Over the past two years, Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson has scribbled more than 500 pages of notes on plays, concepts and tips -- all designed so he doesn't make the same mistake twice.
He still doesn't type on a laptop or input the info on an iPad. "That's just not my thing," he said, "I guess I'm old school." But he does write in his spiral-bound notebooks at every team meeting and after every practice, sometimes jotting down reminders once he returns to his apartment.
"I don't want to make the same mistake again, and I think one thing that helps is reflecting on your notes," Thorson said.