The aim of this course was to create a note-taking framework that provides an extension to your working and long-term memory, enabling you to focus on what matters.
You were going to do this through the following objectives:
- Establish a habit of writing daily notes.
- Use temporary notes to capture fleeting information.
- Write literature notes as part of your reading process.
- Structure projects through notes.
- Create notes that you will keep for a lifetime.
Overview of lessons
The first lesson in this course aimed to establish a habit of writing daily notes as an extension of your working memory, serving as a space to keep track of the most relevant information for each day. They also act as a record of the work you’ve done during the week, providing a summary that can be evaluated as part of a weekly review.
Lesson two described the use of temporary notes to capture fleeting information. Temporary notes allow you to record passing thoughts without interrupting the work you’re busy with. They have no defined structure, and are processed into daily, project, or permanent notes later. They should be deleted once the information they contain has been moved into your workflow .
Creating literature notes as part of your reading practice is the active engagement with a resource, which could be text, video, audio, or images. This process typically includes annotation of the original source, along with a critical or explanatory commentary. Literature notes should be associated with the original source material, although they may also include links to related information in other sources.
The fourth lesson explained project notes as a way of providing structure for related, but different, activities that extend for longer periods of time. The idea is that these notes are separated from other notes so that it’s easier to work with them during the project, and for neat archiving when the project is completed.
The final lesson was a very basic introduction to the concept of permanent notes that you aim to keep for a lifetime. There are several implications of notes that are intended to serve as an extension of your long-term memory, most of which are beyond the scope of this course. However, this lesson establishes a foundation that will make it easier to create high-value academic work in the future.
Resources
- Ahrens, S. (2017). How to take smart notes: One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking. Sönke Ahrens.
- Drucker, P. (2006). The effective executive: The definitive guide to getting the right things done. Harper Business.
- Forte, T. (2022). Building a second brain: A proven method to organise your digital life and unlock your creative potential. Atria Books.
- Khoe, M.L. (2016). Messy thought, neat thought. Khan Academy Early Product Development.
- Matuschak, A. (n.d.). Evergreen notes. Andy’s working notes.
- Young, S. & Clear, J. (2019). Ultralearning: Master hard skills, outsmart the competition, and accelerate your career. Harper Business.