How to take notes (effectively) and capture ideas: Cal Newport

big ideas from Cal Newport, author of Deep Work ͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­ Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more NextBig-What is on a mission to enable you to make you micro-smarter every day - across a range of topics (AI to mental health, psychology to economics). Subscribe to experience the magic! Grab your limited-time special offer. [Get 20% off for 1 year]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [How to take notes (effectively) and capture ideas: Cal Newport]( big ideas from Cal Newport, author of Deep Work Jul 10   [READ IN APP](   POLL Do you take notes? [Yes - religiously. I have a process]() [Sometimes]() [Nope]() We all know that note taking is important - not just for productivity, but also to capture better ideas But here is the truth. Most of us SUCK at note taking. You start with a notebook or an app and move on to other apps - with no trace of notes. [person riding on book]( Deep Work author, Cal Newport shares the art of note-taking, offering practical advice for knowledge workers and students. He shares different types of note-taking systems, discusses the importance of aligning incentives when seeking productivity advice, and provides insights on balancing multiple interests while maintaining focus on core life fundamentals. We need some separation for note-taking to keep up with the complexity of modern life. Cal Newport’s Note-taking process There are three components to note-taking, as recommended by Cal Newport [Upgrade to paid]( - Working Memory Extender - Obligation Tracker - Idea Capture System --------------------------------------------------------------- Working Memory Extender A working memory extender is a crucial tool for knowledge workers, serving as a temporary storage system for information that exceeds the brain's immediate capacity. This can be a simple text file on your desktop (Cal has named his file WorkingMemory.txt), updated throughout the day. Recording information on a durable written medium... anywhere you're collecting information in a written medium that's durable. Then you have it outside of your head so you can reference it later. It allows you to jot down quick notes during meetings, capture action items from emails, and keep track of immediate tasks. The key is to regularly process and clear this file, transferring information to more permanent systems like calendars or obligation trackers. ... Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to NextBigWhat: Startups, AI and You to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. [Start trial]( A subscription gets you: Access to all premium posts (and archives) Access to all 3 newsletters, Ability to comment/engage with others Min 40% + Discounts on courses and other NBW products (like courses, conferences)   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2024 Zakti Techmedia Private Limited 677, HSR Layout, Bangalore-560102 [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()