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Most people overcomplicate how they review their notes.
They collect tons of ideas but get overwhelmed when it’s time to revisit them. So they turn to rigid systems—weekly reviews, spaced repetition, or over-the-top note-taking processes.
But all these methods do is add another task to your to-do list. And suddenly you've got another chore to complete.
It's no wonder many of us don't like reviewing our notes!
I’ve tried some of the most complex review systems out there, they never worked for me. They always felt forced & my creative sprit rebels against anything that feels forced.
The only thing that has worked for me to regularly review my notes? Spending quality time with them.
That's it. I don't have any complicated routine or strict review schedule. I just focus on spending time with my notes everyday.
It feels natural, not forced.
That's not to say that I'm not intentional. Intention is different to imposing strict rules on yourself. In fact when you are intentional you rarely need those strict rules.
I’m constantly collecting ideas. It could be from a book, a podcast, or just random ideas that come up throughout the day. And I bet you do the same—constantly picking up bits of inspiration that we save.
All of these ideas go into one place I call the Spark Inbox. No multiple inboxes. No crazy systems. Every idea ends up here.
Then each day I dive into the ideas & write.
Here's what I used to get wrong about reviewing my notes. I thought just be reading ideas that I was reviewing them. But our minds are much more engaged and active when we write.
So I take those shower thoughts or random ideas and I write to explore.
As I write, questions naturally come up. This is our brain trying to work things out.
And they make excellent review partners. Rather than try to close every question I like to leave them intentionally open. That way my brain keeps thinking about them throughout the day.
And then the next day I can dive back into my list of questions and start getting down everything my mind has been marinating on.
There's no feeling of obligation or pressure to 'review' in this system. My brain is naturally dwelling on and exploring these ideas. This makes a BIG difference.
We all can get into the same habits of thinking.
So I try to make it a practice to go deeper with my ideas and see things from different perspectives. This has been an incredible practice that really pushes me to think further.
I've found having a few prompts to help me explore deeper helps:
These prompts challenge me to stop collecting ideas and start building knowledge. It’s not just about writing things down—it’s about making those ideas stronger and more meaningful.
If you’re looking for even more ways to push your thinking further, my Spark Toolkit includes 130+ prompts, frameworks, and tools designed to help you dive deeper into your ideas and consistently generate new ones.
One of the most powerful things you can do to naturally review your notes is find connections between them. This is how our brain naturally works to remember things—by connecting new ideas to what we already know. The more we can connect notes, the better we remember them.
Connect New Ideas To Existing Ideas
Whenever I have a new idea I try to find an existing idea that I can connect it to. This can look as simple as: This [idea] reminds me of [this other idea] because....
Connect New Ideas To Bigger Ideas
A second way I connect ideas together is through clusters or big ideas. When two ideas connect together I try to find the big idea that connects them. This becomes a cluster in my note-taking system. And then I look for more ideas to fit into that big idea.
Mix A Note Cocktail
Another fun thing I like to do when I'm really feeling creative is play a game called Mix A Note Cocktail. I take two random notes and find a way to connect them. It’s a fun way to push my thinking and see how different ideas can intersect.
You don't have to build a complicated web of backlinks. Just start by connecting one idea with another.
The Bottom Line: You don't need a complicated or highly structured review process. All you need to do is commit to spending quality time with your notes everyday. Explore them, question them, challenge them, connect them.
And when you do you'll find yourself naturally turning all these random thoughts into deep, valuable knowledge you can use.
