Prompt Library

Learning And Growth

Note-to-Insight Converter for Learners

Turns raw notes into structured, actionable insights.

1. Note Assessment

  1. Ask the user about their notes—what format, how organized, and how much volume?
    • Example: "What kind of notes do you have—messy notebook pages, digital docs, highlights in books, or mixed? How much material?"
  2. Ask the user what the notes are from—courses, books, meetings, or personal research?
    • Example: "Source of notes—online course, textbooks, conference talks, or your own research and exploration?"
  3. Ask the user what they want to do with these insights—apply at work, teach others, or personal growth?
    • Example: "Purpose of converting notes—apply professionally, share knowledge, support personal development, or build content?"
  4. Ask the user about their current challenge—do they take notes but never review, or struggle to extract value?
    • Example: "What's not working—notes pile up unread, can't find insights later, or unclear how to apply what you learned?"

2. Progressive Summarization Method

Layer 1: Raw Notes (Original Capture)

  • Everything written during learning
  • Unfiltered, complete
  • Reference layer

Layer 2: Bold Highlights (First Pass)

  • Re-read notes
  • Bold or highlight most important 20%
  • Key concepts, surprising facts, actionable items

Layer 3: Extract Key Points (Second Pass)

  • From bolded items, extract top 10-20%
  • Most valuable or applicable insights
  • Copy to summary document

Layer 4: Executive Summary (Final Distillation)

  • From extracted points, create 3-5 sentence summary
  • Essence of the learning
  • What you'll remember and use

Example Progression:

Layer 1 (500 words of raw notes) ↓ Layer 2 (100 words bolded/highlighted) ↓ Layer 3 (20-30 key points extracted) ↓ Layer 4 (3-5 sentence summary)

Final result: "From this book/course, the key insights are: [1] Use spaced repetition for retention, [2] Active recall beats passive review, [3] Interleaving topics improves transfer. Application: Study in mixed intervals, test myself regularly, apply concepts immediately."

3. Insight Extraction Framework

Types of Insights to Capture:

Conceptual Insights:

  • New mental models or frameworks
  • How things work or connect
  • Theories or principles

Practical Insights:

  • Specific actions or techniques
  • Processes or methods
  • Tools or resources

Surprising Insights:

  • Counter-intuitive findings
  • Contradictions to common beliefs
  • Unexpected connections

Personal Insights:

  • How this applies to your situation
  • Questions it raises for you
  • Connections to your experience

Actionable Insights:

  • What to do differently
  • Experiments to try
  • Changes to implement

For Each Insight:

Insight: [The learning or realization] Source: [Where it came from—book, page, speaker] Context: [Background or explanation] Why It Matters: [Significance or application] Action: [What to do with this] Related To: [Other concepts or notes]

4. Structuring Notes

Organize by Theme:

Instead of chronological dump, cluster by concept:

Original Notes (Chronological):

  • Lecture 1 notes
  • Lecture 2 notes
  • Lecture 3 notes
  • Book chapter 1 notes
  • etc.

Reorganized (Thematic):

  • Theme A: All insights about X from all sources
  • Theme B: All insights about Y from all sources
  • Theme C: All insights about Z from all sources

Sees connections and builds comprehensive understanding.

Topic-Based Hierarchy:

MAIN TOPIC
├── Subtopic 1
│   ├── Concept A
│   ├── Concept B
│   └── Application
├── Subtopic 2
│   ├── Concept C
│   ├── Concept D
│   └── Application
└── Subtopic 3
    ├── Concept E
    └── Application

Question-Based Organization:

Turn notes into Q&A format:

  • Q: What is [concept]?
  • A: [Your summary with page references]

Easier to review and test yourself.

5. Insight Application

From Passive to Active:

Level 1: Understand

  • Can explain concept
  • Know what it means
  • Passive comprehension

Level 2: Apply

  • Use concept in specific scenario
  • Solve problem with it
  • Active deployment

Level 3: Analyze

  • Compare to other concepts
  • Evaluate strengths/weaknesses
  • Critical thinking

Level 4: Create

  • Generate new ideas using concept
  • Combine with other knowledge
  • Original synthesis

Application Plan:

For each major insight:

  • Immediate: Try this within 24 hours
  • This Week: Experiment or project
  • This Month: Implement in work/life
  • Ongoing: Make it standard practice

Example:

Insight: "Teaching is best way to learn"

Immediate: Explain today's learning to spouse over dinner
This Week: Write blog post explaining concept
This Month: Offer to teach intern or colleague
Ongoing: Regular knowledge sharing as standard practice

6. Digital Note Organization

Tagging System:

  • #actionable (do something with this)
  • #concept (mental model or framework)
  • #question (needs further exploration)
  • #quote (powerful statement)
  • #example (case study or illustration)
  • #resource (tool or reference)

Linking:

  • Bi-directional links between related notes
  • Build knowledge graph
  • See connections emerge
  • Tools: Roam, Obsidian, Notion

Search & Retrieval:

  • Consistent naming conventions
  • Keywords and tags
  • Table of contents or index
  • Quick retrieval when needed

7. Review & Reinforcement

Daily Review (5 min):

  • Skim today's notes
  • Highlight key points
  • Add any reflections

Weekly Consolidation (20 min):

  • Review all week's notes
  • Extract top 10 insights
  • Create summary document
  • Identify application opportunities

Monthly Synthesis (45 min):

  • Review month's consolidated notes
  • Identify themes and patterns
  • Create master summary
  • Archive and organize

Before Application:

  • Review relevant notes
  • Fresh memory of key points
  • Reference during implementation
  • Measure if insight actually helped

8. From Notes to Content

Repurpose Insights:

Write Article/Blog Post:

  • Insight + your experience/application
  • Teach concept in accessible way
  • Share with audience

Create Course or Tutorial:

  • Structured presentation of insights
  • Teaching solidifies learning
  • Helps others, builds reputation

Social Media Posts:

  • One insight per post
  • Bite-sized value
  • Engage community

Internal Training:

  • Teach team or colleagues
  • Share knowledge organizationally
  • Multiply impact

Reference Library:

  • Personal wiki of concepts
  • Quick consultation when needed
  • Grows over time into valuable knowledge base

9. Deliverables

Processed Note Summary:

  • Progressively summarized notes
  • Key insights extracted and highlighted
  • Organized by theme/topic
  • Actionable items identified

Insight Database: | Insight | Source | Category | Action Item | Status | Impact | |---------|--------|----------|-------------|--------|--------| | Spaced repetition works | Book X, p.42 | Learning | Use Anki for vocab | Implemented | High |

Application Tracker:

  • Insights → Actions taken
  • Experiments run
  • Results observed
  • Learnings applied successfully

Knowledge Map:

  • Visual diagram of concepts
  • Connections between ideas
  • Themes and patterns
  • Growing understanding visualization

Processed Notes Archive:

  • Original notes (raw)
  • Highlighted notes (layer 2)
  • Extracted insights (layer 3)
  • Executive summaries (layer 4)
  • Organized by topic/theme

Review Schedule:

  • Daily: Quick review of today's notes
  • Weekly: Consolidation and summary
  • Monthly: Synthesis and organization
  • Quarterly: Application audit (did insights get used?)

Templates:

  • Note processing workflow
  • Insight extraction template
  • Application planning format
  • Summary document structure

Present comprehensive note-to-insight framework with progressive summarization, thematic organization, insight extraction, application planning, and review systems to transform passive note collection into active knowledge that drives learning and action.