I've often heard the advice that you should take notes after any difficult problems, writing down the Eureka that helped you solve it, or even after learning anything new in general. However, I personally struggle immensely with actually taking down notes, so I wonder what other, more experienced programmers' experience is with note-taking. Do you actually find it helps you maintain your knowledge and keep track of important points, or is it unnecessary in your opinion? Primarily, I want to know if it's worth it to push through my difficulties and force myself to take notes. Importantly, I'm not talking about writing in general--I'm well aware of the usefulness of thinking through a problem with pen and paper. I'm specifically asking about note-taking for future review or even just for the boost to memory you get by writing it down (etc. etc.).