The Essence of Noting Down

There are many situations where I have written something and not looked back. I thought Since I have written, I might have just remembered it. But it is not like that.

I generally write things down either while I am in the class or actively knowing/ learning the subject. This helps me save time, but I have noticed that some times, it did not help me much. I used to miss some points while I try to note all the things down. Later on, I was trying out different techniques. One such technique is the one I currently follow.

There will be many new things that are automatically understood while some are not. We care about both of them, but in a different way. While reading something in a class or listening to a lecture, I note down the key-words that are new and feel to be emphasized while writing down the notes. If there is no reference, I shall write the details too for the same. In case there are any references, just check them out while you write the notes.

When it is about the un-intutive or counter-intuitive things, I need some time to actually understand it. I can't write something I have not yet understood. So I listen carefully and write some important points in the book and come back to it while I write the notes. Now, I shall use a language, that makes me feel having no ambiguity. Using mixture of languages makes it easy for people to refer back as there is no ambiguity. I use a mix of Telugu and English for writing notes, so that I shall not make any ambiguous statements that shall hinder my understanding once I re-visit it.

This is the first and formost part, whereas, when I leave this un-noticed, I might not remember it. I once listened to a video of Ms. Shade Z, where she states, we need to revisit the concepts after one-day, three-days and six-days, to remember it for a long time.

So, the important step is writing down with no ambiguity so that this step makes you feel good only if you know everything and not bluff yourself. Later the revisiting helps you to remember for a long time.