Critique from a book club member made me ditch my sticky note annotations

A woman in my group said my notes were taking up the whole margin and she couldn't see the text, so I switched to using a slim Post-it flag system that barely adds bulk, and now I actually remember the themes better after three meetings.

3 comments

3 Comments

felix4141d ago

Hang on, "she couldn't see the text"? That's what got me. Are we talking about full on margin-filling scribbles or like, tiny little flags? Because I'm sitting here trying to picture a sticky note flag that's somehow blocking an entire line of type. That feels like an overreaction from her. Unless your original notes were basically a full on highlighter war zone, I don't see how a slim flag is her business. Three meetings is plenty to know if something clicks or not. If you're remembering themes better, that's the win right there. Her complaint sounds like a her problem, not a you problem.

margaretramirez1d ago

Three meetings is barely enough time to see if a new system actually sticks, in my experience. Your mileage may vary but I've seen people overhaul their whole note taking process only to go right back to their old ways after a month. That woman's complaint sounds more like her issue than yours, honestly. I mean were you writing with a sharpie or something? Unless your annotations were literally bleeding into the text I don't see how some sticky notes would make that big a difference.

gray_morgan1d ago

What worked for me was just using a sticky note for three weeks straight until it felt normal.