Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Take Smart Notes

praxis.fortelabs.co

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 116 posts

Re: How to Take Smart Notes

#2

Post by cek »

Interesting the first few principles are not about note-taking, but writing in general. If you believe in the power of the written word to drive clarity (e.g. as in Amazon-style 6-page narratives), these principles are gold:

Principle #1: Writing is not the outcome of thinking; it is the medium in which thinking takes place

Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters

Principle #5: Standardization enables creativity

Principle #6: Our work only gets better when exposed to high-quality feedback

Re: How to Take Smart Notes

#6

Post by OJFord »

yread wrote: post #3

How does "21/3d26g53" fit into the numbering system described? Why even mention it?

I struggled with that too - but I think it's because the first (pre-/) line is the only one not to be lettered, in the diagram it's `1a` not because it's `a` on `1`, but because it's `a` on the `1`-th branch off `1`; in total it's `1/1a`.

So `3` is the third branch off `21`, `d` marking that it's the d-th (fourth) in line on that branch.

But maybe I'm still wrong, I agree it's not clear.

Edit: Having said that, even by what I'm saying it should end `53a`, not just `53`.

Re: How to Take Smart Notes

#8

Post by BiteCode_dev »

cek wrote: post #2

Interesting the first few principles are not about note-taking, but writing in general. If you believe in the power of the written word to drive clarity (e.g. as in Amazon-style 6-page narratives), these principles are gold: Principle #1: Writing is not the outcome of thinking; it is the medium in which thinking takes place Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters Principle #5: Standard…

Principle #1 is too extreme.

While I confirm that writing is a powerful medium for thinking, anybody writer with a shower to take or a hike to walk will tell you that thinking takes place in many ways.

Parts like "If you want to learn and remember something long-term, you have to write it down" depends so much of context. Again, writing down does help me to commit things in memory, but for some information, audio is better. For others, repeating in my head is better.

Good advice all in all, but the definitive tone of the article is not needed IMO.

Re: How to Take Smart Notes

#9

Post by glenstein »

cek wrote: post #2

Interesting the first few principles are not about note-taking, but writing in general. If you believe in the power of the written word to drive clarity (e.g. as in Amazon-style 6-page narratives), these principles are gold: Principle #1: Writing is not the outcome of thinking; it is the medium in which thinking takes place Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters Principle #5: Standard…

I confess I'm having trouble understanding what principle #2 means. I would appreciate it if someone who read that and responded with a feeling of 'yeah that definitely makes sense' could elaborate.

Re: How to Take Smart Notes

#10

Post by digitalsushi »

glenstein wrote: post #9
cek wrote: post #2

Interesting the first few principles are not about note-taking, but writing in general. If you believe in the power of the written word to drive clarity (e.g. as in Amazon-style 6-page narratives), these principles are gold: Principle #1: Writing is not the outcome of thinking; it is the medium in which thinking takes place Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters Principle #5: Standard…

I confess I'm having trouble understanding what principle #2 means. I would appreciate it if someone who read that and responded with a feeling of 'yeah that definitely makes sense' could elaborate.

I interpreted it to mean that if we do not rely on writing, but merely use it as an augmentation, that our record will be incomplete and therefore not trustworthy, just a list of rumors. To promote the writing to a first class witness is necessary for it to be truly a work partner, a reliable source and a type of a mind to confer and converse with, in a weird but equal way as another person.
Post reply on HN