Note Taking
Notes on better note taking.
Active Listening[edit | edit source]
Listening to someone such as in a meeting or lecture requires active listening. Conversely, passive listening is spacing out or hearing words without really processing their meaning.
Some strategies are:
- Reduce distractions (no phone, laptops, etc)
- Proper body language (leaning in, nodding at appropriate moments, maintaining eye contacts)
- Repeating or paraphrasing what is heard
- Ask questions that clarify the topic
- Listen for statements like "The thing to remember is..." or "My point is..."
- Don't interrupt.
Writing Notes[edit | edit source]
When capturing notes in real time, don't get bogged down with full sentences or proper grammar. Focus on ideas, keywords, and phrases. The details can be filled in at a later time. Use abbreviations, symbols, to help speed up note taking.
Cornell Notes
review notes within 24 hours and a few times within the week
Meeting Minutes[edit | edit source]
Minutes should capture the agenda of the meeting including
- Decisions
- issues that were raised
- Actions items (who does it, when)
While Reading[edit | edit source]
When reading a technical document, it maybe helpful to:
- Preview: read the first and last sections (eg. introduction and conclusion), then write notes about the general topic
- Overview: read the headings, subheadings, bold face words, or first sentence of every paragraph. Write notes on the big ideas
- Read the text
In general, don't spend more than 20% of the time writing notes. As always, note shouldn't be too detailed and sentence structure/grammar don't matter.
By going through repetition 4 times before reading, the content should be easier to remember.
Another tip is to use the 'read and recall exercise' where quick notes are made after every paragraph. Doing this as an exercise will force you to read with more care since you are constantly asking "What did I just read".
Brainstorming[edit | edit source]
quantity over quality ; no judgement ; encourage strange ideas