Claims...
The goal with taking notes isn't just to collect information (archive), it's to process information and finally, create new works out of our processed informations.
Traditionally notes are taken and content that captures our attention is saved in some sort of archive never to be seen again. The goal should be, instead, to create a sandbox where we can play with all the information we've ever processed, creating something new out of the connections between our notes.
Our sandbox of information, insights, and creations serves as a sort of secondary brain, it is not exactly linear but can have structured areas (index) to help spark our memory.
The end goal isn't to collect, but to convert ideas, information, and our understanding into tangible creatives. It also serves as a tool to help us master skills and create new and useful frameworks for ourselves and others. We're also relieving our biological brain from the stress of holding everything in our memory, allowing it to do imagine, create, and simply be present.
Note taking is an action, the act of organizing & processing information. The organization and processing of notes is, itself, an act of creation.
The Three Basic Steps to Effective Note Taking
How to know what kind of content to collect? Think like a curator, consume in a deliberate way. Let your intuition drive what you collect vs. just collecting everything.
Design notes for your future self, what could you be looking for? What terms relate to the topic that you've already collected? Leave yourself meta-notes on what you were thinking at the time you were taking a note.
Building connections (links) between notes is part of the processing sequence. Create indexes or evergreen notes on key concepts.
Create short overviews or summaries at the top of notes to help you see the bigger picture, and remind your future self what you were hoping to accomplish with the note.
You can edit, add too, or revise notes over time; they do not need to be complete the first round through. The goal is to always add value to the note when it surfaces.
Write -
Writing is the phase where we further process collections of related points into finalized pieces of content for ourselves or others.
It's been observed that teaching is the best way to learn -- by fully synthesizing concepts into completed works we demonstrate our understanding of the concept.
If we have difficulty compiling our findings into a finalized piece it's likely we don't fully understand the concepts yet, we need to keep researching.
This is the stage where information further transform into knowledge, something useful. Creating things is both fulfilling (experiencing being a producer instead of a consumer) and can serve as a jumping point for new opportunities.
If you're not sure what to write you can create a list of 'reports' you'd like to create based on things you'd like to learn. These top level 'projects' can serve as your touchstone while you collect information. They are where you can put into written form your insights and observations based on notes you've created.