I have been thinking on these lines myself and here is what i have settled on for studying of non-trivial subjects/ideas/concepts etc. (NOT for Todo/Task list/J

I have been thinking on these lines myself and here is what i have settled on for studying of non-trivial subjects/ideas/concepts etc. (NOT for Todo/Task list/Journals etc.); 1) Use paper and pencil/pen to write down everything. You can use a computer based tool later for transcribing it into electronic form(weekly/monthly). Studies have shown that writing by hand engages the whole mind/body and helps in retention. 2) Use a simple system like the "Cornell Note-taking System"(http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-system/ http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-syst...) or anything else of your choice. It should not be too complex so as not to unnecessarily distract from the object of the study. 3) As you take the notes mix both textual and graphical methods to express and amplify the idea/concept as required. The key is to use whatever feels natural to express clarity and facilitate understanding. Use precise mathematical notation/graphs as much as possible eg; Venn diagrams, Tree diagrams, X-Y co-ordinates, Statistical graphs etc (the book Mathematical Notation: A Guide for Engineers and Scientists is helpful to gain fluency in mathematical notation). I suggest writing text on the vertical left half-side of the page and pictures/graphs on the other half similar to how some Maths texts show their graphs on the margin next to the text (think also "Literate Programming"). Take a look also at Leonardo da vinci's notebooks for inspiration.