Field note / 02

Notes that survive a long task.

A good notebook tells your future self what happened without requiring a second investigation.

Use dated entries

Give each experiment a short name. Include the initial conditions and enough context to repeat it.

Keep the failures

Record what you expected and what you observed. Negative results narrow the next decision.

Keep a local copy

Store the working record with the project it describes. A submitted correction or note is not a backup.

End with a next step

Write one sentence describing the next question and why it matters. Returning to the work becomes much easier.