How I Take Notes

For example, below are screenshots of some notes I took around ten years ago—chosen randomly from my files. I have hundreds of examples like this, and most of them (as in this instance) never lead to anything publishable. But I still take great care in this. You can see how I am trying to analyze, compare, and add my own perspectives. And, just as ... See more

Finally, note-taking is useful as a source of discipline and mental training—and that’s true no matter what the subject is. Even learning to write down a coherent summary and assessment of a lousy TV show or second-rate movie can have value. In a strange way, I’ve learned almost as much from inferior works as I have from superior ones.