Handwritten notes beat digital ones because the slower pace forces you to listen actively and pick out what matters. Verbatim transcription, writing everything word-for-word, is the worst approach: massive pages that don't highlight key ideas or help you learn.
They did a study, difference between writing notes down with pen and paper and actually doing it digitally. And they found that the people who'd used their handwriting actually did better on the exams. Why? Part of it was because you can't write as fast as you could type. So it forced you to really listen and prioritize the information and write down the things that were most important as opposed to just writing transcription. In fact, there was a study done at a university where they found out the best way of taking notes and the worst way of taking notes. And the worst way of taking notes, do you know what it was? Taking everything verbatim. That was the absolute worst way of taking notes, was full transcription of the notes. Now, why would you think that was the case? 'Cause you might think like, yeah, I would've guessed that, but why? Because if you have 40 pages of scripts, that doesn't help you to identify what's most important, and it doesn't show you how everything relates to another, and you don't know how to apply that information moving forward.
The Library of Minds: Brain Coach: How to Stay Sharp When AI Does the Thinking | Jim Kwik
