Note-Taking Syntax

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#snippets

My note-taking process has two phases. First, I take extensive notes while watching course videos or reading books. Then, I distil those rough notes into a more structured and formatted version. Here are some shorthands I use to optimise the first phase.

1. Purpose Codes#

  • Q:: – Question for later
  • K:: – Key idea / core thesis
  • D:: – Definition
  • E:: – Example / case study
  • A:: – Actionable advice / application
  • R:: – Reference to check later
  • C:: – Contradiction / counterpoint
  • P:: – Personal connection / reflection
  • W:: – New word in vocabulary
  • SUM:: – Summary of a section/topic
  • T:: – Teacher/professor emphasis (important)
  • HW:: – Homework / assignment reference
  • EX:: – Exam hint or likely test point

2. Priority Marks (append before :: if needed)#

  • ! – Very important → K!::
  • !! – Must revisit soon → A!!::
  • ? – Unclear / needs unpacking → K?::
  • – Quote-worthy → D*::

3. Context Anchors#

  • Books: CH::X – Chapter number

4. Compression Rules#

  • Drop small words (a, the)
  • → = cause → effect
  • →← = mutual relationship
  • / = contrast (X / Y)
  • ~ = approximation or similarity

5. Common Abbreviations#

  • approx = approximately
  • vs = versus
  • w/ = with
  • w/o = without
  • ex = example
  • e.g. = for example
  • i.e. = that is
  • cf. = compare
  • def = definition
  • sum = summary
  • ref = reference
  • concl = conclusion
  • bg = background
  • hist = history
  • eqn = equation
  • strat = strategy
  • mgmt = management
  • bio = biology
  • chem = chemistry
  • phys = physics
  • econ = economics
  • soc = sociology
  • psych = psychology
  • anth = anthropology
  • phil = philosophy
  • pol = politics / political
  • env = environment / environmental
  • stat = statistics