Notes and note taking

I was an awful note taker at the university and in law school.
Especially in law school, I would watch the other students scribble
furiously in their notebooks, so I would copy their behavior and write
copious notes from every class. There was just one problem, when I got
home and went back through my notes, they were absolutely meaningless.
It was not that I couldn't write legibly, it was just that whatever I
wrote down made no sense. I finally got to the point of simply listening
more carefully and trying to accurately record the assignments.

This problem with note taking carried over to my genealogical
investigations. I go to the libraries and find information on my family
and write down meaningful notes (at the time) and when I go back to the
notes later, they are gibberish. I have no idea what I wrote about or
even what I have done. So, recognizing my dilemma, I started an entirely
different way of taking notes. I now use my digital camera to record
everything of interest. By clicking away at the books and materials, I
can record everything I see of interest and I don't have to rely on
indecipherable notes for information. I simply go back to the original
materials any time I need to refer to them.

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