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study systems

A Note System for Doctors: Capture → Compress → Retrieve (CCR)

Stop writing notes that look clever and start writing notes that drive retrieval, discrimination, and retest scheduling.

Review date
Feb 2026
Reading time
12 min read
Author
Dr. Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MSt MRCGP
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Key points

  • Capture only what you repeatedly miss (high signal).
  • Compress into single-sentence rules + discriminators.
  • Retrieve via scheduled retests—not rereading.

Notes are a tool, not a trophy

If your notes cannot be used to self-test, they are usually a procrastination product dressed as learning.
Doctors tend to over-document and under-retrieve. CCR flips this: you capture errors, compress them into minimal decision rules, then retrieve them on schedule. Your notes become a behaviour change system, not an archive.
1

Capture (from questions + clinical work)

Capture only recurring errors and confusions. If you got it right and it was easy, don’t write it.
2

Compress (single sentence)

Template: ‘If X (presentation/data), then Y (most likely / next step), because Z (the discriminator).’
3

Convert to retrieval prompts

Turn each note into a question you can answer without looking (flashcard style).
4

Retrieve (72h / 7d / 21d)

Schedule retests. Your note system lives or dies on retrieval cadence.
5

Cull aggressively

Delete or merge notes monthly. A small, sharp system beats a bloated library.

CCR quality control

  • I only capture recurring misses/confusions.
  • Every note compresses to one rule + one discriminator.
  • Every note becomes a self-test prompt.
  • Every note has a retest schedule.
  • I delete/merge monthly to prevent bloat.
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Study methods · Article 31 of 48