Author Tim Ferriss says he takes notes “like some people take drugs,” filling paper notebooks with book highlights, ideas, dream descriptions, lists, brainstorming, contacts, questions, and anything else he wants to remember. Ferriss writes: I trust the weakest pen more than the strongest memory, and note taking is—in my experience—one of the most important skills for converting excessive information into precise action and follow-up.
Then he describes how he chooses, indexes, and organizes his paper notebooks, using size and flexibility plus hand-written page numbers to find what he needs later.
While I love the idea of taking thorough, well-organized notes consistently (and I try to do just that), I don’t see myself either flipping through paper notebooks a year from now or transcribing my scribbling to digital documents as I go. How do you take notes while you read books, attend seminars, and go to meetings? Let us know in the comments. Students, see more on how to take study-worthy notes with the Cornell note-taking method.
How to Take Notes Like an Alpha-Geek [The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss via Micro Persuasion]Tired of always focusing on the downside of everything? Wish you could temper your negative thoughts with occasional reassurance? Web site wikiHow offers a good roundup of ways to counter pessimism, including a little Moleskine-powered mind hacking: Get a notebook and a pen, and write down all the good things that you have. Every time you are feeling negative, read through them and remind yourself that it’s not all bad.
How do you battle downward-spiraling thoughts? Feel free to share in the comments.
How to Be Optimistic [wikiHow]
