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