Hacking Notes

Make Notes Your Own

When it comes to effective learning, nothing beats making your own notes.

It’s tempting to rely solely on materials available online — and don’t get me wrong, I do it all the time too. There’s a huge amount of great content created by others, and it’s incredibly helpful. Unfortunately, I can’t name every author I’ve learned from — there are just too many, and I’m grateful to all of them.

But here’s the key: I never use them as-is.

I always adapt, edit, and add to what I find. Making changes helps me understand the material better. It turns passive reading into active learning. By shaping the notes to fit my own style and understanding, I retain the information much more effectively.

So here’s my advice:

• Use online notes as a foundation, not a final product.
• Make your own version.
• Rewrite, restructure, simplify, or expand — whatever helps you grasp the concepts.
• Treat it as part of the learning process, not just a reference.

In the end, your notes should work for you — not just be a copy of someone else’s.

Happy learning!