For the last 3.5 years, I’ve been doing brain dumps into a personal wiki throughout or at the end of each day and I think you should too. It has proven helpful to me in more ways than I could have foreseen and I can’t imagine getting by without one.
Background
As an engineering student, I had a notebook with me at almost all times that I used to write down assignments, reminders and ideas. That hasn’t changed as I and all of my coworkers still carry one with us everywhere to this day. Taking the time to write something down makes the difference between it being a fleeting thought and a permanent idea or reminder.
While in school I had a lot to write down and often went through a composition notebook in less than the span of a semester. While I would keep the old books, I didn’t bring them with me and often found myself needing to dig through my closet for something I jotted down in an older book. In my Junior year, while contributing to Wikipedia, I wondered if I could create a Wikipedia of my own; a ‘permanent’ place to store my thoughts and ideas. A few days and a 50 dollar purchase later and I had my very own searchable instance of DokuWiki running on a remote host, reachable from anywhere in the world [with internet access]. I reference it on a daily basis.
Why a Wiki?
So why does a wiki instead of a blog?
Brain Dump-able
Regardless of your background, these days you likely suffer from information overload: things to do, people you’ve met, TV shows you’ve been recommended, books you’d like to read, places to see, and on, and on, and on… A wiki give you an easily modifiable place to put that information.
Searchable
Most wiki software provides a search box that will, in seconds, search the entire contents of your wiki. A personal wiki is about as close as you will get in your lifetime to having Google for your brain.
Easily Accessible
Whether you host your own server or pay for hosting, a Wiki can be made available from anywhere on the internet; with the recent popularity of smart phones, this means nearly anywhere you get cell reception!
Sharable
Most wiki software is built to be public and promote knowledge sharing. I lock mine down but have, on occasion, opened up pages on it to people I worked with. Give them an account and set the permissions and you can work collaboratively without additional costs.
Private
Note: I didn’t say secure. A wiki is only as secure as the software you use and your own security practices. You should never put private information onto a Wiki unless you know you can lock it down.
How to get started
Host your wiki
If you don’t already have a host, find a reliable one (I use Justhost) and find a compatible wiki application. If your host supports PHP, I would recommend DokuWiki or MediaWiki among many. Quite often you’ll just need to try several of them before you find the right one. Alternatively, you could use a free wiki host that lose you some control, but are easier on the wallet. Springpad, while not a wiki in the traditional sense, provides a comparable experience for free.
Secure your wiki
If you set up your own, it’s likely configured to share with everyone by default. If you’re OK with that, then be my guest. Otherwise, take a few moments to disable access by non-users and disable user sign-up.
Define your process
Your wiki will gather e-dust unless you take the time to build it. If you don’t have immediate access to it throughout the day, write your thoughts down in a notebook and transfer them at the end of the day. If you’re in front of your computer all day, create a ‘scratchpad’ wiki page and use it to write down anything you can. As your ideas become more concrete, create pages dedicated to them.
Stick to it
It’s easy to miss the benefit of a personal wiki in the initial weeks or days. Stick to it. You’ll eventually encounter the first time it saves your ass and will love it from that point on.
I hope this entry helps at least a couple of people get hold of their information overload. The structure is up to you and with search, it’s almost unimportant, but having a permanent place to write down your thoughts is one of the best things you can do for your sanity. Who knows, it may even help you remember that killer idea that will make you millions.