Blog
Notes on note-taking
I write here about capturing ideas, reviewing them and letting most of them go. Gravity grew out of one habit in particular, Andrej Karpathy's append-and-review method.
Record every thought
By Tristan Manchester · 2026-01-28
Productivity advice says capture only what matters, but you can't tell what matters as the thought arrives. Why I record everything and let review sort it out.
Why most note-taking apps don't work for ADHD
By Tristan Manchester · 2026-01-19
Folders and tags ask for the executive function ADHD makes hardest. What an ADHD-friendly notes app needs, and a two-minute capture-and-review routine to try.
Interstitial journaling: a real day of entries, a template and an app
By Tristan Manchester · 2026-01-16
Interstitial journaling means writing the time and a line at every task switch. A real example day, a copyable template, and the app I built for it.
Attention is the only organisation system that works
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-12-23
Folders and tags ask you to predict how you'll look for a note. Attention sorts notes when you know more. How a daily scroll-and-rescue keeps notes organised.
Your brain wasn't built to remember everything
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-12-18
Working memory holds about four things at once. Why writing thoughts down is mostly about clearing your head, and why it helps to let old notes sink from view.
The psychology of sinking: why forgetting is a feature
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-12-14
Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve, the Zeigarnik effect and why letting old notes sink out of view can help you think. The psychology behind Gravity's design.
Prefixes: a tiny system that works
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-11-14
Start a note with todo: or read: and you can filter your notes without folders or a tag manager. How I use four prefixes, and when to stop adding more.
No, we're not adding folders
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-10-29
People ask me for folders, tags, links, templates and an API in Gravity. Why I keep saying no, what each would cost you, and who Gravity is built for.
Why your notes app is backwards (and what Karpathy does instead)
By Tristan Manchester · 2025-09-17
Andrej Karpathy keeps everything in one Apple Note: append at the top, review now and then, rescue what matters. How the method works and why I built Gravity.