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How common is note-taking as an activity?
Hello! Thanks for your question about how common note-taking is as an activity. The short version is that after searching extensively through academic databases, corporate websites and trusted media sites, I’ve determined that the information you requested is not publicly available because the exact percentage of the population with a habit of taking notes has not been established formally. However, I was able to learn helpful statistics in regards to note-taking that include how effective handwritten notes are compared to digital, the rise of A.I.-aided note-taking, and famous/successful people who are note takers along with their note-taking tips through sources such as Business Insider and Computer World. Below you will find a deep dive of my research and methodology.
METHODOLOGY
After searching exhaustively, I have not been able to find any statistic that specifically shows the percentage of people who have a habit of note-taking or writing down thoughts. First, I searched through university websites such as Harvard and the University of Michigan in an effort to find studies that would reveal this information. I then searched through academic databases and corporate websites such as ETS, Fortune, and LSE Research. I was able to find a great amount of useful information regarding successful note-taking techniques, statistics comparing handwritten and digital note-taking, and popular apps that aid in note-taking. I also found information about the note-taking tricks used by famous people such as Richard Branson, Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, and Bruce Springsteen.
HANDWRITTEN VS. DIGITAL
According to studies provided by researchers at Princeton University and UCLA, students who took handwritten notes generally outperformed students who typed their notes via computer. Another study performed by the faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point found that students who had their computers and tablets taken away during an introductory economics class scored higher grades than those in classes where these devices were optional. In fact, on a test where the maximum score was 100, students who used these devices scored 1.7 points lower than those who didn't.
POPULAR APPS
While writing out notes by hand may help students' performance, those who wish to take notes for business and personal use will find a vast amount of helpful apps to aid in this activity. According to Business News Daily, the top 7 apps for note-taking include iOS Notes, Evernote, ColorNote, OneNote, Simplenote, Notability, and Penultimate. With the exception of Notability (which is $2.99), all of these apps are free and can be used on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. All of these apps offer the ability to type notes, add photos, and record video. With Americans attending nearly 11 million meetings every day and the U.S. losing $37 billion in unproductive meetings a year, it is easy to see why there are so many options to choose from.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
For those who are looking for an even easier way to take notes, there are two new products on the market that combine artificial intelligence and voice capturing technology to transcribe notes for you. Senstone is the size of a bottle cap and can be worn as a bracelet, necklace, or a clip-on pendant. All you need to do is tap the top to begin recording, then tap again to stop. This device, however, is not cheap and has a price tag of $145.
Clarke is another A.I.-aided device for note-taking that takes notes during your conference calls by simply dialing in. It works with regular phones as well as Skype for Business (not regular Skype). The down side is that it only works with U.S. and Canadian phone numbers during English-speaking conference calls. This service costs $15 per month for 5 hours of calls ($10 extra for each additional 5 hours).
FAMOUS NOTE-TAKERS
Some of the more famous note-takers include Bill Gates, Thomas Edison, J.K. Rowling, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Freddie Mercury, and Richard Branson. In particular, Richard Branson believes that taking notes makes us better listeners, and believes it is a "practice of the greats".
While, certainly no stranger to technology, Bill Gates takes notes the old-fashioned way, with a yellow notepad rather than a laptop. Richard Branson also carries a notebook wherever he goes. J.K. Rowling wrote notes on napkins. Those napkins eventually became the manuscript for the seven Harry Potter books.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, note-taking has been proven to help everyone understand and retain information better than those who do not. While I could not find the exact percentage of the population that takes notes and/or jots down personal thoughts, there is solid evidence that note-taking is beneficial and has been utilized by some of the most successful people in the world throughout history.
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