People have written notes, sketches, essays, letters, journals and diaries for as long as there has been writing. Even mathematicians of Gauss's or Newton's sta

People have written notes, sketches, essays, letters, journals and diaries for as long as there has been writing. Even mathematicians of Gauss's or Newton's stature wrote vastly more than they published. It helps to organize and clarify one's thought processes and if one is particularly well organized about it, boosts recall. Careful application can also boost WM, a key component of fluid intelligence. Modern Note taking seems to be about formalizing the process of getting the most out of one's writing and learnings. I have personally not found anything that clearly beats notepad level text editors or plain pencil and paper, however. My thoughts on this is as tools for thought, there can never be a one size fits all solution for the reason that there are many thinking styles and personalities. Todo lists, project planning and time tracking, programming languages, note taking apps, UI frameworks, game engines all fit the pattern of tools meant to organize complex mental processes and artifacts and where everyone settles for what best matches them though never fully satisfied. Meanwhile those who can find the time and ability to make something better suited to their taste do so, also bringing something to those most aligned to their tastes.