Techniques to take smart notes

Hey everyone! Let’s chat about something I’ve been diving into lately. I was toying with calling this post “Building My Second Brain,” but wasn’t quite sure. What does having a “second brain” really mean, anyway?

I got my hands on “How to Take Smart Notes” and started exploring ways to remember more from my readings and develop a system to nail my goals, like:

• Churning out more technical pieces.
• Expanding my blog with all the cool stuff I’m into.
• Stepping up as a content creator.

I’m aiming to shift from just gobbling up content to actually creating it. Generally, the internet’s got two kinds of folks:

The Content Consumers

You probably know this crowd, and hey, you might be part of it – I definitely am. This group’s the majority, maybe 99% or more of internet users, who mainly just soak in content. Some do it to learn, others for fun, but most of us online are just consuming.

Nothing wrong with that. My challenge, though? Moving from consumer to creator. How do you make that jump? And why can’t I shake off this nagging feeling that I should be creating, yet I’m not? Let’s first check out the other side.

The Content Creators

When you start making content, it feels like everyone’s doing it, often on the same topics you’re interested in.

This can be off-putting for newbies in blogging or YouTube, feeling like they’re stepping into an already packed party. It’s partly true. Your chosen topic might already have many voices, but remember, these creators are less than 1% of internet users. You’ve got something unique: your voice, style, and way of presenting ideas.

Take the music scene, for instance. Lots of bands out there, right? But you don’t often hear musicians ditching their dreams because the scene’s crowded. Everyone’s got their own flair.

This was my lightbulb moment: my voice matters, even if I sometimes doubt it’ll be heard.

If you’re wrestling with similar doubts, remember that content creators are a small bunch. If you’ve got something to say, go for it. It matters, to you and potentially to others.

Before start building a second brain

I’m a software engineer with over 15 years under my belt. Now, if I decide to delve into something like the HTTP handshake or how HTTPS works under the hood, and I want to write about it, it’s research time for me. Why? Because my memory is pretty hit or miss. Sure, I could kick off a piece on the topic, but I’d need to dig around to verify my facts and finesse the finer points. The real kicker? More often than not, I’ve found myself without a handy collection of notes for these deep-dive moments.

I once dabbled with a Zettelkasten method but dropped it after a week. It wasn’t the right time for me or maybe I wasn’t ready. Now, though, I’m ready to give it another shot, ready to share not just tech stuff, but life insights and my reading adventures.

The Game Changer: Smart Notes

I love reading. There were years I devoured over 30 books. But how much stuck with me? Not a whole lot. I was reading to hit numbers, not to learn. But I’ve changed my approach.

I’ll admit it, my reading was more about boosting my ego than anything else. I mean, what’s the point of plowing through 30 books a year just to brag about it? Don’t get me wrong, reading for the pure joy of it is great, especially when you’re curled up with a novel just to unwind. But when it comes to reading for learning, it’s a whole different ball game. You can’t just casually read in bed before dozing off, or half-listen to a book while your favorite playlist or TV show is on in the background. It demands your full, undivided attention.

And here’s the thing, just focusing on your reading isn’t the whole story. I’ve picked up some tricks along the way that really kicked my reading skills up a notch. Let me share them with you.

Techniques to get you going

Those are the things that I’ve learn the hard way and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes. Let’s divide into some easy-to-digest chunks. First up:

Full-On Focus

Reading to learn? It’s intense. Think of it as a mental workout. It zaps your energy and willpower. So, when you’re diving into a book, it’s all about locking in that laser focus. You’ve got to really think about what you’re absorbing.

Question-Driven Reading

Doesn’t matter if you’re tackling a book on ‘Getting Things Done’ or diving deep into Microservices. Start by flipping through the contents, eyeballing the summary, getting a feel for the book’s layout. Before each chapter, do a quick skim and jot down some key questions on a piece of paper. Like, “What do I want to get out of this chapter?” or “What are the main points the author is driving at?” This pre-reading Q&A sets you up to zero in on the parts that matter most. And hey, as you read, don’t be surprised if more questions pop up. It is specially good with you disagree with the author because this will ignite a lot of thoughts and initiate inner conversations between you and the text you are reading.

Note-Taking, Not Just Highlighting

Those questions you’ve got? They’re your brain’s ignition key. As you read, you’ll find bits that you’ll want to note down. And I’m not just talking about highlighting stuff. Writing down your thoughts, in your own words, cements those ideas way better than any highlighter can. These notes are gold for when you transfer them to your digital Zettelkasten.

But it’s not just about rewording what you’ve read. Think about how these notes tie into the questions you started with, or how they connect to what you’re working on. No specific project or goal? No problem. Just focus on rephrasing in your own style. And here’s a pro tip: get yourself a solid tagging system for your notes. A good tag system ties your notes to your interests and makes everything easier to navigate later.

Note-taking isn’t just about writing a mini-essay on a piece of paper. Try mind maps, draw bubbles with arrows linking different ideas – whatever floats your boat. In fact, experiment with a few methods to find your sweet spot.

Side node - The damage of relying only on highlighting.

Highlighting text seems like a great idea at first, right? But watch out for what I call ‘highlight mania’. It’s when you start marking every line that seems interesting. But here’s the catch – you will hardly ever revisit those highlighted parts. When everything is important, nothing is important.

Asking yourself questions at the start helps you figure out what’s really worth highlighting.

And trust me, taking notes is a game-changer compared to just highlighting. When you put what you’ve read into your own words, it sticks with you way better. It’s like the difference between a quick sketch and a detailed painting.

Don’t get me wrong, highlighting isn’t bad, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Remember, relying solely on highlighting probably won’t help much in learning or remembering.

In the future I will deep dive on how I am using Logseq to write down my atomic notes and thoughts and how it is my system to make everything organized.

See you next time.