Taking a note is not a one-time activity but a continuous process that requires your active involvement and engagement. You should not treat your notes as static documents that you create once and forget, but as dynamic resources that you revisit, revise and refine over time. Revisiting and reviewing your existing notes is an essential but often neglected part of the note-taking process. Most note-takers do not review their notes enough or do it in a passive and superficial way. They miss the opportunity to deepen their understanding and generate new ideas from their notes. You must adopt a different mindset and approach to your note review process to avoid this. You need to dance with your notes more often!
Revisiting and reviewing your existing notes help you to:
How to dance with your notes more often
If you take notes regularly but rarely look at them again, you are doing note-taking wrong. If you feel like your notes are not helping you learn, remember or create better, you need to dance with your notes more often.
Dancing with your notes means revisiting, reviewing, and refining your notes. It means interacting with your notes in an active way rather than treating them as passive documents. Make your notes more alive, more meaningful and more useful by following these three rules for note-taking reviews:
By following the three rules for note-taking reviews, you can improve your memory, understanding, creativity, and knowledge. Don’t let your notes gather dust on your shelf or hard drive. Take them out for a spin, and see what new insights and ideas you can discover. Remember, your notes are not just records of what you have learned but invitations to what you can learn. Don’t forget to dance with your notes!