I write to help me think

I start from a question and capture observations and ideas in notes which I can connect and rearrange to generate new insights, questions and ideas. The reason why this way of working with ideas is more effective is that it mirrors the way we think, making non-linear associations, and enables incremental development of insights.

As Andy Matuschak put it:

The goal is not to take notes—the goal is to think effectively. Better questions are “what practices can help me reliably develop insights over time?”, “how can I shepherd my attention effectively?” etc. This is the frame in which Evergreen note-writing as fundamental unit of knowledge work makes sense: Evergreen note-writing helps insight accumulate.