I take a lot of notes these days. During calls, when I'm planning my day, or just when I feel like something is important enough that I want to be sure I remember it. I've found the more notes I take, the better my memory is, thanks to a weird quirk of the human mind. 

See, the value in taking notes isn't so much that you'll have something to refer to later (although that can obviously be handy). No, the value is in the act itself. Writing things down has been proven to actually improve memory and retention, even if you never glance at the paper again.

It seems like ridiculous circular logic. "You can avoid having to refer to your notes by taking really good notes!” but it works. The value of writing notes has been a topic of interest for psychologists, neurologists, and creatives for years, even if no single rationale for it has ever been fully embraced.

For example, neurologists believe it has something to do with how the brain processes information. Extremely simplified, the different regions of the brain process different kinds of information. There are areas for visual, auditory, and emotional information and more, and they all communicate with and cross-reference each other on a regular basis. When you listen during a meeting, its the auditory region that is doing the heavy lifting, storing away the data your taking in to recall later. However, when you combine that with the visual process of looking at it as you write, and the motor function of moving your hands to record a few notes, you're in effect creating a support structure for that information. When you try to recall the information later, all of those areas of the brain work in concert to create a more accurate and vivid impression of what you need to remember.

Psychologists have their own ideas. One of the earliest minds to take interest this trend was Bluma Zeigarnik, who noticed how waiters processed, and dispensed with information. Waiters in a busy cafe she went to would take extensive notes while taking an order, only to go back to the kitchen and effortlessly yell the order to the kitchen staff without even looking at the paper. However, once the order was complete, those same waiters couldn't tell you what they served an hour later if their lives depended on it.

She posited that our minds remember "unfinished business” as it were better than completed tasks. That writing something down that you know is important for the express purpose of keeping it in mind for later kept it at the forefront of our minds. Writing it down in this sense cues the task for completion, and the mind holds onto it until it's complete.

But, it gets even more complicated when you factor in studies that show the medium in which you take notes matters more than you might think. Studies have shown that students retain more information when taking notes with good old fashion pen and paper than they do if they type them down in a laptop. The reasons for this are not clear. It could be that typing is faster for many students and requires less mental work or discernment when sorting through information (a bit part of taking good notes by hand is learning to tell the difference between important info that needs to be recorded, and what can be skipped to save on wrist strain). Or, it could have something to do with the actual physical action of typing versus writing, that we create more synaptic connections with the pen than with keys.

While all of this is fascinating, it's also beside the point. Personally, I know I tend to remember things much better if I've taken the time to write them down in a notebook or even on a post-it note, even if I almost immediately toss the note away. If you find yourself struggling to keep track of everything you need to get done during the day, or walk out of meetings and teleconferences wondering what the heck you just talked about, do yourself a favour – grab a pen and notepad.