It takes time for information to get to long term memory. Before getting there, is has to go through short term memory, where it has to be effectively passed to long term memory. Although your purpose is to advance to a level where you will not need to take notes when listening to lectures, guidelines, instructions and etc. taking notes is still a very good way to master this transition from short term to long term memorizing.
If there is a lot of information given, you will definitely need to write it down. In the middle centuries there was a historian in my country. He would read books in the following way: after reading one page he would tear it off from the book and throw it into the fire. He would do the same with the second, third and all the rest pages up to the last one. Years after he was still able to recall page after page, sentence after sentence from all the books he had read.
Pretty powerful memory, huh? I guess he was a genius, but you can train yourself to this kind of memory too. However, you do not start at the stage where you can quote the whole book by heart. You start from some simple things and then proceed to more advanced ones. So, taking notes is part of memorizing process. You still remember that your hand has a memory and if you want to remember some name, title or a concept try to write it, your hand will help you to remember. It is a specific part of memory in your brains that helps to remember motions. So, be patient and take notes. It is not a kill-time activity. It is a simple technique, which will help you to train your memory.
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