As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become quite good about not trusting myself to remember things. In the past I’ve said many times “I’ll remember that”, and then quickly forgot. These days, most of the time, when I want to remember something I make sure to make a note for it (usually in Google Keep, but use whatever works best for you).
Further, though, I need to continue to be careful about who I’m writing the note for. It’s not for me in that moment, but for me hours later when I’m completely removed from that event — additional context in the note is always a good thing! I’ve had plenty of times where I’ve written a note for myself but then been unable to understand what I was trying to remember because there wasn’t enough context in the note.
In his book “Outsmart Your Brain“, author Daniel Willingham offers this advice:
I’ve said that it often makes sense to “write what you’re thinking”, but you must bear in mind that future you will be reading the note. Write your notes for future you. Future you needs context and explanation, which are not easy to provide when you are rushed during a lecture.
Willingham is talking about lecture notes in this example, but it applies to almost any kind of note that you take for yourself. Jotting it down quickly is 100x better than nothing, but taking an extra five seconds to give a smidge more context will make your future self very happy.
