matter. But it makes me feel comfortable. When I
write a hundred of indexcard in a week, I feel some kind of
satisfaction. I pile it, count it, box it, flip it. Like a child
playing with bricks. I can't feel such satisfaction with digital
media.
I think this simplicity of indexcard attracts me so
strongly.
cf. 'What you see is what you get' (Wikipedia, WYSIWYG)
For example, I put Afghanistan lag on a sofa in my room. The lag has a big hole on it. But in daily life, I don't mind it at all. If I have guest, he/she may immediately notice the big hole. In this case I have a filter about the hole, and the guest doesn't. The filter works convenient sometimes, but it filter-out something we must notice in same time.
To get rid of the filter, I started training with asking 'why?' for everything I see. Once I find a question, then, following to the law of mushroom, I find there are many questions around me. Most of time I can't answer the questions immediately. Sometimes it takes a year to answer to single question. But this is not quiz show. There is no time limit. What is important is think by my own brain. For such thinking process, Pólya's strategy is quite useful.
Removing filter is a beginning of thinking by myself. Now I feel I got different view point of the world.
If I go to mountain to pick up
mushroom, for example, I can't see anything in a forest at the
beginning. But at certain time later I find a mushroom. Then I find
there are many mushrooms around me.
The forest doesn't change during the time, of cource. Just my eye
used to find mushroom. I call this phenomena as 'law of
mushroom'.
Once I start writing indexcard, I can't
stop writing sometimes. I call it 'avalanche writing'. In this
state, the contents of certain indexcard trigger another topic. In
other word, it's like a 'chain reaction' in chemistry. Sometimes I
write an indexcard every minutes.
The trigger is alright with small thing, like an avalanche in
nature. I usually start up writing indexcard of the day with diary.
What time I got up, what happen on a way office, weather,
health.
One day, I surprised that I can't remember Kanji (Chinese character). On input Kanji on computer, it shows candidates for translation to Kanji. All I need is just choose appropriate Kanji from the candidates. It is like difference between 'reading' and 'writing' or 'hearing' and 'doing'.
My colleagues, computer nerd, also complained this problem. We were twenteenager (?) at that time, too early to lose memory. It is obviously come from computer dependence.
Perhaps this problem is special case for Japanese, it is enough to motivate me to return to hand-writing. Memory about Kanji is getting better. And now I believe, from my experience, hand-writing do enhances memory.
Kanji was introduced from China to Japan in 5-6 century. Now Japanese student learn about a thousand of Kanji in elementary school. Usually, Japanese use nearly two thousand of Kanji in daily life (souce : Wikipedia, Jyoyo Kanji). Hiragana and Katakana is derived from Kanji, and there is 104 cases each (Wikipedia, Hiragana). Because of this complicated system, writing in Japanese on computer is more difficult than alphabet system.
We need following procedure for writing on computer,
Input Hiragana -> Translation to
Kanji -> Choose from candidates -> Decision
This procedure is repeated for every
word. Thinking is interrupted by this complicated input
method.
Hand-writing is much much easier and faster than computer for me.
It connects thinking (brain) and writing (hand) more properly.
Writing an indexcard is somewhat like making a piece of brick. After accumulation of indexcard, the set can be organized/reorganized to build something larger structure, e.g. report, paper, book etc..
To realize such re-usability, a contents of single indexcard must be concise. I think the size of 5x3 indexcard is the best for this purpose.
I found that opened door trigger peple
to drop by my office.
I had closed the door of my office because of air-conditioner last
week. Then nobody drop by my office. After I open the door, even
though few tens of centimeter, people start to drop by my office
again.
It is somewhat like atmosphere of my office vacuums people
inside.
Or, perhaps, the door may symbolize our mind is open or not.
Frequency of access dramatically
decreases with distance.
It is maximum at about 50 cm. If you see a circle origins you, you
see your coffee-cup is in the circle with radius of 50 cm. The
frequency is half of maximum at 100 cm, that is, length of
arm.
To make increase productivity, pen and indexcard should be within
the 50 cm circle.
- Todo on Palm
m505 (2002)
- Omni Outliner on iBook (2002)
- Bugs Me on Palm 505 (2003.2 - 2006.5)
- Kokuyo B5 Note 6mm ruled (2003.8-2005.7)
- Circus Ponies Notebook on PowerBook
(2005.4)
From my experience of the long wandering in digital world, I understand the hand-writing on paper is suit for me. I arrived analog world at last. Even after I start to use indexcard, I tried several formats.
- Indexcard 5x3 ruled (2005.7-2005.8)
- Indexcard B6 ruled (2005.8-2006.2)
- Keynote with Indexcard B6 Theme (2005.2006.4)
- Indexcard 5x3 section (2006.2 - 2006.5)
- Indexcard 5x3 section + Fieldnote (2006.5 - Present)
Revised : 2006.12.30 12:38 6 months -> 11 months
Revised : 2006.11.26 some links are added
Revised : 2006.11.04
A first encounter with indexcard in realty was when I was in graduate school. A professor left a box of indexcards in his office when he move to other university. The professor uses indexcard to manage papers he read like librarian do. Perhaps the indexcards were written when he was young, because they were written by typewriter. It was exactly 5x3 indexcard.
When I move to university at Tokyo as researcher, I saw a "real" indexcard is sold in co-op. In Tokyo, and in university, it is relatively easier to find indexcard than country side where I had stayed days of graduate school.
Revised : 2006.12.30 12:31
Revised : 2006.11.26
Revised : 2006.11.04