Giving Notes a Nickname: An Extremely Underestimated Top Thinking Habit
Giving Notes a Nickname: An Extremely Underestimated Top Thinking Habit
Author: Bi Xiaofan
01 Do You Also Have This "Naming Anxiety"?
A friend complained that he hesitates for a long time every time he creates a new document.
"I just want to write some thoughts about artificial intelligence, but my fingers hover over the keyboard and I just can't type. Should I title it 'Artificial Intelligence', or 'AI', or 'Artificial Intelligence'? What if I can't find this file next time I search for AI?"
Even if he finally settles on a name, he struggles when he wants to reference it in other articles: "What was that piece called again? Was it the full name or the abbreviation?"
This hesitation makes inspiration vanish like a startled rabbit.
This is not just obsessive-compulsive disorder; it is the biggest misconception most of us have in knowledge management: we try to manage a lifetime of wisdom with a 'household registration book mindset'.
On a household registration book, your name is unique; even one wrong character is unacceptable. But in life?
Your mom calls you "Big Treasure", your boss calls you "Little Wang", your wife calls you "Husband", and your mischievous friend calls you "Er Gou".
Only when all these names point to you are you truly alive in the social network.
Notes are the same.
02 The Brain Prefers "Vagueness" Over "Precision".
Recently, I have been researching a very interesting concept called "Alias Strategy" (Aliases).
The reason many experts' note collections are so useful is not because they categorize things in great detail, but because they allow chaos and ambiguity to exist.
Take the simplest example.
You wrote a psychology note about the "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator". If you are an honest person, you might just title it 'Myers-Briggs Type Indicator'.
This sets a trap.
Next week, when you are writing another article about "Workplace Personality", you smoothly write: "Many people like to use MBTI for self-introduction..." At this point, you want to add a link to that previous note.
The system is dumbfounded. It tells you: no such person found.
Because the system only recognizes rigid definitions; it doesn't know that MBTI is that long and cumbersome "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator". Your flow of thought is suddenly interrupted, and you have to stop, search, confirm the full name, and then copy and paste.
This is what we call "pseudo diligence". You waste time translating for the computer.
How do true experts do it?
The moment they create that note, they will tag it with countless "sticky notes" (aliases) in the background: MBTI, 16 Personality Types, Personality Test.
Even for a concept like "Knowledge Management", they will casually add KM, Knowledge Management, or even Second Brain.
What is the benefit of doing this?
Next time, no matter which word you search for, even if you just type an abbreviation or want to reference it in English, that note will jump to you like a well-trained hunting dog.
Don't underestimate this smoothness of a second or two. Flow is built from countless smooth "one or two seconds". Once interrupted, you downgrade from a "thinker" to a "typist".
03 Dress Your Knowledge in a Vest
This way of thinking is not limited to abbreviations. It essentially simulates the neural network of the brain.
Our memories are never linear; they are networked.
1. Solve the "Naming Awkwardness"
I have a friend who loves literature, and he has a brilliant habit in his notes. Since his note file names are usually standard names, like 'Su Shi'. But in writing, he can't keep saying "Su Shi this and that"; that sounds too much like a textbook. So, he added aliases to this note: Su Dongpo, Dongpo Jushi, Zizhan. When he writes in his diary: "Tonight I read the poems of Dongpo Jushi, very open-minded..." the system automatically links to it. This is real language, this is warmth.
2. Bridge the Gap of Time
Another clever use is related to time. Many people's diary file names are cold and impersonal, like 2023-12-16. But when you review, the thought that pops into your mind might be: "I remember it was last Monday..." or "That was last year's birthday..." A netizen shared his clever trick: using templates to automatically generate a bunch of aliases for the day's diary: Monday, December 16, 2023W50 (Week 50 of 2023). This way, when he reviews his weekly diary, he only needs to input "W50", and all seven diary entries for that week automatically line up, standing neatly.
3. Tolerate Your Spelling Mistakes
You can even turn your "mistakes" into aliases. For example, the name "Fyodor Dostoevsky" is long and hard to remember. If you are unsure whether it is "Ye" or "Ya", "F" or "V", then add all the common misspellings you can think of. For instance, in Chinese, common easily confused words can have aliases added, like adding "threshold" as an alias for the note titled "Threshold". Tools are meant to serve you, not to test your language skills.
04 Instead of Pursuing Order, Embrace Connection
Whether taking notes or living our lives, we often pursue the "one correct standard answer" too much.
We always feel that only by placing things in an absolutely correct, unchangeable box can we feel secure. But the real world is fluid, and all concepts are constantly growing and transforming.
The essence of "alias" thinking is actually a cognitive tolerance.
It allows the same thing to have different aspects, allowing you to invoke it in different ways in different contexts.
Even a file deserves to have "three lives and three worlds".
So, starting today, try to add to your life and knowledge:
- Don't get hung up on whether the title is perfect; first give it a name, then come up with three nicknames.
- Don't worry about whether the classification is correct; add more tags and leave more entry points.
If you want to open the door to wisdom anytime and anywhere, the best way is not to polish that one doorknob to a shine, but to install countless doorknobs on that door.
No matter which angle you reach out your hand from, you can push the door open and see the light.
