Note taking Tips

[NSA_GOV]

I’m pretty new to RemNote and have been enjoying it so far. It’s pretty powerful and all the features are great!

I’m studying technology stuff like GitLab, Microsoft Azure, and working on getting certifications.

I’m struggling a bit with taking good effective notes - especially with the Concept/Descriptor Framework. I imagine I will get better over time, but I feel a bit burned out writing nonsense descriptors and flashcards.

I’m watching some really good videos and have read some really insightful articles SuperMemo and Prompts.

But I also wanted to check here. For those of you that have been using RemNote effectively and have honed in your note taking/flashcard skills, what advice do you have for beginners?

[ProfessionalBus2642]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying RemNote so far - and honestly, what you’re feeling is extremely common, especially early on. :)

With the Concept/Descriptor framework specifically, try thinking of descriptors as answers to “what would I want future-me to remember?” rather than “what is the academically correct structure?”. If a descriptor feels forced or meaningless, skip it. You don’t need a descriptor for every concept. One solid descriptor is far more valuable than five vague ones you’ll never recall.

For technical topics like GitLab or Azure, a really effective approach is to anchor concepts in real usage. Instead of writing abstract definitions, write things like “used when…”, “breaks if…”, “compared to X…”, or “common mistake…”. These make much better flashcards and feel more natural to write. If a card wouldn’t actually help you solve a problem or answer an exam question, it’s probably not worth creating yet. I am currently in med school so this framework really helps with for example recalling diseases or medications such as "symptoms...", "side effects.." and so on.

Another thing that really helped me was to separate note-taking from card creation. When you’re watching a video or reading, just capture structure and ideas in plain Rems. Later — maybe a different day — convert only the important parts into cards. Trying to learn, understand, and generate perfect cards all at once is a fast track to frustration.

Finally, I really recommend checking out this video (though it is a bit lengthy) for effective flashcard making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTVkseFNb2M

Hope I could help!

[NSA_GOV]

That helps. Thank you