
Ask HN: Have you learned to write shorthand? - davidmr
I tend to take notes in meetings on paper as opposed to a laptop because I feel more engaged in the discussion if I&#x27;m not staring at a screen. While I&#x27;ve gotten reasonably good at jotting down the salient points, I frequently find myself wishing I had a more complete record of the conversation than my handwriting speed (or for that matter typing speed) allows.<p>I realize with the invention of stenotype machines, dictaphones and other recording devices, shorthand seems to be nearly dead, but I wonder if anyone here has actually gone through the effort of learning it.<p>If so, are you glad you did?
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dozzie
I started learning stenography few years ago, though I didn't go through it to
the end.

Similarly to you, I like to take handwritten notes, especially that some
meetings are convened impromptu and getting a laptop takes much more time than
taking a pen and notebook.

I don't take part in meetings often enough to warrant that much effort, so
stenography would be merely a patry trick for me, so I gave up. But I clearly
saw the potential with my own eyes (few weeks in and I could write at one
fourth of my normal speed with what was a completely foreign alphabet
initially), and from what I've read, a proficient stenographer could _write_
up to four times as fast as one can _speak_.

Given all this, if you have enough energy to learn and you note often enough,
I would say go for it.

