The Power of Digital Note Taking

Taking notes in any format will help you remember more and increase your productivity. 

I’ve always been a prolific note-taker. It probably has something to do with my lousy memory. I learned early on that if I didn’t write things down, I’d probably forget them no matter how important. 

It is a skill I had to learn in College and was critical to my first professional job as a journalist. 

Later as a manager, I found so many things coming at me that I always carried a notebook. 

And project folders were an essential part of my method of productivity. 

When my work required a lot of travel around the country, I ran into a serious problem. When I was in Washington, DC, invariably I needed notes that were back in my Milwaukee office.  When I was back home, I needed something that was in DC. 

I became a huge fan of digital notes. 

My notes now reside in the Cloud and can be organized and tagged for easy access and recall. 

They are always with me. While I like to take notes on my iPad or computer, I can also find them on my iPhone or any other computer with an internet connection. When an HVAC repair guy asked about a problem I had been having in the past, I was able to pull up all of the notes on previous maintenance. 

All of my notes are searchable. So, each search I perform checks not only the title of the note but also each word in the document. If I snap a picture of a whiteboard, the program I use translates the image so that the writing is also searchable. 

I can also share my notes with two simple clicks. I wish my friends and I had the flexibility when I was in school. 

Do I still take notes on paper?  Of course, especially when it is not practical to open an electronic device. But, once I’m done, I scan my written notes into my digital system. 

My experience has taught me that my note-taking process is now more flexible, accessible, and helpful than ever before.