# What a capture system looks like As I mentioned in [[You need a capture system]], [[Capturing should be a habit. It shouldn’t take any energy or decisions to save a hard-won idea]]. The main goal of a capture system is to maximize knowledge retention and remove friction. Capturing information should be seamless. Your PKM system needs to be able to store large amounts of information, without becoming a mess. It needs to remain usable at scale. Importantly you need to trust that system. Losing your information is not an option To remove friction, you need to think about the different capture scenarios. There are different aspects to consider: - Where you capture information from - When you capture information - Where you are when you need to capture information You need to think about your capture system as a funnel. Ideas enter through different paths, depending on the "capture scenarios". The entry point doesn't matter, as long as you do capture the valuable information. Once the information enters your system, it progresses along the funnel, until it reaches your main [[Knowledge Management (KM)]] tool. In my case, that's [[Obsidian]]. A capture system is both abstract and concrete. At the core, it's an abstract idea, but it becomes concrete by combining different tools and approaches. In practices, your capture systems needs to include: - A way to capture things you want to consume - A way to capture highlights and notes - A way to transition those highlights and notes into your knowledge base ## Capture scenarios and tools you can use You will use your capture system: - Whenever you find something you want to consume - Whenever you consume information and want to retain parts of it - Whenever you integrate what you've captured into your PKM system - Wherever you are diving deeper You can use different means and tools for different types of information and different contexts. Here are some scenarios to consider: - Sources/inputs you want to consume: [Readwise](https://readwise.io/), [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/), [Instapaper](https://instapaper.com/) - Highlights: [Readwise](https://readwise.io/), [Instapaper](https://instapaper.com/) - Notes: [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) - References: Readwise, [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/) - Tasks: [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/), [Trello](https://trello.com/), Google Tasks, ... - Groceries, problems to fix, etc: [Listonic](https://listonic.com/) But there's more: - Podcasts notes - Voice recording tools such as [Voicenotes](https://voicenotes.com) or [Google Keep](https://keep.google.com/) - Tools that allow you to highlight, take notes, and summarize podcast episodes such as [Snipd](https://www.snipd.com/) - Book notes: - [Amazon Kindle](https://amzn.to/4bzlpsr) to capture highlights on digital books - [Remarkable](https://amzn.to/44SUZPO) to take digital notes right away - Online articles and videos - Capture highlights and notes: [Readwise](https://readwise.io/) or [Glasp](https://glasp.co) - Or directly in a note-taking app such as [[Obsidian]] I have listed many more tools in the [PKM Library](https://store.dsebastien.net/product/pkm-library). I have also created a [[PKM System Handbook Template]] you can use to document your own system. Here's how I've documented mine: [[My PKM System Handbook]] Depending on the environment you are in, some tools will be simpler to use. For instance, when I'm on the go, I tend to prefer recording my voice. When I'm in front of the computer, I tend to only use [[Obsidian]]. More details in my [[My PKM System Handbook]] Taken separately, each of those means and tools is are information silos. For example, the notes I take on my reMarkable are stored on the device and synchronized with reMarkable's cloud. All the notes I record using my voice are stored on that platform as well. All the highlights I capture in Readwise are stored there, etc. That's a problem, and it's NOT okay to only rely on those. You have to consider all the tools and means outside of your main Tool for Thought as temporary inboxes. Stuff you add in there should only be there until you migrate it all to your main knowledge base. All the notes I take on my reMarkable end up being converted to Markdown and stored in Obsidian as literature and permanent notes (cfr [[Zettelkasten method]]. All the highlights I capture in Readwise also end up in Obsidian. Same for all the rest. Your capture system is only ONE step of the [[Personal Knowledge Management Process]]. At the end of the day, everything has to transition into your main knowledge base. Otherwise, you're just hoarding information in different locations, which is no better than having dozens of notebooks around. Those are information silos, and you don't want to rely on those. ## Related - [[You need a capture system]] - [[Capturing should be a habit. It shouldn’t take any energy or decisions to save a hard-won idea]] - [[Knowledge Management (KM)]] - [[Obsidian]] - [[PKM Library (Project)]] - [[PKM System Handbook Template]] - [[My PKM System Handbook]] - [[Zettelkasten method]] - [[Personal Knowledge Management Process]]