Famous inventor Thomas Edison is probably the most experienced
note-taker in the world. His diary which is still maintained as an
important part of the United States historical record contains five
million (5,000,000) pages. Important developments such as his work on
perfecting the light bulb and electric lighting systems are captured in
great detail. He never met a sheet of paper he didn’t like.
What lessons can we take from his work today, a century later? How did
his note-taking help him to become the world’s most famous inventor
with over a thousand (1093) U.S. patents in his name for a wide range
of technologies from movie cameras and phonographs to cement making and
electric lighting? In short, what made his note-taking and filing
system so great?
Edison’s system was developed to support his life work and was very
successful in doing so. The main elements of his system are as follows:
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1. Any useful or important development was recorded so that no effort
was wasted in repeating experiments or efforts unnecessarily.
Edison’s method was once described as an “empirical dragnet” by
Nikola Tesla, another famous inventor who worked for Edison for
some time. Combining Edison’s hard working and hard thinking
methods with an effective record creation and retention system was
a very important aspect of his work.
2. Forward-looking. Edison’s notes included the forward-looking things
we tend to incorporate in many of our modern personal planners.
Things like lists of contacts, appointments, “to do” lists, and
actionable items for follow up or later review were all contained
within his comprehensive system.
3. Rearward-looking. The ability to go back and check his written
record was useful in several ways. He was able to use his records
in various lawsuits filed against him and by him against others as
evidence and to substantiate his claims. His competitors were often
unable to compete with his records so he often came out victorious
in these legal battles. He was always able to review past work and
avoid repeatedly going down dead-end roads. He could always review
whatever he had said or was told. He never had to remember most
things as long as he could remember how to look it up later.
4. The record system was searchable. Sometimes, from among millions of
pages, there would be a key document that would prove invaluable.
Unfortunately, with his manual system, he often spent considerable
time searching through these records looking for the key item. He
did however have a fairly good system of archiving his records by a
combination of chronological and subject matter based systems. He
created numerous groupings, files, folders, etc. which helped him
to get to the right part of his records in a reasonably short time.
5. Who, what, where, when and how much. These details could be fairly
easily retrieved from Edison’s system in relation to any aspect of
whatever he was involved with. These included financial records and
they formed an important part of his note-taking system. He kept
all his incoming as well as copies of all his outgoing
correspondence. This was not necessarily easy to do before the
invention of the modern office copier.
6. How and why. Edison’s research laboratory work was a focal point
for much of his record system. Patent applications and reviews were
based in large part on his notes that needed to include the how and
why aspects in sufficient detail so that the patents themselves
would be complete and able to withstand any legal challenges.
Edison often used his records to defend his position from
competitors in his day when patents and technologies were becoming
very fashionable and important as they remain today. His system of
experimentation and related record keeping has become the basis of
the modern industrial research institution – which he is widely
credited with having invented.
7. Extremely powerful memory aid. Edison had an amazing memory. He was
well informed on a wide range of topics and always seemed to be
able to recall what he told someone or what he was told. Much of
this is due to his system of notes. By writing everything down that
he thought was worth writing, he was able to free himself of the
burden of having to remember it. A strange and almost unexpected
thing occurs. The process of writing things down aids in the mental
memory retention. The combination of having the confidence in
knowing the information is on record and easily retrievable
combined with the improved retention from the process of writing it
down, creates a winning combination when it comes to memory.
How can we improve upon Edison’s system using today’s technologies?
Obviously, we have invented the ball point pen to replace his messy
quill and ink bottle so that notes can be written in real time. In his
day, he perfected the typewriter. Today, we are no longer committed to
getting stuff onto paper as the final form of record retention. Vast
portions of Edison’s original archives have recently been digitized and
can be viewed online. This eliminates the need for mothballs and
maintaining rooms full of old papers that can only be studied by
someone showing up and going through them one page at a time.
How does your system compare to Edison’s? His was comprehensive and
scalable to wherever his interests lay. Is your system similarly
scalable? What about the content? How much of the information in your
system has objectively measurable value? Edison kept everything and it
all went up in value as his overall fame and power grew. How valuable
has the information in your system become (or is becoming)? How
scalable is your system as your interests change (whether expanding of
shifting to other areas)? Edison always used the best available
technology to maintain his records as efficiently as he thought they
could be maintained. Have you similarly employed sound technologies for
taking and keeping your notes?
Edison certainly subscribed to the philosophy that if life is worth
living, it is worth writing about. At five million pages, he was at the
extreme end of this. He did live a long, prosperous life. And he lived
it quite fully since he always seemed to have something to write about.
