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So what does a good note-taking practice look like?
It depends on the purpose. Here, I’m focusing on notes meant for research/writing as opposed to to-do’s or reminders.
It’s simple: a good note is a piece of your own writing that contains enough meaning to live on its own. https://twitter.com/viapolymath/status/1305319175414374400
It depends on the purpose. Here, I’m focusing on notes meant for research/writing as opposed to to-do’s or reminders.
It’s simple: a good note is a piece of your own writing that contains enough meaning to live on its own. https://twitter.com/viapolymath/status/1305319175414374400
Don’t let the simplicity deceive you. Until I realized this yesterday, I don’t think I’ve ever had a good note-taking practice.
Highlights, quotes, and underlines don’t make for good notes because they’re snapshots without context, like a photo of a stranger’s elbow.
Highlights, quotes, and underlines don’t make for good notes because they’re snapshots without context, like a photo of a stranger’s elbow.
Good notes happen when you write while reading.
Write to flesh out your understanding, ask questions, and connect to similar bodies of work (other reading materials or notes you’ve taken).
Prioritize questions and connections over facts.
Write to flesh out your understanding, ask questions, and connect to similar bodies of work (other reading materials or notes you’ve taken).
Prioritize questions and connections over facts.
Writing while reading all the time sounds like a lot of work. It does take more energy than not challenging yourself.
But as you accumulate more notes, you’ll have much more leverage making connections across concepts and understanding new ones.
But as you accumulate more notes, you’ll have much more leverage making connections across concepts and understanding new ones.
As someone who’s done it the “easy” way for far too long, it’s wildly unrewarding. Too many books gone from my memory like sand through my fingertips.
I’m never going back.
I’m never going back.
