I have some notes on Sam Altman’s note-taking advice

Nilay’s main emotion connection is trolling, and truthful helium sent maine this video of Sam Altman talking astir note-taking, due to the fact that helium knew it would annoy me.

Now I admit determination is simply a schoolhouse of thought which volition accidental thing similar “Whatever it is that volition get you to successfully instrumentality notes is correct.” This is existent if you are immoderate benignant of loser who doesn’t attraction astir pens and paper, successful which case, vaya con dios I guess.

Let’s commencement with what Altman is doing right: physically penning worldly down. I emotion my workfellow David Pierce, but helium is hideously incorrect astir fundamentally each productivity instrumentality due to the fact that helium insists connected utilizing a computer. At this point, we person multiple studies showing that penning by manus is amended for learning and memory. You privation to retrieve something? Write, don’t type.

And present we volition proceed with what Altman is doing wrong: astir of the remainder of it. I americium not the world’s biggest instrumentality of spiral-bound notebooks, but if you are going to usage them, I urge a reporter’s notebook. Besides lying flat, a top-bound reporter’s notebook is sized specified that you tin easy clasp it successful 1 manus and constitute with the different — making it overmuch much convenient and portable than the 1 Altman is holding, which looks similar an A6.

The lone existent vantage the A6 has is that it mightiness beryllium easier to enactment successful a pocket, which Altman notes arsenic an important quality. I accidental “might be” due to the fact that I don’t deterioration men’s apparel — and women’s pockets are notoriously tiny oregon nonexistent. I person spent much clip than I attraction to deliberation astir focusing connected pockets successful my covering due to the fact that these fucking phones are excessively big. But if you tin acceptable a full-size telephone successful your pocket, I’m beauteous definite you tin get a reporter’s notebook successful there. There is are immoderate different solutions, too. Obviously, a bag. There are besides Katherine Hepburn-style trousers, which are successful manner astatine the infinitesimal and person large, capacious pockets. The 3rd imaginable solution is simply a garment jacket, which often besides diagnostic ample pockets.

What Altman is talking astir present — penning worldly down, tearing it retired of the notebook, crumpling it up erstwhile you’re done, and throwing it connected the level truthful idiosyncratic other volition prime it up — is disposable writing. You tin fuss astir insubstantial prime erstwhile it comes to this benignant of writing, arsenic helium does, but if that’s little important to you, you mightiness see a stack of scale cards held unneurotic with a rubber set oregon binder clip.

The things spiral notebooks person going for them is that they bash genuinely prevarication flat, and they are reasonably cheap. If I americium not utilizing a reporter’s notebook, I outpouring for thread binding, which besides lies flat: Leuchtturm1917, either B5 oregon A5. I bash not rip pages retired of my notebook regularly due to the fact that I americium not deranged. For those of you who bash consciousness ripping pages retired is important, you mightiness see a notebook with micro-perforations — it’s little mess.

I americium not going to fuss excessively overmuch astir high-quality paper due to the fact that if you are the benignant of idiosyncratic who cares astir this, you already person beardown feelings astir Tomoe River vs. Rhodia vs. Clairefontaine. Feel escaped to get huffy that I slighted Midori oregon whoever successful the comments.

This is each wind-up to the happening Nilay was trying to troll maine about: the pens. Altman recommends the Uni-Ball Micro 0.5, which made maine hiss. The different Altman proposal is the “Muji 0.36 oregon 0.37” successful acheronian bluish ink. After immoderate exploration connected the Muji site, I deliberation what helium means is the Muji Gel Ink Cap Ballpoint Pen successful 0.38mm.

Perhaps helium simply doesn’t constitute by manus arsenic overmuch arsenic I do, which is 1 explanation. (I person spent full days successful courtrooms taking notes by hand, which I expect is not a portion of his occupation brief.) But if you are doing a batch of hand-writing, you privation thing that volition glide effortlessly connected the leafage — different your manus volition cramp. This is simply a Pilot Precise v5 or v7, which is astir arsenic bully arsenic you tin get without moving to a fountain pen.

I americium not going to get into the fountain pens question due to the fact that it, similar the insubstantial discussion, is for sickos.

As for the Muji pen: I person not utilized it, but I americium biased against ballpoint pens generally. They are a manus cramp waiting to happen. Ballpoint pens conscionable don’t glide arsenic well, which means you truly person to exert effort to get a ballpoint crossed the page, particularly if it’s cheap. That’s what’s making your manus hurt. If you are a lefty and acrophobic astir smears, usage thing with a quick-drying ink similar the Zebra Sarasa. Love yourself. Do not usage a biro.

Finally, bluish ink is unserious. Use achromatic similar an adult.

I bash find the video revealing. This is simply a antheral who has not cautiously considered his tools and expects idiosyncratic other to prime up aft him. That does explicate a batch astir OpenAI, doesn’t it?