We’ve all been there — we’re sitting in class, the teacher is gaining speed, words flowing out of their mouths. Our hands are moving nonstop, left to right. By the end of class you look down and your notes make no sense…what good are notes if you don’t know even know what they mean?
Notes are vital to learning, studying and ultimately succeeding in school settings.
So, if the above situation is you, it’s time to learn a new way to take your notes:
Organization: When you hear organization you may think it’s too difficult to be organized in a matter of seconds — however establishing a consistent system is key. Here are a few ways to establish your personal system:
Choose symbols you will use consistently; they will represent items of the same level of importance. (I used triangles, then arrows, then dots.)
Use fonts to show importance; for example use uppercase for headers, and italics for important facts.
Keep spacing consistent, best rule of thumb is that each sub-header should be underneath the third letter of line above. Remember to line up all “like” symbols as you go.
Keep your handwriting neat; even with limited time make sure to make each letter legible.
Color: We’ve all seen the people with 8 different color pens, frantically working to make rainbow notes — despite being pretty, it is extremely ineffective. Here are a few ways to incorporate colors into your notes:
Choose only one color to rotate with; here I show different ways to use color. Either use the color to only highlight the heading symbols or you can do that with the addition of color to show important numbers and dates.
Highlighting: Isn’t everything important when note taking? Are you tempted to highlight every single line of your notes? Well, not everything should be highlighted — here are a few ways to rule out those things that aren’t quite as important:
When highlighting, only highlight headings, dates, key terms, and numbers. If a list of terms are all important highlight their symbol rather than the whole line to simplify and leave your notes looking clean.
Studying: When studying your notes do you just sit and read exactly what you wrote? If you can memorize quickly and retain your information, this may work for you, but for the majority of us it really doesn’t. Here are some tips when it comes to studying your notes:
- Start with the headings; read all the headings of a collection of notes to familiarize yourself with what you’ll need to know.
- Go section by section; read the section, repeat important facts, figures, and terms. Summarize each section for yourself.
- Go back and summarize each section again; when you reach the end summarize the entire collection you need for your test or otherwise.
- Ask yourself questions; even better ask someone to quiz you! Asking questions to monitor your knowledge will let you know if you’re adequately prepared.
- Right before the test look back at your notes, reading all highlighted or colored text. You’re ready to go!
Easy Access: So you just spent all class taking notes on a piece of paper, you shove it in your backpack assuming you’ll be able to find it again. And boom — it’s gone. Here are the most effective ways to keep track of all your notes:
Notebooks: If you use a notebook you probably don’t lose your notes quite as much as loose-leaf notetakers, however there are still effective ways to keep track of it all. First, make sure your notebook is somewhere where it won’t be smashed (papers can be ripped out). Second, make sure each notebook is clearly labeled, so you can find the proper notes. Lastly, if using a sectioned notebook, keep class notes separate, do not mix different class notes or you’ll be confused when studying.
Loose-leaf notes: Loose-leaf notes are VERY easy to lose track of. If you like a new sheet of paper for every class there are a few ways to keep notes together. One, you can use a three ring binder; loose-leaf notebook paper is already hole punched…use it to your advantage. Use section dividers to keep different class notes separate. Two, use can use folders; keep a folder for each class and at the end of class slide all notes into your designated folder.
Materials I Used: Uni-Ball Signo Medium Point Black Gel Pen, Paper Mate Ink Joy Red Ballpoint Pen, Sharpie Accent Yellow Chisel Tip Highlighter
