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Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

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Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#121
I have an atomic note like ``Paxos`` and when I re-read or add to it, I usually refactor it to resemble my improved understanding.

This is a colossal waste of time if you do it by hand, but it is something that really helps me, and is enabled by taking notes on a keyboard + Obsidian.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#122

This reminds me of the Steve Jobs comment [1] about condors and bicycles: “I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. And, humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing, about a third of the way down the list. It was not too proud a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn’t look so good. But, then some…

You can do spaced repetition with handwriting, so you are assuming you conclusion that SRS with typing is more efficient.

Do you believe that Anki cards is more efficient for learning a song, than, say, spaced repetition of playing or singing the song?

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#123
I've always found that it's the act of actually "processing" the information that helps with my retention and understanding.

Most of my notes (especially in college) are short sentences / random words with arrow to other rows (with most of my notes being incomprehensible to even myself after some time).

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#124

Handwriting may be a good way to reinforce what you've already learned. But it can also act as a crutch which disengages your brain before you've processed new information more deeply. I have a coworker who hand writes nearly all technical information spoken in meetings and 1 on 1 conversations, and yet remains incredibly ineffective at recall. The problem is she lacks a mental model of the topic, so she has no struc…

Sounds to me like the note taking isn't her issue.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#125

I just want to add a gigantic caveat: NOT FOR EVERYBODY. I know a lot of people who insist writing by hand helps them. But I also know it's TERRIBLE for me personally. The article claims: > Writing by hand on paper creates a tactile, personalized experience... The complex experience of hand writing on paper contains a multitude of variable elements: the creativity of an individual’s written representation of language…

Have you gave it an old college try though before giving up? Like two years before dismissing it?

[deleted]

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#126

I've always found that it's the act of actually "processing" the information that helps with my retention and understanding. Most of my notes (especially in college) are short sentences / random words with arrow to other rows (with most of my notes being incomprehensible to even myself after some time).

I had one course in engineering school (ethics I think), that had us take shorthand notes in class, then re-write into long-form in a separate notebook to be submitted at the end of the semester. It was super effective at driving home the lessons since the act of translating short-form to long-form required (re)comprehension of the material.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the slower, deliberate nature is the point here. The article does at least attempt to cite some research rather than just relying on anecdote.

As a person with ADHD, that slower, deliberate nature goes against everything my brain wants. Even when learning from video, certain speakers seem too slow, and my brain prefers speedy information intake otherwise it wanders off to another universe. I think my brain has a pretty wide bus, but no guarantees it has the next gen processor, and definitely no ECC memory, information gets corrupted and lost all the time. T…

Preference is one thing, but what is more effective?

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#128
I think it's more helpful for certain tasks, such as learning a new language, than others, such as creating a complex document. I've been using handwritten notes to improve my Korean recently, and I've noticed that I can recall the words and characters much more accurately and for much longer after writing them by hand.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#129

Handwriting may be a good way to reinforce what you've already learned. But it can also act as a crutch which disengages your brain before you've processed new information more deeply. I have a coworker who hand writes nearly all technical information spoken in meetings and 1 on 1 conversations, and yet remains incredibly ineffective at recall. The problem is she lacks a mental model of the topic, so she has no struc…

I don't want to disparage your colleague; but the way you describe it, it looks more like an her issue than a handwriting issue.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#130
Never.

I had a horrible manager who just wrote a list of vague complaints in his crap hand writing.

Later on he just took a picture of his notes, I swear the worst hand writing I've ever seen, and emailed it to me.

As a bonus this company expected employees to work multiple nights, and even though some of the directors did, my manager never did so.

Now change the title to personal information, like for example when you need to get your tire changed, and maybe I'll understand. But as far as at work, when you may need to share that information later, I have to disagree.

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