How to record and retrieve anything you've ever had to look up twice

Source: Hacker News

Never Lose a Hard‑Won Process Again

This week a potential customer asked me for an evaluation preview of one of my educational PDF eBooks.

“No problem!” I said. “I’ll get that to you today.”

Right! Time to watermark a lower‑resolution copy of the PDF and upload it to the Files section of my website. I’ve done this many times before—but not for about two years. It took a bit of experimentation to settle on watermarking software I was happy with and to dial‑in the right settings for placing our logo on the page.

I repeated the process 10–20 times over two weeks, so I thought it had earned its place on my “Things I Know How To Do” list. I was wrong. Not doing a task regularly can turn it into something you have to relearn from scratch.

If only I’d written down the name of the software and its settings at the time! Preparing that document for the customer was frustrating and ate into time I’d wanted to spend on other tasks.

Fortunately, situations like this are rare thanks to the personal knowledge base I’ve been building for the last few years. It’s essentially a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for any multi‑step process—business or personal.

Sample Topics in My Knowledge Base

• How to reduce the size of a PDF without losing image quality
• How to take a screenshot using the terminal
• How to fix Miele dishwasher code F14
• How to set up a template in Fastmail
• How to add a specific Notion page to the iOS Home Screen
• How to generate tax records for a Shopify store

How to Make Yourself Actually Do It

You probably already know the value of recording procedures, yet you still find yourself looking up the same things over and over again.

In theory it isn’t hard: as soon as you look up how to do something for the second time, write down how to do it.
So why don’t we do it?

Maybe, like me with the watermarking job, you think you’ll remember next time. Or you suspect you might forget, but you keep postponing the documentation—only to end up right where you started.

Two Simple Ways to Make Documentation Easier

1. Don’t move on to the next step until you’ve written down what you just did (think of it as inter‑step journaling).
2. Narrate the entire process in an audio note while you’re doing it, or immediately afterward.

There’s nothing magical about these tips—they work, but you have to be intentional about creating a record. No one can push through that internal barrier (the one that says “there’s something more important to do; I can write it down later”) for you.

Whatever method you choose, just get it done! The payoff is well worth the effort.

How to Find Things Again

You’ve recorded processes you’ll need to refer to later. Where should they live, and how will you retrieve them exactly when you need them?

Below are practical tips for storing, identifying, and naming your “how‑to” notes so the future you can find them instantly.

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1. Location – Where to Look

My workflow: a folder of Markdown files opened in Obsidian. The vault can be searched, linked, and version‑controlled, while the raw files remain readable anywhere.

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2. Identifier – Mark It as a Process

Give every “how‑to” a clear marker so you can filter them later.

• Hashtag – Add #howto anywhere in the note (front‑matter, title, or body).
• Prefix – Start the title with How to – (e.g., How to – Reset router).

Both methods let you pull up only process notes with a simple search:

# Example search in a terminal
rg "#howto" ~/knowledge-base/

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3. Name – Identify the Topic

A precise title is the single most important factor for retrieval.

1. Core keywords first – Think of the 1‑2 words you’d type into a search bar.
2. Add context – Include extra descriptors only if they clarify the process.
3. Avoid overly specific scenarios – Focus on the skill, not a single use‑case.

Good vs. Bad Titles

Rule of thumb:

• Primary keyword (e.g., PDF, dishwasher)
• Action verb (e.g., reduce, fix)
• Specific qualifier (e.g., size, F14)

Resulting titles read naturally in a search query: PDF reduce size, dishwasher fix F14.

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Quick Checklist

• Store notes in a searchable, long‑term location (plain text, cloud notes, or indexed paper).
• Tag each note with #howto or prefix the title with How to –.
• Title each note with the essential keywords first, then optional context.
• Periodically back up your knowledge base (Git, cloud sync, external drive).

With these habits, the future you will always know where to look, what to look for, and how to find it in a split second. Happy documenting!

Never Lose a Hard‑Won Process Again

The next time you look up how to do something again, don’t move on to anything else before you record each step of the process.

• Write it down – a quick text note is ideal.
• If you’re short on time, record an audio note (you can even do this hands‑free in the car).
• Create a reminder in your task‑management system to transcribe the audio into a text note and attach a link to the original recording.

Organising Your How‑To Files

1. Store all “how‑to” files in a location that is easily searchable.
2. Tag them with #howto (or a similar tag).
3. Include the most important keywords in the file or note name.

Making It a Habit

The hardest part is turning this into a habit. Keep at it, and soon you’ll be documenting those little things without even thinking about it.

Thanks to the latest entry in my knowledge base, I’m ready the next time I need to prepare a document for watermarking! (FYI, there’s a built‑in Automator workflow on macOS that works a treat for watermarking PDFs.)

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This piece was inspired by Autodidact’s post, where they show how an unstructured collection of plain‑text files can become a perfectly serviceable knowledge base.

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