Pile of Index Cards

Division of an indexcard and fieldnote can be easily understood through a metaphor on computer.

brain = CPU / Fieldnote = Virtual Memory (HDD) / indexcards+Dock = HDD

Main use of the fieldnote in the PoI system is temporal idea capturer. Almost all topics on the fieldnote will be copied to indexcard and stored in the dock later. Simple to-dos, buying toilet paper for example, are processed on fieldnote without copying to indexcard.

The fieldnote reduce an effort to remember/remind stuffs. It helps to increase one’s brain usage as Central Processing Unit (CPU). Our brain could work as vaporous, if we have reliable virtual memory and HDD behind.

Revised : 2006.12.23 15:13 Delete SIS and add PoI instead. I replaced “indexcarding system” to “PoI system” through entire blog.

“Review the past, discover new knowledge”

ref. : Cunfucius, The Analects, Translation by Hawk
ref. : Shibusawa Eiichi, Commentary on the Analects, 2004.
ref. : Beautiful calligraphy by flickr user Kanko*

Cunfucius (in Japanese, Koushi) is great chinese philosopher in 2,500 years ago. This quote is one of his famous superb in “The Analects”. There are many interpritation for the original golden words seen in the picture. For example, worship own ancestors, warm up old friendship, learn from history, etc. (Shibusawa, 2004). Here, I interpret and translate it according to my experience on indexcard.

Same rules with indexcard are applied for the fieldnote.

• Chronological order : Write everything in order it emerges. Life, work, complicated idea, simple idea.
• Four Icons : Record, Discovery, GTD, and Reference.
• Time stamp : I put date stamp on top of every page with rubber stamp. Time stamp is made sometimes. I interpolate time when I copy to indexcard. Again, accuracy is not so important. Rather, uniqueness is a key to define absolute name.

The fieldnote is temporal. Later, I copy almost all topics to indexcard. A check-mark beside topics with pigment pen means “copied to indexcard”. Simple GTDs (to-dos) are processed in the fieldnote without copying to indexcard.

The picture above was taken five months ago according to the date stamp. After five months later, now, I still use exactly same writing format. It may be comfort to me.

# The four icons are useful for anything. I use them for memo on reading book, too.

It might be a simple and natural question. Because the hipsterPDA (hPDA) uses 5×3 indexcard, too.

I used to try hPDA prior to the fieldnote. But it is not compatible with this system in several reason.

• it uses indexcard in portrait (vertical). This is troublesome not only for writing format in this system, but also when storing in the Dock. Conversely, it is difficult to use hPDA in landscape (horizontal) because It doesn’t fit for hand.
• it is impossible to write better letter on hPDA. In this system, an indexcard is data which consists a database. It means we should write in better letter for good visibility.
• it is dissipative. It hold just with a single clip. But I really don’t want lost my cards. Also, I used to wash hPDA together with shirts…

It is somewhat paradoxical but the fieldnote is more compatible with this system than hPDA. In a conceptual meaning, the KM2P is much closer to the hPDA.

Revised 2006.12.26 20:37