I tried taking notes and then organizing them afterward. Then, I switched to spending a little bit of time organizing my notes before taking lots of them. This

I tried taking notes and then organizing them afterward. Then, I switched to spending a little bit of time organizing my notes before taking lots of them. This changed the game for me considerably. It definitely doesn't make me smarter but it does keep me more organized. To the point where I'm not in a conversation remembering something I missed from earlier. This does make me more effective in those conversations and more able to focus on the people I'm conversing with. And that can definitely make me _seem_ smarter...