I think it depends on the game. Personally I made lots of notes when playing Elden Ring since it was impossible to keep track of all the obscure open quests otherwise (especially before the NPC map markers update). There are also plenty of games where you need to return to an area when you reach a certain level or have a certain item/ability. I don’t usually make notes to remind myself to do that but since it’s so accessible now I can see myself doing that.