The sentence method is the least fussy system there is: one new point, one line. No hierarchy, no grid, no branches — just a running list of short lines, each capturing a single thing. When information comes fast and shapeless, this is what keeps up.
How it works
Write each new idea, fact, or point on its own line as it arrives. Number them if it helps. That's the whole method — speed over structure, capture over organisation.
Why it works
It removes the one thing that slows other methods down: deciding where a point goes. The outline method makes you judge hierarchy mid-flow; charting needs columns up front. The sentence method makes no demands, so you never fall behind the speaker. It's the capture-first principle in its purest form — get it down now, sort it later.
Where it shines — and where it doesn't
Sentence notes are best for fast, unpredictable input: a rapid lecture, a brainstorm, a discussion that jumps around. The trade-off is the flip side of its speed — a long undifferentiated list is hard to review, because nothing shows which lines matter or how they relate.
The fix: process afterward
A sentence note is raw material, not a finished note. The move is to spend two minutes afterward pulling the two or three lines that matter into proper atomic notes, the same "capture rough, refine briefly" loop behind good meeting notes. Because each line is already one idea, it's the easiest raw format to atomise — and the easiest for AI to search and resurface, since every line is a self-contained unit.