It's not dissimilar to mind maps, and it exercises your brain more because you are making the connections more than the software.
Don't worry about drawing skills, those info visualizations from TedX talks are usually from professionals. Like these - http://blog.ted.com/tag/sketchnotes/
Your notes won't ever be clear enough to use as a direct reference unless you write a literal book. Perhaps just use it as a prompt for what challenged you (at the time of writing the note). Also, look at memory palaces. I don't like the technique myself but it has uses for more complicated memorizations that defy rote memorization (e.g. irregular conjugations of verbs that diverge from the standard patterns).
In case you missed it, there was a recent HN post about using Anki for CS topics (not Math). The basic concept is that the Anki cards can be used to pose questions on topics or subtopics that may be on the verge of slipping from working memory. It is different from a vocabulary card where you know the answer right away. The Anki card solely exists as a random-access method to challenge your ability to solve a particular problem of a topic or subtopic.
It's not dissimilar to mind maps, and it exercises your brain more because you are making the connections more than the software.
Don't worry about drawing skills, those info visualizations from TedX talks are usually from professionals. Like these - http://blog.ted.com/tag/sketchnotes/
Your notes won't ever be clear enough to use as a direct reference unless you write a literal book. Perhaps just use it as a prompt for what challenged you (at the time of writing the note). Also, look at memory palaces. I don't like the technique myself but it has uses for more complicated memorizations that defy rote memorization (e.g. irregular conjugations of verbs that diverge from the standard patterns).
In case you missed it, there was a recent HN post about using Anki for CS topics (not Math). The basic concept is that the Anki cards can be used to pose questions on topics or subtopics that may be on the verge of slipping from working memory. It is different from a vocabulary card where you know the answer right away. The Anki card solely exists as a random-access method to challenge your ability to solve a particular problem of a topic or subtopic.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11408447