You might also think about putting your notes into a database. HandBase, VisualCE, SDB, etc, all allow you to have a "list" that you can then open to see the data. I have a HandBase database of over 900 items that only takes seconds to open allows cataloging, sorting and then retrieval of the content. In addition, HandBase has thousands of applications available at their website.
www.ddhsoftware.com