How to take notes on YouTube videos without pausing constantly

Quick answer

Pause, type, rewind, play, pause. 20 minute video, 50 minutes of your life. People who study off YouTube a lot have mostly landed on the same few methods.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

Open 125x

Crowd tips

The timestamp is the note. Jot a few words and the time, like '2:47 the weird point about X.' Let the video hold the detail.
Two passes. First pass, get the structure from a summary or the chapters. Second pass, capture only what deserves review.
Skip screenshots. People say they pile up in the camera roll and never get opened again.
Start from the transcript. Get the transcript summarized, then highlight and timestamp what matters.
Quiz yourself after. Write three questions from memory when it ends, answer them without looking, and try again the next day.

Our own method

Read the summary first so you know where the video's going.
Watch at a speed you can follow.
Write only the things you'd do or repeat to a friend.
End with one line: what changes for me after this video?

Where 125x helps

The Actionable and Lessons tabs in 125x are basically ready-made notes. Actionable lists the steps a video tells you to do.

Lessons holds the bigger ideas worth keeping. Copy what's useful into your own notes and add your own timestamps for the parts you want to rewatch.

FAQ: questions people ask

What's the best way to take notes from YouTube videos?

Timestamped notes work well: write a few words and the time, then jump back later. Pair it with a summary first so you know what to listen for.

Should I take notes while watching or after?

Both work. Many people get the structure first from a summary, then note only the important parts while watching.

How do I remember what I learned from a video?

After watching, write a few questions from memory and answer them without looking. Revisit them the next day.