Paper has a place in Data Science
Writing your notes on paper can turn you into an elite programming machine.
The process of learning how to code is unlike any traditional academic learning experience that many have ever faced. While programming might seem theoretically easy for the uninitiated (“You just have to remember a bunch of functions!”), the essence of coding is wholly reliant on the programmer’s problem-solving capabilities and creativity.
This makes coding hard. Especially when you don't remember any of the tools to solve any of those problems.
As a brand-new, fresh-faced pupil just recently entering this scary world of data combing and deep learning algorithms, it seemed that any information that I picked up floated in one ear and out the other. With each new datatype or function or coding library that was introduced confusing me even further, I was compelled (like any student) to start taking notes. However, I quickly ran into a problem: do I take notes in my notebook or take them on my computer? Well, after careful weeks of trial and error, I’m going to give you three reasons why written notes are the better alternative. Some of them may not be the reasons you’re expecting.
- Written notes force you to distill information
Computers save us lots of time and allow us to take notes at a much quicker pace than writing those notes down. However, speeding through your notetaking isn’t always a good thing, especially when it relates to your retention of information. Taking the time to write down your notes, methodically and purposefully, forces you to digest the information being presented to you. Unless you’re a freaky fast writer, you’ll have to summarize the main focus of the lesson in a concise and sound manner. Needing to conceptualize your notes as you write them does dividends for long-term retention of the information, and the speed at which computers allow note-taking doesn’t promote that necessity. Not allowing yourself to write down lectures verbatim also builds the creative habits needed to be a good coder; in the real world, you’re aren’t just replicating what you’re seeing, you're being presented with a problem and it’s up to you to come up with a creative and efficient solution. The increased constraints of written note-taking teach you flexibility and efficiency with your approaches and promote the “big-picture” understanding that is invaluable in the world of programming.
2. Writing notes on paper eliminates potential distractions
Computers are really cool. They can also be really distracting.
Depending on the type of computer you have, you might have hundreds of notifications thrown in your face as you’re trying to take notes, constantly pulling your focus away as you try to concentrate. Or, if you’re like me and have questionable self-control, you actively seek out those distractions and spend valuable time texting friends, surfing the internet, or doing other things that have nothing to do with the information that’s trying to reach you. The unfamiliarity of coding for most people means that missing one little nugget of information might prevent you from making sense of whatever else uses that information in the future. If you’re distracted and miss out on how a variable works, you’ll be in hot water when it comes time to use said variables in your program (which is all the time). Taking notes on paper, however, severely limits those distractions and allows you to remain focused on the task at hand. Not only do you remove those unwanted distractions, but you eliminate the chance of burning out and switching over to do something else if you get bored. Your notebook isn’t going to send you a text message or ask you if you want to buy a new juicer as you write.
3. Your notes aren’t a crutch, nor should they be
While eliminating potential distractions and writing more concise and focused notes are huge upsides to writing your notes on paper, there’s a seemingly undeniable reason in favor of typing them that I haven’t addressed yet: If you need your computer to code, wouldn’t you want your notes on your computer so you’d have them whenever you need? This thought process- while reasonable- is unfortunately misguided. Having your notes be accessible, but not too accessible, provides a safety net when truly stumped without limiting the potential avenues you can take to solve a new and confusing problem.
From my own personal experience, having a “cheat sheet” always at the ready in my browser has actually done more harm than good. There have been multiple times where I was confused as to where to proceed in a program and referred to my list of notes for guidance. This in and of itself wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the over-reliance on my notes slowly pigeon-holed my creative thinking. If I couldn’t figure it out, and it wasn’t in my notes, I stopped trying. My creative juices flowed so long as I could copy previous solutions I had already done. I’m sure this has happened to many other people before me, and speaking from experience, it narrows your cognitive scope and slowly turns you into a copy and paste machine. However, by switching your typed notes over to a notebook that’s harder to use as a crutch, you incentivize careful examination of the problem at hand before consulting your notes. You use the comprehension you’ve accumulated before using the knowledge on your pages. Your notes are no longer the “solution” to the problem, they instead become a book of keys to unlock the deeper knowledge contained within yourself. This is especially prevalent in coding since most problems require taking a unique path to solve them.
So, in summary, writing your notes down is the way to go, at least until Elon Musk’s microchips become popular and we can download the information straight into our brains. However, until that time comes, you’ll find me lugging around a binder full of paper notes to all my future programming endeavors, and I suggest that you do the same.