How do you currently take notes while watching YT lectures or podcasts? Do you have a system? Would love to know your workflow.

Posted by Realistic_Bag_6925@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 7 comments

I would like to know the best way.

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Dissentient@reddit

I have never took notes when learning anything, either in formal education, or on my own. I find it a waste of time and a distraction from the actual content.

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gm310509@reddit

Pause. That is what it is for - To slow things down to allow you to absorb what you just saw. Not only that, but also to try out what you just saw.

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Alone-Flatworm3709@reddit

i just paste the transcript into claude and ask it to pull out the key points and any code snippets worth saving. takes 30 seconds and way better than trying to write notes while watching

for podcasts i use the auto-generated transcript from youtube if it has one

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Fragrant_Shelter_120@reddit

This might be a bit of a hot take, and it’s okay if people disagree, but I actually stopped traditional note-taking this year. My 'system' is now more about mental intent than physical writing.

Before I even hit play, I ask myself: 'Why am I watching this?'

Am I watching because of the 'pressure of others' success' (fomo/inferiority)?
Or am I watching to actually improve a specific skill compared to where I was yesterday?

I’ve found that if you keep a journal of what you’ve already learned, your goals become much clearer. You realize, 'This is a specific thing I need to learn, and it doesn't matter how long it takes.' This stops the cycle of 'blindly' consuming lectures and podcasts just to feel productive, which usually just leads to an inferiority complex anyway.

My actual workflow now:

For Technical/Problem Solving: I pause the video immediately when a question or task is shown. I try to solve it myself first. I only write down the logic if I get stuck.
For Fact-Based/Knowledge Videos: I don't really write facts down anymore. Instead, I pause to analyze or do a quick 2-minute research jump on the topic. If I can't explain it back to myself, I haven't learned it.

I’d rather have 3 lines of notes that I actually understand than 10 pages of notes I took just because I felt pressured to 'be a student.'"

above was imprvised with ai
my own wrinting

(This is my personal opion and it shoudl be okay if you donot agree with this...

i had made notes in past but not this year...
one thing i liked was how much i care about this video ...
am i seeing it from pressure fo other success or to imporve my sklls (comparing from past skills..only)
(like if you have journel of what yu had learned ..
then you have cleaer goals that this is somehitng i will learn doesnot matter how much time it will take..)
in thta way you can see video consistently and if no you would know what other thing you need to do to improve yourself not blindk lectures podcasts and feel inferioty complex..etc..after taking above consideratin.. i just write very few things first if question firt ti solver it after pausing..
if knowledgable / fact video ... i just analyze and or research the ssame and then mayve write it (i rarely write aobut facts..)

)

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Pure_Relationship809@reddit

My workflow: watch at 1.5x, pause after each concept and write a one-sentence summary in my own words — never verbatim. I use Obsidian with a simple template: video title at top, then bullet points with timestamps for each concept. Rephrasing forces actual understanding rather than passive absorption.

For coding content specifically: pause and type out the code yourself instead of just watching. Passive viewing feels productive but retention is surprisingly low. If you can't reproduce it from memory 10 minutes later, you didn't really learn it.

For anything you'll need long-term (interviews, on the job), Anki for spaced repetition is worth the setup overhead.

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Dry_Builder_1251@reddit

I read. I never use videos for learning. But yeah, I take notes. Makes the mental print more lasting when I have to process it multiple times.

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ffrkAnonymous@reddit

I hit pause, write my note, I unpause.