I am hypergraphic. I understood this very late in my life (literally 4 years ago).
Hypergraphia: The driving compulsion to write; the overwhelming urge to write.
I use to feel ashamed about my condition. When I write incessantly people look at me wierdly. My managers have even asked me to look at them and stop writing/typing. The minute I stop, I struggle to understand what they are speaking. I understood the importance of inclusion especially when I am not included and I am expected to behave like how others think 🤔
Writing is seen as a super power. no one sees hypergraphia as a limitation. But it is. There are places you are expected to be present without distraction. Writing/Scribbling is seen as a distraction but writing is the only way I can be present 🤷♀️
It took me a long time to understand my struggles. Especially, above my pay grade no one takes notes or writes. My doctor friends had no clue about hypergraphia. Thanks to Wikipedia I understood that my condition has a name to it. My neuroscience deep dive helped me understand how the brains are wired differently. I could empathise with me and could accept me fully.
Recently in 2024, I decided to turn the limitation into a super power. I offer myself to take notes for every meeting I am present as anyways I will type or write. In confidential meetings I write and then I shred it. These days I share my notes from conferences via my brain vault freely. I share my book notes to everyone. I don’t care about my pay grade anymore. I tell people I am hypergraphic and I keep writing or typing. It has become second nature for me. My highest used screen time in my phone is my notes app or WhatsApp to self as I type my notes there 😝
Here are some lessons from a hypergraphic that a normal person can also benefit from:
Our brains are amazing processing machines and lousy storage machines.
We collect dots forward and we connect dots backward. writing is collecting dots. Don’t worry about connecting them and make it solid while you are collecting them.
Understanding is a messy process and allow the chaos to transpire.
If you are hypergraphic you take a lot of processing notes and they are not storage worthy. I process my notes once a week and I use different colors to process. This way collection and connection are distinct.
I write my storage notes differently. They are insights and big ideas only. This is what goes into my Zettlekasten.
Not all limitations limit you. Sometimes you can turn them into super powers.
My only flip side was I spent way too much on Moleskines. That was a costly affair for me 😝 Now I buy A5 sheets in reams and tie them with a ring binder. Every week I have a binder and I throw them away after processing and extracting the notes.
When people ask me about note taking, I want to explain them all things I learnt as a hypergraphic nerd. There is so much to say. Someday a masterclass may be 😉
