We can't be true to ourselves if we don't know what we want, and more importantly why, so that's where we must begin.

This may seem very woo-woo, but it can be as simple as paying attention to What resonates with us, what sparks our interest-and, importantly, what does not.

By recording our lives, we're simultaneously creating a rich archive of our choices and our actions for future reference.

We can study our mistakes and learn from them. Studying our failures and our victories can provide tremendous insight, guidance, and motivation as we plot our way forward.

• If at some point you feel overwhelmed, take a step back and start by implementing only the pieces that make sense.
• Most components are self-contained by design, so you can effectively use them even if you don’t use the rest.
• Start with what speaks to you-even if it's just one piece-and build to there.

• Allow ambiguous nuggets to make it through even before their utility is clear.
• Notes include facts, ideas, thoughts, and observations. They log information you want to remember that isn’t immediately or necessarily actionable.

By keeping your Notes short, you're forced to distill information down to the essential. As information gets distilled, it becomes more potent, more usable, and more valuable.

Distillation doesn't have to happen late in the workflow. You can often distill something right at the moment of capturing it.

Your notes will be useless if they can't be deciphered in a week, month, or year from now.

Honor your relationship with your "future self" by honoring them, looking out for their needs, and making sure you're thinking about them today and in the future.