While most people show up to meetings nowadays prepared to take notes using their laptop or tablet, it might not be the best way to record important information. Writing notes in long hand may be the better method. It requires our brain to quickly fuse information into relevant and irrelevant categories. This process helps us retain the information easier.
Key Takeaways:
- understanding how your mind captures, retains, and recalls information can help you become more productive
- Writing notes by hand in long-form will force you to synthesize the information, which helps you remember and recall it. So next time you head to a meeting, consider just a notepad and pen.
- When we take notes by hand, we typically can’t keep pace with the information being presented to us. As a result, our brains are forced to quickly synthesize the information into two categories: “important: write this down” and “not important: don’t write this down.”
“Growing up, I was fascinated by my mom’s shorthand notes. The cryptic symbols she’d write blindly while listening through our 1980s-era phone with a 12-foot cord were a different language — vestiges of a different time.”
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