What do Thomas Edison, Lil Wayne and J.K. Rowling have in common?

Note-taking!

Writing down their thoughts helped make them all successful, and it can do the same thing for you.

Take school for example. My friend and co-author Rob Gilbert says the quality of a student’s notes will correlate strongly with the student’s grade.

There are at least three reasons.

First, taking notes can help you absorb information while you’re collecting it.

Second, it can help you retrieve information long after you get it.

Third, taking notes makes you more involved in learning. If you’re just watching and listening, you might as well be watching TV. The minute you start taking notes, you’re active, not passive.

Some of the most brilliant ideas in recent history came when someone paused to write down an idea.

R&B performer Richard Berry was in a club one night when he heard a tune he liked. He went to the men’s room, got some toilet paper and wrote the lyrics to the song “Louie, Louie.”

Comedian W.C. Fields once scribbled the plot for a movie on a grocery bill he pulled from his pocket.

Rowling laid out the plots and characters in her novels in boxes drawn on a grid.

Who knows? Your next idea might be as good as theirs. Make sure you write it down.

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Thank you for visiting Total Game Plan. While you’re here, you can find many other articles to help you reach your potential.

Do you want to do your best when it means the most? Of course you do, and “Think Better, Win More!: How Sport Psychology Can Make you a Champion” will help.

“How to Survive Your Sports Season” is an invaluable resource to help you with the highs and lows of practice and competition.

To improve at anything, check out “The Improvement Factor: How Champions Turn Practice into Success.”

Need some motivation? Everyone needs it now and then. Open any page of “Thank God You’re Lazy! The Instant Cure for What’s Holding You Back” for a story or a quote to lift your spirits.

Are you a sports coach? Here’s “Ten Things Great Coaches Know” by Mike Tully and Gary Pritchard.