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What convinced me to switch to hand-writing was recognizing how much time I spent correcting typos when typing notes - I'd go back and fix a typo and realize I

What convinced me to switch to hand-writing was recognizing how much time I spent correcting typos when typing notes - I'd go back and fix a typo and realize I had missed whatever the next thing was. When I switched back to hand-writing notes, I captured a lot more of what was being said.

fastball 6y ago
I've actually thought about this a lot (I'm building a note-taking platform), and one feature I still want to integrate is something to address this. My current best idea is to just hide stuff you've already written from you until you are finished. I've already seen this used elsewhere, but most recently experienced it with The Most Dangerous Writing App[1], which I actually used to write significant parts of my thesis. [1] https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app
not_knuth 6y ago
Interesting. I can relate to the urge of correcting typos as they are produced. This only happens to me when I see the text though. I have come to look away from the text input or simply close my eyes to fight that urge. Right now, as I write these words, my eyes are closed. I peek at the text every now and then to correct typos, formatting and grammar; and am often surprised by how little typos I've made. It also helps me focus on what I'm writing instead of constantly parsing the text I have just typed. On note-taking: I can anecdotally confirm that taking notes like this definitely makes me feel like I'm learning a lot more and understand what I'm writing down.
- eszed 6y ago
  > how few typos (lol) I have had the same experience, though. Looking away from the screen is a good technique. I tend to fold my laptop screen down until I can't quite see it. I find, regardless of the medium in which I'm taking notes, that summarizing the content in my own words is far more valuable than trying to take down exactly what someone is saying. Do you do the same? I suppose that if I'd learned shorthand, or could type way faster than I do, that creating a transcript might be worthwhile. I don't know, though; it seems like processing it for a summary forces me to engage with the material more than just rote typing does, and I then retain the information more easily.
  - not_knuth 6y ago
    > > how few typos (lol) Big facepalm. On the matter of summaries: I do something similar. I also feel that writing things down in your own words goes a long way. When I'm writing things down in my own words I also like to pretend that I'm explaining it to someone who has no knowledge of the topic. For me at least, this makes every note I take an attempt at an explanation and I often completely rewrite a note on a topic without looking at a previous one. I can then compare them to see how I've progressed as well as replacing the old one if the new one is more concise. I guess this is quite similar to your style. This usually only takes 2-3 iterations before I'm comfortable with a topic, but if it's something important I need to learn for the long term, I do the re-writing of a note in spaced-repitition-like intervals.
tartoran 6y ago
I actually have lost my handwriting precision from years of typing on keyboards and electronic devices. So my writing, especially when fast has become extremely sloppy. I wonder if retraining that would have any other benefits beside helping with cursive. I'm thinking of micromotor and nervous system benefits...

fastball 6y ago

I've actually thought about this a lot (I'm building a note-taking platform), and one feature I still want to integrate is something to address this. My current best idea is to just hide stuff you've already written from you until you are finished. I've already seen this used elsewhere, but most recently experienced it with The Most Dangerous Writing App[1], which I actually used to write significant parts of my thesis. [1] https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app

not_knuth 6y ago

Interesting. I can relate to the urge of correcting typos as they are produced. This only happens to me when I see the text though. I have come to look away from the text input or simply close my eyes to fight that urge. Right now, as I write these words, my eyes are closed. I peek at the text every now and then to correct typos, formatting and grammar; and am often surprised by how little typos I've made. It also helps me focus on what I'm writing instead of constantly parsing the text I have just typed. On note-taking: I can anecdotally confirm that taking notes like this definitely makes me feel like I'm learning a lot more and understand what I'm writing down.

eszed 6y ago
> how few typos (lol) I have had the same experience, though. Looking away from the screen is a good technique. I tend to fold my laptop screen down until I can't quite see it. I find, regardless of the medium in which I'm taking notes, that summarizing the content in my own words is far more valuable than trying to take down exactly what someone is saying. Do you do the same? I suppose that if I'd learned shorthand, or could type way faster than I do, that creating a transcript might be worthwhile. I don't know, though; it seems like processing it for a summary forces me to engage with the material more than just rote typing does, and I then retain the information more easily.
- not_knuth 6y ago
  > > how few typos (lol) Big facepalm. On the matter of summaries: I do something similar. I also feel that writing things down in your own words goes a long way. When I'm writing things down in my own words I also like to pretend that I'm explaining it to someone who has no knowledge of the topic. For me at least, this makes every note I take an attempt at an explanation and I often completely rewrite a note on a topic without looking at a previous one. I can then compare them to see how I've progressed as well as replacing the old one if the new one is more concise. I guess this is quite similar to your style. This usually only takes 2-3 iterations before I'm comfortable with a topic, but if it's something important I need to learn for the long term, I do the re-writing of a note in spaced-repitition-like intervals.

tartoran 6y ago

I actually have lost my handwriting precision from years of typing on keyboards and electronic devices. So my writing, especially when fast has become extremely sloppy. I wonder if retraining that would have any other benefits beside helping with cursive. I'm thinking of micromotor and nervous system benefits...