Devs who got good at coding: how did you take notes?

Posted by Jealous-Look-7241@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 18 comments

I’m learning web development through a Udemy course, and I’m confused about the “best” way to make notes while learning web dev.

I’m comfortable with handwritten notes, but I’m not sure what’s actually worth writing down vs what should just stay in code/projects/docs.

One reason I want to make notes is because I tend to forget things pretty quickly if I only watch and code along once, so writing helps me retain and revise concepts better. But at the same time, making notes takes time.

For example,

Recently I built a simple HTTP server using Node.js core modules like http, fs, and path.

While building it, I learned things like:

routing
request/response handling
headers & status codes
MIME types
reading files with fs
serving static files
using res.writeHead() and res.end()
handling errors like 404/500

Now I’m confused about what’s actually worth writing down.

For experienced devs:

What do you personally make notes for?
What should just stay in code/projects/docs?
Are handwritten notes even useful for coding?
Is it better to focus on concepts, debugging mistakes, or just build more projects and let repetition do the work?

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IGrowRadishes@reddit

Gave up on notes a while back and just keep a /scratch folder of tiny scripts that each demonstrate one thing I learned. Like a 15-line file that uses res.writeHead + res.end with a few status codes and nothing else around it. Months later I can grep through that folder way faster than I could find a paragraph in any notes app.

Cum38383@reddit

You don't need to take any notes at all lmfao

dronreddit@reddit

I use markdown (.md) notes. You own them, move them around, apply version control if you want and can use nice apps like Obsidian, your IDE or anything of your choosing to render them.

The big upside: they're searchable, don't degrade and don't take up physical space. With everything ai, searchability is a plus.

Also for programming you can easily copy paste code blocks.

Would highly recommend if you want to take notes while learning programming. While programming, if it's not a code comment.

archydragon@reddit

Not sure if I'm good at coding but: handwritten notes for me are mostly to trigger additional memory layer, or also to remind myself what I was working before as these notes are usually exactly the same unfiltered consciousness stream as whatever happening between my ears. For more systematized notes, if these make sense for myself only (or just are very WIP), I use Standard Notes synced between computers; if I feel that I won't be the only beneficiary from this knowledge, it goes to company/project wiki.

carcigenicate@reddit

Im not sure if this is what you meant by the first sentence, but I know I've written good notes if I never need to look at them again.

Pretty much the same :)

d-k-Brazz@reddit

If you don’t know what to note - write some code with what you have just learned

Then write the same thing you just wrote but differently

It will be 10x better than noting these things

You will probably never need information from your notes because you can google it much faster

Try to note whatever seems too complex for you, this will be a booster for your brain to digest it

Handwritten notes help you remember the information you are writing, be sure you slow down you repeat it in your mind while you write. You will probably never return to these notes, but it doesn’t mean you didn’t need to write them

Same works with code samples from books and tutorials - you have to type them by your hands, not copy paste.

While learning, you have to write a thousand

manchesterthedog@reddit

You need a motivating project. That is the only way to get really good

PoMoAnachro@reddit

I have been programming for over three decades now. Outside of some college classes, I've never taken general programming notes.

Notes on something I'm working on? Yeah, though I probably wouldn't call them notes so much as "half-assed design documents because it is just a personal project". And of course if I'm working on something for work/with other people, then real design documents get made. But those aren't really notes in the sense you're thinking.

Programming has very, very little to do with memorization - it is more about learning a way of thinking. Once you get the concepts embedded, you'll be able to quickly look up in documentation syntax or library functions you need or whatever and if you work in a language or with a particular library every day some of it will just become muscle memory.

One of the key signs I see in a student that they're not "getting" programming is they're focused on memorizing things. Code becomes a series of magic incantations instead of a language they're fluent in. It is like Bela Lugosi memorizing his English lines phonetically because he didn't speak English.

cgoldberg@reddit

I feel similar. I sometimes save code snippets (gists) or refer to older code I've written, but I've never taken notes in any meaningful way, and don't think I have come across anyone else who does besides extreme beginners struggling with very basics.

opentabs-dev@reddit

honestly the most useful "notes" i've kept are not on syntax or apis (those rot fast and youll just google them again), but on bugs that took me hours to figure out — one line per bug, the symptom and the actual cause. revisiting that file once a year is wild because you start spotting patterns in your own blind spots. obsidian is fine but a single .md file in your repo works just as well.

nightwood@reddit

Using simple to use tools. Notepad, notepad++, mspaint and ofc a paper notebook and pen on every desk.

grantrules@reddit

I dont think I ever took notes

ImaJimmy@reddit

After you learn something, do you test yourself? Handwriting notes for me helped, but in hindsight, I think it's the active recalling that actually forced things to stick in my head. If you want to know if your notes are good, quiz yourself. I know people don't like LLM's but, you can use those to make a quiz for you and provide feedback on your understanding. If you don't want to do that, I'm sure you can find quizzes online.

huuaaang@reddit

I have never in my life taken programming "notes." I just write code. That is my notes. I also don't use any kind of video tutorial or training. I only used text that I can search and refer back to as needed. That is also my "notes." For a new language I like the official written language tutorial. I kind of skim through it first to get an idea of what's possible and then I just start coding with perhaps an example program open in another editor window.

It's like learning a new spoken language. It's good to get the very basic vocab and grammer but the real learning doesn't start until you actually immerse yourself and start speaking it. Anything less is a waste of time, IMO.

Queasy_Hotel5158@reddit

The best notes in coding are usually not syntax — they’re concepts, mistakes, and things that confused you while building.

Docs can store syntax, projects build skill, but notes help you understand why things work.

Handwritten notes are totally useful if they improve your retention. Just keep them short-core concepts ,debugging lessons ,mental models ,common mistakes

The biggest improvement comes from building projects + repetition. Your approach of learning backend fundamentals first is honestly the right move.

MicTest123wow@reddit

Handwritten notes is one of the least effective way to “study” anything.

My recommended way is to try and apply what you just learned somewhere else and create personal projects.

Your personal projects become your notes.

Handwritten notes is amazing for planning a project though.

Notjaybee@reddit

handwritten notes to drill it into your head, drawings. then consolidate the knowledge into a notes app for future reference and quick look up. you can store code snippets also