7 Note-taking Secrets of the Top 1% of Students
The worst thing you can do is take notes that look like this.
This is what I call a wall of words. It would take a good minute to read this entire paragraph and figure out what it was saying. But if you had like 50 pages of notes, you’d be studying them for hours. So what I would do is take the main idea of this and then turn it into something visual. An image, a flow chart, a diagram, or a mind map. I could look at a visual and, within seconds, get the gist of what it’s about.
Tip Number One
So tip number one is to make more visual notes. Not only does the brain remember images better than words, but it also processes them faster.
Tip Number Two
The next tip is to understand that notes are meant to be an extension of your thinking, not a replacement.
Here’s what I mean. So imagine that your brain is carrying a load. This is called cognitive load. So you’re sitting in class, and the teacher is lecturing and feeding you information, metaphorically adding weight to this load. Your brain’s job is to process it, ask questions, make connections, piece the information together, and properly think about it. So when the load of information starts to become too much to handle, you jot down some notes and offload the excess information to keep track of it. But you want to use your notes as an extension of your thinking. You want your cognitive load to be heavy enough to be challenging. If you’re at the gym and you’re lifting light weights, it’s not going to help your muscles grow.
The only way you’re going to learn is by struggling with the information in your brain at a reasonable level, of course. And that struggle is what learning feels like. But what many students do wrong is that they offload everything immediately to the notes. The information comes from the teacher to your brain and then directly to your notes. You don’t give your brain any chance to process it. You don’t embrace that uncomfortable feeling of learning. Many students do this because they’re afraid of missing information, so they have to frantically write it all down. The information bypasses the brain too quickly, and you don’t learn anything. So if you committed to going to class, then use that time effectively by learning the information right there and then.
rather than writing it down and then postponing your learning until after class. Plus, if you understand what’s being taught, then you’ll end up taking better notes.
Tip Number Three
The next step is to not over-rely on your notes as a study guide. A lot of students will read their notes to review for an exam, and they think that the more times they read them, the more prepared they’ll be. But that’s not how it works, because rereading notes just gives you the illusion of learning. You feel like you’re absorbing the information, but you’re not retaining it. Think about your favorite movie. Can you recall every scene in that movie in order straight from memory? It’s a lot harder than it seems, right? Even for your favorite movie.
But if you had that movie playing right in front of you, then it would be a lot easier to recall the scenes because they’re all familiar to you. That’s what rereading your notes is like. It gives you the illusion of learning. But when you close your notes and try to recall them, like a picture of the movie playing out in your mind, it’s not that easy, but that’s what true learning feels like.
Tip Number Four
The next tip is to constantly update your notes, especially if you’re using a technique like mind mapping. The notes that you take in class are version number one. That’s your initial understanding of the information. It’s pretty new still, but as you keep learning and ask more questions, you begin to clarify things.
You might find that you misunderstood some concepts, and you have to go back, cross things out, and edit your notes. That then becomes version number two. And the more you learn, you start to notice more patterns and how ideas relate to each other. And you can start grouping information and condensing your notes. That might be version number three. And you’ve got to go through however many versions you need until you have a concise and condensed understanding of the concepts. There’s no such thing as a perfect mind map or perfect notes on the very first try. You’ve got to go through a lot of iterations. So don’t waste your time trying to make your first notes look pretty and formatted if they're going to change anyway.
Tip Number Five
The next tip is to understand the difference between linear and non-linear note-taking and when to use each. Linear note-taking is when you write information in sequential or structured order. This is typically how textbooks are written. You get chapter one, then heading one, subheading one, then heading two, subheading two. It looks very chronological. On the other hand, non-linear note-taking is more freeform, and it allows the ideas to all connect. It makes it very easy to visualize how all the concepts are connected through diagrams, mind maps, flow charts, or any other visual representation. This is normally a lot easier to do with pen and paper, whereas linear notes are the default when you’re typing your notes, right? Because you can’t draw or sketch with a keyboard.
And yes, there are some subjects like math, chemistry, or physics where you have to make sure that you get the right steps in order. But most other learning, especially conceptual learning, is complex, and all the ideas are interconnected. I enjoy taking notes on an iPad and stylus because you get that free form to make connections, but you also get that digital organization to keep track of your notes.
Tip Number Six
And speaking of math, the next tip is specifically for note-taking in math. The best way to start learning math is without all the numbers. You want a conceptual understanding first, so ignore the numbers and learn the math in words first so that you know when and why you’re using certain equations. I’d say the wrong way to learn math is by memorizing all the equations.
And then, on the exam, you’re just trying to recognize patterns. You’re trying to fit variables into the equations until you get somewhat of an answer that looks familiar. And then you just go with that one. That’s what we call the plug-and-chug method. right, which is not that great because you’re just trying to memorize the procedures and steps to solve the problems without a conceptual understanding of how to solve the problems. So again, the tip here is that when taking notes for math, start by using words in your notes. What do the laws and equations mean? Once you have a conceptual understanding, you can bring in the procedural practice. You can start introducing numbers and doing practice problem sets.
Tip Number Seven
The next tip is to write questions, and writing questions has a few benefits. First, it gives you an objective to work towards. As you’re reviewing or reading through your material, you’re actively looking for answers to these questions. Secondly, it forces you to think like an exam writer. How would they ask for this information on the test? What variables can you remove or change around to make the question even more difficult? And thirdly, writing questions gives you a great practice or review tool. When you’re studying for the exam, you can run through your list of questions and actively recall the answers to quiz yourself. If you’re using a note-taking app with toggles like Notion, you can nest the answers and hide them under the questions.
That’s it for this post, I will come up with another banger in the next one Till then, bye…
