Lecture on Note Taking and Productivity

Importance of Note Taking

• Short-term Uses: Grounding in current tasks, noting daily to-dos.
• Disposability: Many notes are immediately disposable.
• Execution vs. Note Taking: Excessive note taking can detract from execution. Important to balance.

General Definition

• Note Taking: Recording information on a durable written medium.
• Purpose: To offload information from your mind for later reference.

Three Critical Types of Note Taking

1. Working Memory Extender

• Purpose: Expand temporary information holding capacity.
• Usage: During meetings, email triage, etc.
• Characteristics:
  • Temporary storage that gets reset frequently.
  • Notes processed into permanent systems (calendar, reminders, etc.).
  • Use any convenient format (text files, paper, digital tools).

2. Obligation Tracker

• Purpose: Maintain all information for every obligation.
• Usage: Categorize and store relevant info for each task.
• Characteristics:
  • Durable and organized.
  • Regularly updated.
  • Examples: Trello, project management apps.

3. Key Ideas and Life Captures

• Purpose: Capture significant thoughts, brainstorms, key articles, and reflections.
• Usage: Personal journaling, idea repositories.
• Characteristics:
  • Long-term and less frequently revisited.
  • Used for deeper insights and planning.
  • Examples: Digital notebooks, apps, physical notebooks.

Personal Examples

• Working Memory: Plain text file for quick notes.
• Obligation Tracker: Trello (one board per role, one column per type of obligation, one card per task).
• Key Ideas: Remarkable 2 digital notebook (virtual notebooks for various categories).

Best Practices

• Segmentation: Keep different types of notes separate.
• Refresh Rates: Different refresh rates for each type of note.
  • Working memory: Reset frequently.
  • Obligation tracker: Daily interaction.
  • Key ideas: Reviewed periodically.

Advanced Note Taking Systems

• Optional: More complex systems like Zettelkasten can be explored if interested in information management as a hobby.
• Not Necessary: Basic coverage of the three categories is typically sufficient.

Scheduling Multiple Activities

• Quantitative Approach: Use your calendar to objectively schedule activities.
• Autopilot Scheduling: Test schedules for feasibility and adjust based on feedback.
• Seasonal Pursuits: Balance activities by season to avoid overloading.
• Prioritization: Quality of engagement in activities matters more than the quantity.

Advice for Students

• Reliable Sources: Use books with proven word-of-mouth success for studying tips, rather than YouTube.
• Recommended Book: “How to Become a Straight A Student” for practical and effective studying advice.
• Deep Productivity Tips: Focus on foundational skills and organized study habits over trendy apps.