Note taking. It’s like breathing. I can’t imagine life without it. Mind to hand to pen to paper. That is how incoming information sticks.
But alas, people assimilate data differently. A LOT differently. In fact, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of theories and frameworks of how humans learn.
Bottom line? Success lies in process, not time. In addition to penning (no pun intended) the term “effortful learning”, the folks over at Princeton equate learning to weight lifting, or in other words, it takes more than just a gym membership to get shredded. You need to work at it.
They also believe challenges (“desirable difficulties”) enhance the learning process. So next time you find yourself preparing for an important presentation, try getting through it without your notes. Try writing it down without your slides. Try speaking it without any slides. Tackle it from every angle. It’s practice and you’re going to mess up. Keep at it and you’ll prove Princeton right. Again.
What’s your process for learning?