Over the last few years, there have popped up a lot of notetaking tools that have a powerful feature named backlinks:

• @RoamResearch
• @obsdmd
• @NotionHQ
• @craftdocsapp ++

Here is how I leverage backlinks to quickly recall the essential info in every meeting I attend:

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Create a new note for every day

In that note, write your notes for the meetings you attend.

Here comes the crucial part: Whenever you write about a person or company, link to a page (double brackets in most of these programs).

It doesn't matter if that page exists yet.

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After the meeting, when you review your notes, create a page for all the persons and companies that don't exist yet.

My company template looks like this:

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My template for a person often looks like this after the first meeting:

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By taking notes this way, you suddenly have a personal CRM!

If I meet @thatroblennon again, I can pop up my note-taking program and see all the times I've referenced him.

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In the person-note I often write down what we discussed last or details about their family.

My favorite usage for the note is to write down gifts-ideas for them. Next time you need a gift, you know where to look!

@thatroblennon would probably enjoy Upgrade by Blake Crouch

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Taking notes this way ensures you'll quickly find the information you need since you can either go by date, person, or company to find your notes.

As a bonus you'll probably see some connections you didn't before!

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PS: If your notetaking program don’t support backlinks you can always add links between dates, persons and companies manually.

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Here is my template for persons if you want to copy:

• 📞 • ✉️ • 📍 • 🏢 • Role: • How We Met: • Tags: #people • Interests: • Gift ideas: • Related: • Other notes:

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