Ask HN: How to Take Good Notes?

If I could always remember the right keywords to search for the articles I had in mind, I'd just do that.

For online content, most of the time I'll wait for a later 'cache miss' before any bookmarks/notes. (I'd either come across content when procrastinating on HN/etc., or from looking for it while doing a task. For the former, it's low-effort consumption. For the latter, it's hard to know if it's going to something I have difficulty finding later. IMO, it's not worth putting easy-to-Google things in; lots of stuff is easy to Google for).

For storing stuff, I prefer bookmarks to end up in pinboard, and notes to end up somewhere in org-mode. I've found the zetteldeft package to be useful for me. https://www.eliasstorms.net/zetteldeft/ (builds upon deft. https://jblevins.org/projects/deft/ ). - If in rare cases I find I want to remember some key idea or jargon without having to look it up, then I'll go to the effort of adding it to Anki.

The second step is much more important. As soon as possible after class, hopefully armed with a better understanding of all the material, I write my actual notes. I write down everything I think I'll need to study to remember what I need to remember. Then I make an Anki deck from the notes some time in the next day or two and by that point I'll have the material pretty much committed to memory. I review the Anki deck a couple times over the next week to really lock it all in.

That's the process that's getting me through helicopter fight training now, currently working on my CFI.

http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-syst...

Notes become: - Questions - Notes - Summary

That style can help or hurt. When the class is straight info then sure, I can see the advantage but would never take another class from the professor. When the class is designed for analysis and critical thinking about the topic it kills interest and if they had offered another slot or I wasn't set on graduating quickly and could delay I would have.

I end up summarizing things that don't connect immediately and allowing the connections to stand against reviewing the notes the next day. I can then triage if I took too many notes (remembered more connections and can scale back) or need to review certain topics or sections (dropped connections). I also preferred class structures where we could participate vs being told the info and tested on our ability to regurgitate it. It's good for 101 classes but does not build an educated mind, just knowledge.