A note taking method that blends the best of paper and digital note taking that I’ve been exploring lately. So far it’s working really well for me :) Hope it helps!
Hybrid Note Taking Method
Problems with other note taking systems
Each note taking system has its pros and cons. Here are some of the problems I found with (fully) paper and (fully) digital note taking systems.
Can’t use the search function on your notes.
Can’t add images and other types of digital files easily.
Difficult to keep overview between notebooks.
Can’t share these as easily as digital notes.
Lack of physical presence can lead to you forgetting about it.
Can be more difficult to do things like sketching, making schemes, making illustrations etc.
I like using hybrid methods because they bring you the best of both worlds.
Information in your notes is traceable.
Makes it easier to find and carry out actions e.g. finding extra info.
Allows you to embed different types of files.
Source material (e.g. book, academic paper)
Digital note-taking app → I like Notion (it’s free).
Step 1 - Read & number the material
As you go, use a pencil to lightly put numbers into the margins whenever you deem something worthy of noting down or remembering. This will help you locate the source of specific parts of your notes later.
Step 2 - Write Q&A-style notes
Write the information down in question-and-answer style. Come up with useful questions that link to the material you want to remember (e.g. Q → What is the main problem with using platform-based planning for new ventures? A → Assumptions underlying the plan are used as fact rather than best-guess estimates to be tested and questioned). Use the numbers you placed in the margin of the pages to specify the source of the information you used for each answer.
Example → Chapter 1 page 27 note 3 becomes 1.p27.3
Step 3 - Write actions as you go (Supporting notes)
Write down your thoughts, anything you’re curious about, things you want to look up, things you’re confused about, actions you’ve been inspired to do, etc. For example → ?m Maybe I can apply this to my visualization assignment? / ! Look up what ‘plurality of the future’ is / fex Organizational transformation through design. I find this a great way to support and manage the learning process.
Keep a small action key in which you have an overview of what your action marks mean (e.g. ?m→ questions to myself, f → find, fex → find example, ?? → I don’t get it, ! → general actions)
Don’t be afraid to customize your actions!
Your paper notes will contain a structured and easy to read overview of actionable items that came up during the reading. This can be questions you need answered, reminders to find specific information, etc. This will make them a lot harder to forget to do!
With the codes you’ll be able to tell easily and quickly where the information you’ve written in your notes came from.
Searchable & review-ready notes
Notes will be (mostly) made in question-and-answer style. This will allow you to easily review using active recall. All you need to do is cover/hide the answer and you can check how well you truly know the material.
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