I'm curious about the note-taking habits of system administrators. While I know that troubleshooting documents are mainly stored in the company Knowledge Base, do sysadmins maintain their own private notes for quick reference? I'm talking about things like handwritten notes, or maybe a small text file on their laptop or a note-taking app. What sorts of things do you keep in your notes? For example, do you jot down rare commands, handy tricks you've learned, steps for safely opening specific laptop models, or configurations for routers and switches? Do you have personal notes that cover strange issues you've resolved without fully understanding the logic at first?
5 Answers
I've learned the hard way to keep personal notes backed up. I've seen several Knowledge Bases get merged or deleted at work. I keep my notes secure and separate from the company's system to avoid losing them.
I rely on Notepad++ and OneNote mainly, especially for things I’d never type directly into a production environment. I save everything in Notepad++ first, then transfer it to OneNote if it’s useful.
Absolutely, I keep a mix of OneNote for my permanent notes and Notepad++ for temporary stuff. Over time, I usually end up transferring useful information to the Knowledge Base or other project management tools like Confluence.
Sounds like a solid system! I do something similar with Notepad++, but I have a ton of tabs open like 84 and counting!
I do keep personal notes for all sorts of things! Whatever helps me get things done quickly. Everyone has their own method of note-taking, and it really depends on what you find useful.
I personally use Obsidian for all my note-taking needs. I’m honestly surprised when my colleagues don’t keep personal notes. It really makes life easier!
Same here, Obsidian has become a game-changer for me! Just makes everything more organized.
Totally agree. It's crucial to keep a safe copy of your notes. You never know when access might change!