Ask HN: Workflow for personal wiki/logbook/journal/static-site at work

1 points by exergy ↗ HN
I work as a mechanical engineer doing simulations for my PhD. One of the troubles I face at work is information overload. There is a lot to learn, and also a lot of work that I myself have to do. Due to having an appalling memory, I forget things like why I modelled something a certain way, or how I arrived at a particular value for a parameter. I feel like I miss out on having a global picture about my project due to inadequate tracking of the tasks I do.

I would like to start recording these things. I used to do it in OneNote, and it worked pretty well, but I would like to have a system that I could somehow take to the next level. Specifically, using some kind of markdown-based personal wiki that I could use to jot down design decisions, outcomes of chats with colleagues, new things I learn from research papers, minutes of meetings etc. In my vague dreams, such a system could also be expanded into easily forming drafts for a static-site blog.

I would love to hear from you if you have a system like this in place. Fundamental requirements for me are that I would like it to be text-based, but still supporting images easily, since a lot of things I do involve screenshots or schematic diagrams etc. Syntax highlighting and mathematical equations would also be necessary. I would strongly prefer owning my data, but I'd rather be productive than stand on any moral high ground. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I'm comfortable in Windows, and only vaguely familiar with Linux (I use Manjaro at home), but I would love something that involves a minimal amount of coding knowledge.

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