[SanjayMehta]

You might want to check out Scrivener (Mac and Windows). I use that in lieu of note cards. The cork board function lets you re-arrange text and media to your hearts content and then compile the final output to Word, PDF whatever. It's designed for non-linear writing.

https://literatureandlatte.com

[sixtyj]

The point here is imho that you intentionally remove the computer from the path (in some part of your work) if you want to achieve some focused deep work (in case that you aren’t coding ofc :)

[SanjayMehta]

I started out using the back of punched cards, when those ran out, made my own out of scrap paper.

Scrivener just matched my workflow - usually for technical reports. Lot of cut/paste from a variety of sources.

[obsidianbases1]

I agree with this. It's not that the digital tools don't exist, it's that my best think gets done when I go for a walk with nothing but a pen and a stack of blank 3x5s.