I’ve never been much of a note-taker. Rather than spending meetings and discussions with my head down in a computer recording everything that’s said, I tend to let the information wash over me, trusting my memory to retain what’s important. Aside from specific event and task details, which do get written down in their prospective apps, I keep most things just up in my head.

I’ve also never much for project management. If I have something I need to do, I’ll put it on my task list with a due date, but only at a high level. Breaking items down into sub-tasks just doesn’t jive with how my brain works. I see the task is coming up, I think on it for a while, and then, when the time comes, I do it. This is true for tasks that take five minutes and ones that are long and complex, requiring several days or weeks to complete.

For whatever reason, I have a tendency to keep my processing internal. I absorb information, I let my brain do its thing with it, and then I output whatever needs to be done: work, writing, decisions. The entirety of the middle part happens in my head.

Lately, though, I’ve been trying to externalize more. It started when I switched to Bear for writing and note-taking, forcing myself to let it become a bit of a messy space without any expectations. If I’m thinking about a problem or planning an event, I create a note for it and just jot things down: ideas, issues, questions, things that need to be done. Tiny sub-tasks that would never make their way into Reminders suddenly appear and disappear in my notes as needed. Links, reference images, quotes, half-baked thoughts – they’re all there.

Though the habit is still in its formation stage, I think it’s working. There hasn’t been a huge shift in what I’m able to accomplish, but I do find that there are fewer lingering stray thoughts taking up space in the back of my head. By getting them out, I free up room to process only the most pressing matter at hand until I’m ready to move on to the next thing, pull up my notes for it, and get to work.

As someone who likes structure and tidiness, allowing a bit of messiness into my setup was a challenge at first, but I’m reaping the benefits now. Note-taking works. Who new?

My tendency to internalize is true not just of my relationships with data and devices, but with people as well. If I’m working through an idea or a feeling, my go-to approach is to keep it to myself for as long as possible. It’s not that I’m purposefully withholding anything; I just tend toward silent pondering, I guess.

But I’m trying to be more open with this sort of processing, too. As I’ve been reminded many times by friends and loved ones, I don’t have to carry things alone. People are happy and willing to listen, support, and offer guidance when needed. Like note-taking, expressing emotions can be messy; at the same time, it can be really helpful.

You may have noticed this site becoming more of a “feeling space” lately. That’s been a part of this new approach for me, and I’m grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my ruminations, including you.

Shifting my processing – whether it be for tasks, emotions, ideas, or anything else – outside of myself has been a refreshing change. There will always be a lot happening inside my head, but balancing that internal activity with some external expression is just what I needed.