I already find little perfboard assemblies that I don't remember building.

Haha, that's exactly the experience I was referring to. Seemed so obvious the day I built it.

 

It's amazing how fast we can forget. I have taken up writing a technical paper for each finished project because I know my brain will never again be soaked so deeply with the information I used in that project.

I keep Quadrille notebooks, as I learned to do in Chemistry class. They are sufficient for most small projects, basic concepts, and data gathering. Whenever I do a schematic that will not fit on one page, that needs a description that will not fit on one page, I write a detailed description of the circuit, theory, and math on a separate document. Those live in the file cabinet. I can get the file for things I did decades ago and pick up right where I left off in a matter of 10 or 20 minutes instead of re-learning the whole thing from only a schematic.

The job isn't done until the paperwork is finished.

 

I'd be lost without Quadrille/Graph notebooks.

#12, better hurry and stock up on those, because they are being phased out.

 

I have used up 2&1/2 Quadrilles since 1978 and I have (in stock) 2 I haven't used at all. I also have a guy in school where he can get me what I need at the college book store.