If you can make up a story connecting metaphors, locations and language triggers to help you remember something you are studying, it will save time and increase your long-term recall.

A book is an attention unit. A fact is interesting, an idea is important, but only a story, a good argument, a well-crafted narrative is amazing, never to be forgotten. As Muriel Rukeyser said, “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”

Facts are important, but the story matters. Poorly

The basic idea of note taking is to pick out key points from what you’ve heard so that you can review and strengthen brain-links. The best way to do this is to write by hand. Divide a sheet of paper into two parts, so you can take initial notes on one side and later make briefer notes on the other as you review and actively recall the key points.

Think of yourself not just as a taker of notes, but as a giver of notes—you are giving your future self the gift of knowledge that is easy to find and understand.