Discover Top Posts Tagged with #note taking system

🍂 26-11-2024

Went to school

Set exam dates

Summarized the Economy textbook

Revised my Maths notes

Investigated about how to take better notes and different note taking systems

🕓 Total study time: 1:30

🎧 Listened: Stick season (We'll all be here forever) by Noah Kahan

📺 Watched: Supernatural S1E4

👣 Walked: 4,5km

✨ Simple Note Taking System ✨

Taking notes is crucial for me to actually understand and absorb the information I learn in class. However, my lecture notes are usually messy and while they have a lot of good information they're hard to study from. So I use this note taking system in my own way and it's been very effective so far.

I'll show you with an example and take you through my process.

This is generally what my lecture notes look like. I take them in pencil during class and write down pretty much every point in a way that makes sense for me. It's usually very messy and sometimes I'll come back and highlight stuff while i revise. This has almost all the points I need but I also need to refer to other sources to make sure I have everything I need.

So then I take my actual study notes. Now in this example I'm doing Biology, so my other sources are the textbook of course, and some slides. I get an A4 sheet and set up all my sources.

Now comes the actual note taking.

Firstly, I use the same headings as in the textbook. This makes it easier to review. I write everything in one colour, for me that's black because it feels clean and simple. I read all the information from all three sources, group it together, and combine them in my notes. So when I revise it's all there and I don't have to check anything else and wonder if I missed a point. Usually different sources have different points or details and it drives me crazy when I mess up on a test because something that wasn't in my notebook was in my guide.

This is what it would look like

I read each point and combine it. It's simple and this way I don't miss any points in between.

Write it down with a clear heading, points, sub points to explain, and indents for examples or lists of points as a group.

This is already much better but when it's only black ink it also allows me to highlight or add anything I learned later with a different colour. Like this

Since I leave enough empty space, I can add points, like the commercial uses, if I end up learning about them later. Or those spaces will remain clean which is great because messy notes stress me out with a sense of urgency.

I consciously highlight as little as possible because it's very easy to do too much. Usually I highlight main points here and there so my eyes can follow it quickly if I'm short on time. I'll also highlight points I keep forgetting if I've revised it a couple of times and forget the same thing over and over. This method is really effective because each time I revise, I add something. Once you get to a point where there's nothing to add, you know the topic so well you could write the entire thing from your memory. (which is when I'd try a brain dump and find the gaps in my knowledge to test myself)

I haven't shown it in the pictures but I also separate definitions very clearly. Highlight the thing you're defining in a different colour. Like this.

Random example

That's pretty much it.

Tl;dr

keep it simple

use one ink

use textbook headings to organise

sub points to explain

indents for lists or examples to memorize as a group

while reviewing:

highlight quick revision points

highlight things you keep forgetting

highlight definitions in a different colour

add points in different colours

That's all. I personally have some trouble writing in straight lines and my highlighter game is weak, but this method is by far my favourite. The pictures I used today were just an example, your notes can obviously have much more detail and still maintain this basic structure. I highly recommend watching the video linked at the beginning of this post. Hope this helps (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

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