If the thought loses meaning when separated from this passage or version, make it a comment. If it remains useful independently, it is probably a note.
Comments preserve editorial context
“Check this number,” “the editor questioned this claim,” “keep this sentence because it pays off in Chapter 9,” or “rewrite this after the interview” make sense because they point to a specific place.
Notes hold broader thinking
Research ideas, possible themes, future chapters, references, questions about the whole book, and material that may move belong in a more independent space.
Why not write TODO directly into the manuscript?
Sometimes that is fine during an early draft. But inline TODO markers can accidentally reach export and become harder to distinguish from intentional text. Comments keep the task beside the prose rather than inside it.
assets/img/bmaker/bmaker-explained-comment-note-01.webpComments can also preserve why
Revision history tells you what changed. A comment can preserve why a strange sentence stayed, what still needs verification, or what a reviewer meant. That context is often more valuable than another copy of the text.