We’ve been trained to take notes like we’re hoarding – saving everything ‘just in case,’ but never finding what we need.
Good notes aren’t about dumping information. They’re about thinking. And thinking clearly takes practice. Below are four shifts that helped me move from academic overload to a system that actually works.
1. One Idea Per Note
Atomic notes. That’s it.
One thought, one note. In your own words. No bloat, no bundling.
This is the hardest habit to break – trying to capture everything instead of something. But the payoff is big: smaller notes are easier to connect, recall, and build on.
Most people take notes like it’s a textbook: cover everything, top to bottom. That’s not learning, that’s copying. When your notes are small and sharp, they start talking to each other. That’s where the real thinking begins.
2. Skip the Structure
Folders. Tags. Headings. All distractions.
Structure should emerge, not be imposed. You don’t need a map before you have a destination. Create structure when you need it, not before.
If you’re burning energy on which folder to use or which font to pick, you’re not thinking, you’re formatting. Let it go.
3. Think Bottom-Up
Your brain doesn’t care about categories. It cares about connections.
Instead of outlining top-down (like school taught us), start with raw ideas. Let the structure bubble up naturally. You’ll find patterns as you go. That’s when things stick.
Forced structure feels neat but leaves your brain out of the loop. Organic structure feels messy, until it works.
4. Use Your Own Words
If you didn’t write it, you didn’t think it.
Copying text might help you remember. But it won’t help you understand. Only your own words can do that.
Understanding is active. It’s what happens when you rephrase something so it fits how you see the world. That’s the note that matters.
Forget the perfect system. Forget the productivity porn. Notes don’t need to impress anyone.They just need to help you think.
So, keep it short. Make it yours. And trust the system to grow as you do -> One note at a time.
Neerja Kushwaha 
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