Something heretical: the smartest people I know don’t take very good notes.
I do not know why this is.
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I have noticed this but I think it's cherry-picking. I think seeing a very smart person not taking notes is memorable. I also observe it more in engineer types. And their intelligence is often more "available". Interesting topic
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I've seen a few not taking *any* notes, but more commonly I see them creating transient documents — sort of like a staging area for their thinking. Then they throw it away.
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Reminds me of this tweet tho not related
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Software interfaces undervalue peripheral vision! (a thread)
My physical space is full of subtle cues. Books I read or bought most recently are lying out. Papers are lying in stacks on my desk, roughly arranged by their relationships.
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Related:
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There's a funny response curve: folks who are super-diligent about note-taking practices or building simulations seem to generally end up with less insight than their somewhat-less-diligent neighbors.
Maybe it's a explore/exploit thing? Or maybe just a wonk/gestalt thing?
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I have a genius-y type friend (world class backgammon, top notch poker and gambling sharp, option guy, no college ed) who is quite candid that he's spent his whole life "beating people like me". I don't take offense. He's right
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