My experience is that it’s possible to use a combination of your memory + looking stuff up ad hoc for a concrete problem in an area that I understand well. For example, if I’m working on a programming project using a new library, I often don’t have to take notes. I can just look stuff up as I go along.
By contrast, if I’m learning a new and potentially complex skill, or am trying to gain knowledge for its own sake (like learning biochemistry for a class), I absolutely depend on notes. For example, I was recently trying to figure out how to synthesize a particular chemical of interest. This process involved converting the article that describes the procedure into my preferred note format, integrating cost and methods information from other sources, and then re-formatting the whole document so that it was easy to use, neat and clear.
This helps me feel like I know what I’d be getting into if I were to go ahead with it.
My experience is that it’s possible to use a combination of your memory + looking stuff up ad hoc for a concrete problem in an area that I understand well. For example, if I’m working on a programming project using a new library, I often don’t have to take notes. I can just look stuff up as I go along.
By contrast, if I’m learning a new and potentially complex skill, or am trying to gain knowledge for its own sake (like learning biochemistry for a class), I absolutely depend on notes. For example, I was recently trying to figure out how to synthesize a particular chemical of interest. This process involved converting the article that describes the procedure into my preferred note format, integrating cost and methods information from other sources, and then re-formatting the whole document so that it was easy to use, neat and clear.
This helps me feel like I know what I’d be getting into if I were to go ahead with it.