fleeting note

English

Noun

fleeting note (plural fleeting notes)

1. A quick, temporary jotting of an idea, thought, or insight; designed for rapid capture and meant to be processed or discarded soon after, not stored permanently; commonly associated with the Zettelkasten system.

   Coordinate terms: Zettelkasten, atomic note, personal knowledge management, second brain

   • 2022 February 10, Lengyel, F., “From Fleeting Notes to Project Notes – Concepts of "How to Take Smart Notes" by Sönke Ahrens”, in zettelkasten.de‎:

     [...] fleeting notes [are] to be written judiciously on the spot [...] and discarded within a day or two [...] the Zettelkasten Method is a systematic approach to academic research and non-fiction writing in which the first step is to jot down fleeting notes while reading or attending lectures and seminars, or when busy doing something else.

   • 2024 April 3, Barnes, Sean, “The essential guide to managing fleeting notes for productivity and knowledge management”, in The Computer & Technology Network (CTNET)‎:

     I also put fleeting notes in a digital note-taking application. As I always have my mobile phone at hand. I have captured ideas and thoughts this way while walking my dog. [...] The fleeting note is the first step on the journey to knowledge...

   • 2025 June 30, Lenker, Mark, The Human Relationship with Information‎:

     Fleeting notes are made as you read. Fleeting notes serve as raw material for literature notes and permanent notes. Typically, fleeting notes are taken in the margins of whatever document you are reading...