As if it's going live

What if we took notes knowing that we had to share them with talented people. People who matter, because they can have an impact on your career — the kind of people who can sniff out BS in an instant.

Would you take better notes? Would you vet your thoughts and check your facts?

What if you kept a PPT or Keynote document full of one-pagers? One-page slides that you could look at for 2 minutes and be ready to have an intelligent conversation about? 

It makes good sense. Why would you spend time learning about something only to let it fade into the recesses of our minds where thoughts are lost, and ideas fade into sentences that end with "and stuff… you know… blah blah blah?"

Take the time to fill one page full of the essential details on a subject that is likely to be useful later. Better yet, skip the process of turning sloppy notes into prepared slides by making one-pager slides as your notes.  

However, don't forget the sharing part. Do it all with the idea that you might show this to your CEO, and it has to make sense, look good and represent the best you.