Note taking with an iPad ... netbook... laptop...

I came accross a posting by Michael Hyatt that I believe had some useful suggestions on note taking, and while he was using these with his iPad these suggestions could be helpful with a netbook or laptop as well.

If an item is particularly important or insightful, I put a double exclamation mark in front of it, like this:

!! This is a really important item. I’d like to be able to find it quickly when I scan my notes later.

If an item requires further research or resolution, I put a double question mark in front of it, like this.

?? This is an item that needs more research.

If an item requires follow-up, I put a double “at sign” next to it. The at sign reminds me of David Allen's GTD Task Management System. The item looks like this:

@@ This is an item that needs follow-up.

If I have assigned a follow-up item to someone, I put a double ampersand sign in front of it. The ampersand, which is symbolic for “and” reminds me that I am doing this task with someone else’s help. It looks like this:

&& This is a delegated item that needs tracking.

When I get back to my office after the meeting, I act on these items, either calling people, sending emails, or adding the items to my task manager.