[Eavolution]

It seems like a lot of the productivity crap is that people feel that they're being productive when they're working on the stuff to make them productive, when in actuality while yes they're working, they're not working on what needs done.

An example to me is note taking, it seems like the productivity people seem to fixate on doing it perfectly and in the exact right way to maximise productivity, instead of just taking the notes in a good enough fashion and doing something else with the saved time.

[criddell]

I think it might be a little simpler. Productivity crap (or productivity porn as Merlin Mann has called it) is just fun. People enjoy notebooks and pens and talking about taking notes.

It’s not just productivity crap. Reddit (and HN too) is built on people talking about things rather than doing things.

[paulryanrogers]

This balance was a struggle for me in college. I'd forget without notes and taking too many I missed a lot of nuance and opportunities to ask questions.

Ultimately I realized it was more important to have a skeleton of notes and err on the side of paying closer attention in the moment. Then backfill any additional notes afterward.

Others would record the lecture audio. But that seemed like torture to me since it doubled the lecture time.

As others have said, the most optimum point varies per person and perhaps even changes per subject or over time.