On Note taking

(2 min read)

Picture from @andrewtneel in Unsplash

Did you know that most of us lose 60% of the information we learn in just 48 hours? Not only is there a learning curve, but there is also a forgetting curve. One way to remember more and learn effectively is note-taking.

Taking notes will help you recall information that would otherwise be lost. But taking notes the right way isn’t as easy as it sounds. It isn’t simply about jotting down everything that you hear. Taking notes is about summarizing core concepts as precisely as possible in your own words.

I read a lot of books, and if you do as well then you know how the ideas that we learn start fading away within days. By the end of the week, we hardly remember anything other than the main idea shared in the book.

Nothing is as empowering as active notetaking. It fundamentally changes the relationship between you and the information you meet. A good note-taking method will help you to review key concepts later on. It will help you to stay focused to pay attention and actively participate while reading books or any classes you attend.

My note-taking ideas and tips & tricks in few bullet points:

• Notes act as my second brain. I cannot remember everything I read, hear or see. I take notes and refer it to later
• I have created a WhatsApp group where I am the only member (yes, you can do that). I keep noting things on the go. Ideas which are very impromptu, some reading material which I can do later on, goes there
• There are many advantages with digital notetaking, so I would tell you to find a good App which you can use it everywhere. The cloud functionality of these Apps are gamechanger
• I use Microsoft OneNote app a lot (reasons are as follows)
• I can post my notes, hand drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries
• It keeps my notes well organized
• The main topics go on the far left of the page and I can add related subtopic in bullet points inside the main topics using indents
• Searching for topics is very helpful as tagging can be done to notes

Once you get a hang of it, note taking can revolutionize your life. It can make you productive and smarter. You can recall what you have learnt and become a better organizer of information by emphasizing what is important and what is not.

As a final thought, here is a good article which can help you with different note taking methods: Best note taking methods 

A layover in Vizag

(5 min read)

A story of an adventure which I didn't want, but was enforced upon me and I had no choice but to plan for it.

Prologue

"Is there nothing you could do?" I asked

"Sorry sir, we can't do anything else. There are only 2 things you could do. Either cancel the ticket and get a full refund or choose an alternate flight within 7 days of the travel"

I thought for a moment and said, "Cancelling is not an option for me. Is there any other direct flight in the next 7 days?"

"Sorry sir!" again from the other end. "No direct flight within a weeks' time."

I was dumbfounded. I disconnected the call. I sat there for a moment to decide on my next course of action. In the past few days, I had similar set of calls with the customer services of SpiceJet - supposedly the second largest airline of India in terms of number of passengers it caters to. And after the end of each of the calls I was left wanting for hope.

A month ago, I had booked a direct flight from Hyderabad to Kolkata which would take me only 2 hours. A week before the travel, I received a message from SpiceJet that due to operational issues my journey would have 6 hours of layover in Gwalior. Then, 2 days later I would receive another message that instead of Gwalior, the layover would be in Visakhapatnam (Vizag). A one and half hour journey to Vizag and then a stay of 16 hours and then a flight to Kolkata which would take another 2 hours. A 2 hour journey would become a whopping 20 hours journey. More than the duration of the journey my mind was focusing on the night sandwiched between the flights. Where would I stay? What would I do?

Customer is the king? Well, maybe not!

I tried few more options before finally accepting my fate. I tried Twitter - wrote an emotional post as a helpless customer. Got a reply to contact the customer service. I said I already did that. A response came, "Sorry sir!" 

Sent an email to the customer relations. Again, the response came, "Sorry sir!" I asked for compensation - an accommodation and couple of meal vouchers. Response came, "Sorry sir!"

On the fateful day, I reached the Hyderabad airport, vented out my frustration to the SpiceJet lady who asked me for my ticket. There too I heard the same words, "Sorry sir!" She also said she can have sympathy on me, but she can't be of any help. By that time, I had made up my mind to see how Vizag welcomes me. So, I told her she can keep back her sympathy. I also told her, that it wasn't my job to bear the problems of SpiceJet and that too without any compensation.

She wanted me to take my luggage with me while departing the Vizag airport and bring it back the next day when I will be travelling to Kolkata. I said that they are testing my patience and I wouldn't obey to this command of theirs. They should own this task and manage internally to send my luggage to Kolkata. They agreed without saying 'sorry sir'.

Help found in a surprising place

When I landed in Vizag, the first thing I checked on my phone was Google Maps. I was trying to see if there is any Masjid nearby. It was getting darker, and I was getting late for my evening prayer. Thankfully, I found a Masjid within 2 kms of the airport. I went straight to the place and offered my Namaz. The Masjid wasn't very big and the locality nearby wasn't much populated. After the prayers I spoke to the Imam (his name I got to know later was Muhammed Mustaqeem sb.). I explained my situation to him and told him that I would love to visit the beach and then probably find some place to spend my night before I go back to the airport.

 
"You can spend the night in this Masjid if you want" These words sounded so comforting at that moment, that I cannot explain here. A help straight from the divine. I thanked him profusely. I shared with him my ID card, just so that both of us can trust each other.

 
Imam Mustaqeem was probably my age if not younger. He explained to me the route to the beach and the places where I can have dinner. Another boy near the Masjid was about to leave to a place which was very near to the beach. I hoped on his bike and on we went.

Recalling Phil Knight's memoir

On my way to the beach, rain came pouring down. It was a proper welcome in Vizag. A couple of pit stops later I reached RK beach. On one side to me was a brightly lit Beach road, while on the other side was the roaring sounds of Bay of Bengal, fully dark with no moon to light it. Only a few boats at a distance would set up twinkling dots on the sea.

A sense of accomplishment engulfed me. I thought, "I was not supposed to be here. The weather wasn't kind when I landed in Vizag a couple of hours ago. Now, I am standing here and witnessing something brilliant." Although not completely visible but splashes of waves on the rocks beside the road would put me in state of immense gratitude.

Not long ago I had read Shoe dog by Phil Knight - the founder of Nike. At that moment I remembered he wrote that how often he would go on a run. Without thinking twice, I started running on the pavement beside the road. I looked up to the sky, drizzle falling on my face, the sweet sound of the waves - I wanted nothing but to keep running. I would have run a kilometers or so, when I realized that I had to go back to the Masjid.

Wait for an early day tomorrow

It would have been a10:30 PM when I reached the Masjid near the airport. I met with the half-asleep Imam. He was kind enough to provide me with a pillow and a mattress (which he had it in the Masjid for weary travelers like me). Before I dozed off, we exchanged our stories, talked about our native places, and about the locals surrounding the Masjid and their likes and dislikes. He also explained to me as this is an airport area, police would often do a round and ask about people's ID (hence I was asked to share my ID earlier).

The Imam woke me up at dawn for an early morning prayer. We had breakfast together and after that I bid goodbye to him not unknown to both of us of a mutually formed friendship.

Epilogue

On reaching Kolkata, I reflected on the memories that I have gathered, on the new friendship that I built. All these were good memories, happy memories. But I couldn't forget what SpiceJet had done and the treatment I received. In one of our conversation with the customer care executives, I told them without any hesitation that they have lost a customer in me. 

Problems are one thing but the way you deal with it is another. 

I guess that I applies to both me as an individual and SpiceJet as a company.