There is a lot of “clique-ness” when it comes to education, and therefore taking notes in a classroom. A lot of the information on how to make good notes is often very hard to find, as there are a lot of reasons to make notes. Here are a few principles to remember.
While it is important to be using better tools when the job calls for it, I do not believe you should be doing this unplanned, and during the time you are writing notes. For example, when you are in a maths lecture and you realise that your mind maps would work better colour coded, it is important to just take note of that (a mental note may just suffice) and carry on with the current plan. What is not a good idea is to start experimenting with other ways of note taking while note taking. Try to change your tools after you have done the task, not during! I have made this mistake many times and will likely make this mistake many times more!
There are countless quotes about simplicity such as Einstein’s quote about how it takes someone brave to go simple. The Bhagavad gita also discusses simplicity time and time again.
I found that paper notes tend to be simple. In today’s day and age, we need to master the use of technology, but we should not let it take control of us. I spent a long time trying to figure out notes on a computer, and I am still scratching the surface of whether or not it is helpful or not. I find that paper is slower and more about focus. And if I need to do something permanent or make it presentable, I will most likely use a computer. Finding a workflow that works will help stop you from context switching.
I found the zettelkasten method, or using vimwiki incredibly fun. So I encourage doing many different things as we are spoilt for choice nowadays. At one point though I found the idea of using pen and paper more fun and so I started to do that. Being able to type latex on the fly was fun.
Note taking is taking something that is hard to understand and making is so that it is easy to understand and easy to remember. Concise notes are great (again be simple and with little overhead). Notes that are oriented around cues, such as flashcards or the Cornell note taking method are great.
Making something to last is an idea we forget! But we should aim to do that. It makes our actions more in tune to the principles that matters, and helps us find steadiness in the noise.
Do master your note tools (idea 7) but do it well. https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/01/7-rules-for-maximizing-your-creative-output/ https://castel.dev