I've found that the simpler the system, the more likely I am to stick with it! I tried a complicated org mode setup, automated obsidian plugins, and others but what ended up being the most effective for me was just a very long bullet point list in notion! I simply added headers for each month.
"Simple" but not always easy. I have executive function / working memory issues so that cognitive burden you mention can be untenable. My solution is to lower the load/latency of the note-taking. I have a hotkey that pops up a text box where I can jot a note, it shoots that to a file, then I organize it with a TUI at the end of the day (or whenever!)
There is some cognitive burden (Find the note app, decide how to store them, remember to open it) but if you do it for about 20 days it just becomes second nature and habit.
I have day by day notes, for everything I have done and things I've discovered, going back about 8 years now. Every single day, because it only takes 1-2 minutes a day to write them. If you turn this into a habit the mental context switch cost tends to zero.
It has been a great source of links, notes, reminders, everything, I see it as my digital memory.