I am young â How to stat note-taking
Without a fixed schedule and being constantly available, our bodies and minds pay a high price. Stress and memory donât work well together. Some people realize earlier than others that writing can help, and they invest time in learning and practicing how to do it.
Since the mid-1990s, Iâve been refining my note-taking abilities and how I deal with information. Some of that learning came from training courses, but most of it was self-taught: through books, experiments, and trial and error. This doesnât make me better than anyone else, but it does allow me to share what worked for me and help others avoid common mistakes.
Start With Yourself
My main recommendation is to invest time in understanding how your brain works, how you learn best, and how your body signals its needs. Learn to notice when youâre hungry, tired, or stressed, and what helps you calm your mind. Note-taking can support this process if you take time to reflect and write about it.
Iâm a firm believer in the Quantified Self approach: measuring aspects of our lives (sleep, heart rate, stress levels, etc.) and correlating them with how we feel and perform. This awareness directly impacts learning and productivity.
Practical Steps
- Journal daily: Even a few words are enough. The goal is to build the habit, not to write perfectly.
- Use prompts: Answer guiding questions, or sometimes ignore them completely. What matters is consistency.
- Write in the second person: This creates distance, making it easier to be honest with yourself. Itâs like observing your own actions from the outside.
- Focus on micro-changes: Often, the act of writing itself triggers small shifts in behavior and mindset. You donât always need to revisit notes to benefit from them.
- Learn incrementally: Write a little about what youâre learning each day: a definition, a concept, a reflection. Then, refine and expand on weekends. Donât aim to build an encyclopedia overnight. Small notes compound into big progress.
Why It Matters
The sooner you start writing, the sooner youâll understand yourself better. Note-taking is not just about storing information, itâs about creating awareness, reducing stress, and building a foundation for lifelong learning.