How Note Taking Can Help You Become an Expert: Imitate, then Innovate

How Note Taking Can Help You Become an Expert: Imitate, then Innovate

In the pursuit of expertise, note taking can be a powerful tool. It allows us to collect and connect fragments of information, helping us build a comprehensive understanding of complex and ill-structured domains. Ill-structured domains are characterized by the variability and messiness of concept instantiation in the real world. In such domains, experts rely on reasoning from previous cases rather than first principles.

Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) addresses the challenges posed by ill-structured domains. It emphasizes the importance of cases in building expertise, as experts construct temporary schemas by combining fragments of previous cases. Experts also possess an adaptive worldview, recognizing the variability and multiple prototypes of concepts.

To apply CFT in the learning process, it is recommended to expose students to as many cases as possible, allowing them to assemble fragments and develop their adaptive worldview. Using a hypertextual note-taking system, where concepts are backlinked and connected to other cases, can facilitate this process. Additionally, a four-stage model for worldview change can guide learners in recognizing the limitations of their reductive worldview and adopting the adaptive worldview.

Taking inspiration from others is also crucial in the journey towards expertise. Imitation and innovation are not opposed but work in tandem. By intentionally consuming art and studying the work of others, creators develop their own mental Pinterest board of ideas to borrow and build upon. This process of imitative learning has been prevalent throughout history, with apprenticeships being a primary means of transmitting skills and tacit knowledge.

The fear of imitation and plagiarism, instilled in us during our education, hinders our ability to learn and innovate. However, imitating others' work allows us to understand the reasoning behind their decisions and develop our own creative personalities. It helps us discover our tastes, natural tendencies, and the parts of the creative process that come most naturally to us.

Learning from the past and imitating the work of others is not only valuable in creative fields but also in areas such as writing and business. Reading extensively and studying good writing can improve one's writing skills, even if the principles of effective writing are hard to communicate. In business, imitating successful models and understanding past solutions can provide a strong foundation for problem-solving.

To enhance the quality of imitation, it is important to diversify our inputs and escape the never-ending cycle of consuming only present-day content. By exploring different industries and delving into history, we expose ourselves to a wider range of ideas and perspectives. This allows us to imitate from a more diverse pool of sources, fostering innovation.

However, it is essential to remember that originality should not be pursued for its own sake. Instead, it should serve a higher purpose, such as clear communication, quality, or beauty. Valuing originality above all else can hinder progress and lead to a lack of substance. Understanding a problem deeply and studying past solutions can often lead to obvious and effective solutions.

In conclusion, note taking and imitation play vital roles in the journey towards expertise and innovation. By collecting and connecting fragments of information, we can accelerate our understanding of ill-structured domains. Imposing intentional imitation allows us to learn from the work of others and develop our own unique style. By recognizing the value of imitative learning and incorporating it into our education and creative processes, we can foster true expertise and innovation.