I know this sounds incredibly nerdy... but I've recently been obsessed with taking notes by hand.

Over the past few weeks, I've adopted the Cornell Notetaking Method. This has been a game changer for me in remembering what I learn, not only in class but in other aspects of my life as well.

The Cornell Notetaking Method requires you to write by hand rather than type on a computer. It may seem like I'm taking an evolutionary step backward toward pen-and-paper, but I actually feel like I am learning much better. Here's why:

Because notetaking by hand is much slower than using a keyboard, I am forced to be much more selective of what I record. This means that I have to record only the most important things that I read, hear, or see.

The beauty of the Cornell Notetaking Method is that it involves a three-step process for information digestion:

1. Record your notes in the main section. Use 70% of your page to record all of the most important information about the topic you're studying.
2. Apply headers and keywords. Use the left 30% of your page to write down keywords and short headers to quickly access your information. This is key to organizing handwritten notes.
3. Write a short summary, in your own words, of the information on the page. This will force you to compile what you learned and explain it in a short paragraph. This provides you with a chance to see how all the information on the page is connected. It also gives you context and a good place to start if you come back to your notes later on.

My wife, our dog, and I went on a hike that we'd never been before in Pleasant Grove, UT called Battle Creek Falls.

From the parking lot, it was about a 30-minute uphill walk to the falls, which is a very short distance for such an amazing view!

Here in Utah, the leaves are starting to change color from bright green to orange to golden-yellow. All along the trail, the golden leaves dotted the rocks near the river. From a distance, they looked like small gold specks, making me feel like I was in the Gold Rush in search of my fortune in the mountains.

I recently pulled out my Space Pen.

Yes, a Space Pen.

It may not look like much, but this Space Pen designed by Paul C. Fisher can write in virtually any condition:

• Underwater
• In Space
• Over Grease
• Extremely low temperatures
• Extremely high temperatures
• Upside down
• and everywhere else

With its pressurized cartridge, this pen was first seen in NASA's Apollo 7 mission in 1968 and has been on every flight ever since.

If you want a classy (and extremely practical) gift, by them a Space Pen.

Please enjoy my favorite memes from this week: