Document to Forget
The purpose of documentation is to free your mind from remembering—once properly recorded, information can be safely forgotten.
Also known as: Write to Forget, Externalize to Forget
Category: Principles
Tags: documentation, pkm, memories, cognitive-load, productivity, note-taking
Explanation
Document to Forget is a principle that reframes the purpose of documentation and note-taking. Rather than documenting to remember, we document so we can forget—freeing mental capacity for more important thinking.
**The Core Insight**:
Once something has been properly documented in a trusted system with a Single Source of Truth (SSOT), we can usually forget about it altogether. We know we can find it later if and when needed.
**Why This Matters**:
1. **Mental freedom**: Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them
2. **Reduced cognitive load**: Stop carrying information in your head
3. **Lower anxiety**: Trust that important things won't be lost
4. **Better focus**: Attention isn't split between doing and remembering
5. **Reliable retrieval**: A documented system is more reliable than memory
**Requirements for This to Work**:
- **Trusted system**: You must trust your documentation system
- **Single Source of Truth**: One authoritative location for each type of information
- **Good organization**: Information must be findable
- **Regular use**: The system must be a habit
**Practical Applications**:
- **Meeting notes**: Document decisions so you don't have to remember them
- **Processes**: Write them down once, forget the details
- **Ideas**: Capture immediately, process later
- **Reference material**: Store it properly, don't memorize it
- **Commitments**: Record them in a task system, clear your mind
**Connection to GTD**:
This principle underlies David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology—capture everything externally so your mind is clear for focused work.
**The Paradox**:
By documenting to forget, you actually remember more. The externalized memory is more reliable than biological memory, and you can retrieve it exactly when needed.
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