Taking Notes Is Overrated

I’ve never been much of a note-taker. In meetings, lectures, and conversations, I watch people frantically scribble while I sit back and listen. And honestly? I think they’re missing something.

The attention tradeoff nobody talks about

There’s a real cost to capturing everything. You’re either writing down what someone just said, or you’re actually processing it. Doing both well is nearly impossible. When your head is down, you’re not reading the room, catching nuance, or thinking critically about what’s being said.

A better question

Instead of “how do I capture this?” I ask: “Where can I find this later?”

Here’s the thing—most information worth knowing is already documented somewhere. And that documentation is usually more accurate than what someone is improvising off the top of their head.

The rare exception? When something genuinely new emerges. That’s worth jotting down.

What I’d rather do

Be present. Ask decent questions. Engage with the person in front of me.

I’ve seen too many people build graveyards of notes they never revisit—transcripts of conversations they weren’t really part of.

This won’t work for everyone. Some people process by writing. Some contexts demand documentation. But if you’re taking notes out of habit rather than necessity, consider what you might be giving up.

Sometimes the best thing you can bring to a conversation is your full attention.