[voidhorse]

I'm slowly coming to the idea that the solution of this problem is to refine and reduce intake. I am a naturally curious person, as I assume many other people on hacker news also are. Unfortunately, this leads to what I've started calling "information hamster" behavior. I consume information almost habitually, without pausing to consider if I should consume it in the first place, or how it fits within a growing sphere of research and knowledge. Considering where something belongs, as a first step, before consuming it has been a tremendous help in staying organized. Obviously, as you consume the proper place for your notes might change, but essentially every system today can handle this flexibly. The key is making organization, filtering, and order a key part of the consumption process.

I'd also state that it's not always necessary to be super organized. Some people get by just fine living in a chaotic sea of notes. There's a reason that the stereotypical image of the professor involves a desk that looks like a tornado struck the office.

[dSebastien]

Couldn't agree more. Information hoarding is one of the main pitfalls of Knowledge Management. One must select the right sources, and curate relevant information (unless if it's all for fun).